Diverse shell plating repairs in Belgium, Netherlands and Trinidad
Hydrex welder during operations in Amsterdam (Source: Hydrex)
In the space of a few months Hydrex’s underwater repair team carried out multiple shell plating repairs in the Port of Spain, Trinidad and Amsterdam. The hull repairs were carried out on a car carrier and two tankers.
“These operations illustrate the diversity of shell plating repairs our divers and technicians are trained for”, said Hydrex.
The first repair this summer was for a 164-metre chemical tanker at the Port of Spain, Trinidad. A team of diver and technicians replaced damaged plating underneath the sounding pipe in one of the ballast tanks.
Hydrex detailed the repair, stating that the team installed a cofferdam on the waterside of the affected plating, cleaned the damaged plating, removed the damaged section, prepared the edges of the hole for the inset and positioned the new plate. The inset was then welded using a full penetration weld and the cofferdam removed.
A similar repair was performed on a 144-metre oil tanker at the Port of Amsterdam to repair damage in the ship’s engine room. “Our divers have carried out many insert repairs on all types of ships and in all areas of the hull, so they finished the operation very quickly without any delay”, said Hydrex.
The final repair in Zeebrugge, Belgium was weld work to repair a crack causing a leak in the forepeak of the ballast tank of a 229-metre car carrier. “As a result of this temporary repair the owner of the vessel did not have to go off schedule for an emergency visit to drydock but could make arrangements for a follow up repair at a more convenient time and location,” Hydrex emphasises the advantages of these kind of repair.
