SPECIAL FEATURE
A buoyant solution A NEW BRAND OF BUOYANCY BAGS IS SET TO REVOLUTIONISE THE POTENTIAL OF QUICK AND EASY DRY DOCKING IN THE MARITIME MARKET.
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eading integrated subsea and offshore solutions provider, Unique Group, has entered a new partnership with floating dry dock innovators, Tugdock. Following an announcement in April 2020, the company is now providing its Seaflex brand of buoyancy bags for Tugdock’s systems and will be representing the product internationally through its growing network. Tugdock’s patented modular floating dry dock system is able to lift vessels and other floating structures clear of the water at a fraction of the cost of standard dry docks. Easily transportable in standard shipping containers, it is quickly and cost-effectively taken to the vessel where the components are assembled in customised dimensions to best suit the size and shape of the vessel or the floating structure to be lifted. Available in sizes ranging from 12m x 12m to 100m x 100m it has a total lift capacity up to 15,000 tonnes. Tugdock believes it system will revolutionise the maintenance of fleets located far from the nearest shipyard, or the construction of floating offshore structures, and now it has selected Seaflex’s individually controlled buoyancy bags contained within an open steel frame structure to help make it happen.
Perfect pairing
The Seaflex buoyancy bags concept has been developed over two years by Tugdock and a team of Unique Group experts led by Graham Brading, Group Director of the Buoyancy & Ballast Division, but the official launch came in April 2020. Commenting on the partnership, Brading said: “Since each Tugdock sold will see a significant amount of Seaflex bags being manufactured in our own factory, it makes perfect sense for us to assist Tugdock in maximising their sales and we are delighted to have the opportunity to do so. With Unique Group’s increasing focus on the renewable energy sector, we envisage
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Tugdock’s patented modular floating dry dock system is able to lift vessels and other floating structures clear of the water at a fraction of the cost of standard dry docks.
significant potential for an upscaled version of the product to assist with the construction and launch of floating wind turbines, which can be up to 15,000 tonnes displacement.” Tugdock Managing Director, Shane Carr, added: “Having worked closely and successfully with Graham and his team during the research, development and trial process, we have also gained an understanding of Unique Group’s global presence. We are very happy to have appointed them to represent us in the parts of the world where they have an unrivalled presence, and to be able to benefit from that international reach.”
Keeping afloat
operations. They enable any weighty underwater objects to be brought to the surface unaccompanied, by using the buoyancy of the bag to lift them. Air Flotation bags can also be used by a diver to move an object from one underwater point to another. In addition to being for sale, the new Seaflex brand of buoyancy bags is also being offered for rental or purchase via Unique Group’s own network of bases across four continents: United States of America, Canada, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, KSA, Qatar, South Africa, Singapore, India and Nigeria. i. www.uniquegroup.com i. www.tugdock.com
Air flotation bags are often a crucial piece of equipment for many offshore and subsea
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