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Active with jobs around the worldin Turkey, Greece, Malaysia, China, Poland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Malta and Brazil

The Journal of Ship Hull Performance begins its second year of publication

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ContentsPage 3 - 13

Active with jobs around the world

Underwater stern tube seal replacement in Turkey and Greece

Sealaunch Odyssey semi-submersible mobile spacecraft launch platform coated with Ecospeed

Ecospeed rudder applications across the globe

On-site bow thruster removal and reinstallation avoids drydocking

Underwater propeller blade cropping in Brazil Page 14


ISO 9001certified

Underwater services andtechnology approved by:

Belgian headquartersPhone: + 32 3 213 5318 Fax: + 32 3 213 5321 i n f o @ e c o s p e e d . b e

US OfficePhone: + 1 727 443 3900 Fax: + 1 727 443 3990 i n f o @ e c o s p e e d . u s

www.ecospeed.be

Supreme Rudder Protection

Ecospeed gives a very thor-ough and lasting defense

against cavitation and corrosion damage for a ship hull’s entire service life.

The coating equally provides the

rudder with an impenetrable pro-

tective layer while its flexibility

enables absorption of the forces

that are produced by cavitation.

This prevents the damage nor-

mally caused by this phenomenon.

Without proper protection against

cavitation and the resulting ero-

sion and corrosion damage, the

financial consequences can be

severe.

By removing the existing paint

layers and applying Ecospeed

on the rudder we can break the

never ending cycle of painting,

suffering damage, having to per-

form extensive repairs in drydock

followed by a full repainting,

again and again.

With an Ecospeed application no

full repaint will be needed during

drydocking. Ecospeed is guaran-

teed for ten years. At the most,

minor touch-ups will be required.

KEEPING SHIPSIN BUSINESS


3

When a 204-meter cruise vessel suffered an oil leak in its stern

tube seal assembly, Hydrex was asked to carry out a permanent seal replace-ment. The repair was carried out with the Hydrex flexible mobdock tech-nique and performed in stages to allow the ship to keep the tight schedule of the cruise it was on.

A small Hydrex diver/technician team

met up with the ship in Kusadasi,

Turkey and removed the starboard side

rope guard. This was done to shorten

the time required for the actual replace-

ment of the stern tube seals. It was

essential in fitting the operation within

the short stop the vessel made in the

next harbour on its trip. The team was

then completed with additional diver/

technicians and sailed to Greece on

board the cruise ship.

As soon as the vessel arrived in Piraeus,

the Hydrex diver/technicians set up

a monitoring station next to the ship

and made all necessary preparations

for the main part of the operation. The

team then installed the Hydrex flexible

Underwater stern tube seal replacement in Turkey and Greece

Hydrex diver/technician working inside flexible mobdock.

Inspection of rope guard prior to removal in Turkey.

mobdock around the stern tube seal

assembly. This created a dry working

environment underwater in which to

carry out the repair in the drydock like

conditions, necessary when replacing

seals.

Stern tube seal assembly after seal replacement.

Active with jobs around the world

4

After the diver/technicians had opened

up the assembly they removed the

damaged stern tube seals one by one

and replaced them with new ones. A

subsequent leakage test showed that

the repair was successful. The team

then closed the stern tube seal assembly

again and removed the flexible mob-

dock. This ended the second part of the

operation well in time for the cruise

ship to sail to its next stop with its

passengers.

In Istanbul, Turkey, the team met up

with the vessel again and refitted the

rope guard onto the stern tube seal

assembly, concluding the operation.

The ship could continue its journey free

of oil leaks without going to drydock

and without any changes to its schedule.

Stern tube seal assembly with damaged seal.

COld STRAIGHTENING OF SEvEREly BENT PROPEllER BlAdES

In its quest to provide cost effective services to customers,

Hydrex developed procedures to address different kinds of damage to propellers. This research led to the design of the Hydrex cold straightening machines first used in 2002.

By taking advantage of this tech-

nique damaged blades can be

straightened underwater, allowing

the ship to return to commercial

operations without the need to dry-

dock. Blades can be brought back

close to their original form, restoring

the propeller’s optimum efficiency.

The cold straightening machines

have been in use for quite some

time now but the Hydrex research

department has been looking into

ways to expand the technique even

further to improve our services. A

new version of the straightening

machine was recently put into practice.

It is compatible with the existing

models and is used to restore more

severely bent propeller blades to their

original condition. www.hydrex.be

5

last month the application of Ecospeed on the two floaters

of the semi-submersible mobile spacecraft launch platform Odyssey started in Malaysia. The vessel was converted from a mobile drilling rig in 1997 and is used for equatorial Pacific Ocean satellite launches. She is stationed in the Port of long Beach, California. In total 8500 m² will be coated with Ecospeed to give these parts of the vessel that are permanently underwater a lasting protection against corrosion damage.

A coating that claims to be suitable

for offshore structures should satisfy

several conditions. This coating has to

offer long-term protection from corro-

sion and bio-fouling. An environmen-

tally safe solution is becoming in-

creasingly essential. In addition, the

hull should always keep its optimum

condition by on-site maintenance only.

Ecospeed is a durable hull paint which

requires only a single application

during the normal service life of the

vessel, and which is specially designed

for underwater maintenance without

damaging the protective coating.

durable protection against corrosion

Ecospeed demonstrates excellent anti-

corrosive properties. Diffusion of watery

solutions, including very aggressive

chloride ions in acidic solutions, has

no effect on Ecospeed immersed in

seawater. Based on experience with

similar coating concepts used in the off-

shore industry, Ecospeed comes with a

guaranteed corrosion protection of ten

and experiments in collaboration with

the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure

and the Environment have shown that

there is no release of toxins during

the curing process and during on-site

treatment such as underwater cleaning.

In addition, the application of Ecospeed

has a very low environmental impact,

not only because Ecospeed has a low

contents of Volatile Organic Com-

pounds (VOCs) but especially because

only one application is required through-

out the lifetime of the vessel or structure.

Maintenance benefits

Every existing coating will eventually

suffer from marine fouling. Ecospeed

has been especially designed for under-

water treatment. In-water cleanings of

Ecospeed continuously improve the

surface characteristics without dam-

aging the protective qualities or affect-

years. The expectations are that Eco-

speed will last 25 years or the typical

lifetime of a vessel or offshore structure.

Ecospeed is a pre-qualified coating

system in accordance with NORSOK

standard M-501, Rev.5, June 2004.

durable protection against biofouling

Ecospeed is distinguished from other

coatings by its impenetrability by foul-

ing organisms. Regular underwater

cleanings will effectively remove all

fouling organisms and improve the

surface characteristics.

Environmental benefits

Ecospeed demonstrates remarkable en-

vironmental benefits with no negative

or damaging effects to its surroundings.

Ecospeed is totally free of biocides,

The two floaters of the semi-submersible mobile spacecraft launch platform Odyssey were coated with Ecospeed in Malaysia.

Sealaunch Odyssey semi-submersible mobile spacecraft launch platform

coated with Ecospeed

6

ing the coating thickness. Specially

designed tools have been developed for

fast, efficient and optimal underwater

treatment. Experience has shown that

prolonged static exposure on any coat-

ing will result in heavy fouling but

a single underwater treatment on

Ecospeed suffices to remove all fouling

effectively and return the surface to its

pristine condition.

In one of our upcoming magazines we

will publish a follow-up article with

a detailed account of the application of

the launch platform Odyssey, together

with many extra pictures.

An application is adapted to a yard’s schedule. An Ecospeed inspector is present to make sure that the Ecospeed coating has the correct layer thickness across the entire surface.

Over the last few months the rudders of several container

and general cargo vessels from a number of different fleets, were coated with the Ecospeed glassflake vinyl-ester surface treated coating (STC) at shipyards in China, Poland and Belgium. The coating ensures lasting protection against cavitation damage for the rudders of these vessels for the remainder of their service life.

The decision to use Ecospeed was

made by the shipowners after cavitation

damage had appeared on the rudders

of their vessels. Ecospeed will prevent

similar damage from occurring again.

Most of these owners are returning

customers for Ecospeed and so they

had experienced firsthand the benefits

of an Ecospeed coating.

Ecospeed gives a very thorough and

lasting defense against cavitation and

corrosion damage for a ship hull’s

protective layer while its flexibility

enables absorption of the forces that are

produced by cavitation. This prevents

entire service life. The coating equally

provides the rudder (and/or the entire

underwater hull) with an impenetrable

Cavitation damage like this can be prevented by applying Ecospeed on a rudder.

Ecospeed rudder applications across the globe

7

the damage normally caused by this

phenomenon. Without proper protection

against cavitation and the resulting

erosion and corrosion damage, the

financial consequences can be severe.

Tests in a flow channel, sponsored

by the French Ministry of Defense

and carried out in Grenoble, have

confirmed that Ecospeed performs ex-

tremely well under severe cavitation.

These tests were divided into six

stages during which the coating was

exposed to an increasing pressure drop,

leading to a growing cavitation force.

Even after the last stage no erosion was

present on the test patch coated with

Ecospeed.

By removing the existing paint layers

and applying Ecospeed on the rudder

we can break the never ending cycle

of painting, suffering damage, having

to perform extensive repairs in drydock

followed by a full repainting, again and

again.

With an Ecospeed application no repaint

will be needed during drydocking.

Ecospeed is guaranteed for ten years. At

most, minor touch-ups will be needed.

Planning the maintenance of the

vessel’s stern area therefore becomes

much easier. The smoothness attained

by the coating also provides optimum

hydrodynamic conditions for rudders

to operate at maximum efficiency. The

ship’s performance remains stable and

the owner’s investment is secured.

During surface preparation, all old paint layers are removed.

Ecospeed is applied homogenously in just two layers.

There is no maximum overcoat time in between both Ecospeed layers.

Ecospeed protects rudders against corrosion and cavitation damage.

No full repaint of Ecospeed is necessary for the remainder of the vessel’s service life.

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Worldwide network of of fices and service stations

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Worldwide network of of fices and service stations



10

When the bow thruster unit of a 348-meter container vessel

needed to be overhauled, Hydrex sent a diver/technician team to the ship to remove the unit on-site and reinstall it again two months later after it had been overhauled. The operation was performed in stages at several locations to allow the vessel to keep to its sailing schedule.

Together with all the necessary

equipment, the team first travelled to

Rotterdam where the operation started

with a thorough inspection of the bow

thruster unit. The team then detached

the bow thruster blades one by one.

In the meantime they made initial

preparations in the bow thruster engine

room for the removal of the unit, so

that there would be no ingress of water

once the unit had been taken out.

All equipment was then loaded on a

Hydrex truck and transported to the

vessel’s next stop while the diver/

technician team stayed on board the

vessel during her voyage from Rotter-

dam to Le Havre.

Soon after the vessel arrived in Le

Havre, the team continued getting the

engine room ready. Next the support

brackets connecting the gearbox to the

thruster tunnel were cut and the unit

was secured with chains. It could then

be fully disconnected from the thruster

room and was carefully lowered, ex-

tracted from the tunnel and brought

to the surface. The second part of the

operation ended with the installation

of a blind flange to seal off the thruster

tunnel from the engine room to prevent

any water ingress during the overhaul

period.

Two months later a Hydrex diver/tech-

nician team reinstalled the overhauled

bow thruster gearbox during the ship’s

stop in Valetta, Malta. After the team

set up a monitoring station next to the

ship, the bow thruster unit was put on

a cradle that is designed especially for

bow thruster operations and prevents

the unit from tipping. As it can be

adjusted to the size of the thruster, it

allows the Hydrex divers to bring a

bow thruster unit back into a thruster

tunnel in one take.

On-site bow thruster removal and reinstallation avoids drydocking

One of the bow thruster blades being brought up to shore in Rotterdam.

Positioning the bow thruster gearbox for transportation to the manufacturer.

11

The diver/technicians then sealed off

the thruster tunnel with the Hydrex

flexible mobdocks and emptied all

water from it. This created a dry

working environment for them in which

they could complete the reinstallation

of the bow thruster unit in drydock-like

conditions. Next they repositioned the

gearbox using chain blocks and secured

it with bolts. The thruster propeller

blades were then reinstalled one by

one. The team completed the operation

by reconnecting the thruster unit to the

engine room.

After a successful leakage test was

carried out, the team removed the

flexible mobdocks and flooded the

thruster tunnel again. Finally the diver/

technicians assisted the vessel’s crew

to find the correct pitch for the newly

installed bow thruster unit.

By performing both the removal and

reinstallation of the bow thruster unit

underwater the vessel did not have

to go into drydock, saving the owner

valuable time and money.

Lowering the thruster unit back into the water.

A Hydrex diver/technician guiding the gearbox while it is lowered into the water.

Overhauled gearbox ready for reinstallation in Valletta.



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Class Accepted underwater stern tube seal repairs under warranty

www.hydrex.be

Using our flexible mobdock method to create a dry under-

water environment, we have car-ried out stern tube seal repairs and replacements underwater for some years now in cooperation with top specialist suppliers.

This technology brings drydock

conditions to the ship rather than

having to take the ship to drydock,

saving a considerable amount of

time and money in doing so.

This class accepted method is

performed by our diving teams under

our warranty. It can be used while the

ship is carrying out its usual cargo or

other commercial operations in port.

Visit the special stern tube seal repair

section on our website for more

information and examples of the

many seal repairs we have performed

in recent years.

The Hydrex lightweight flexi-ble mobdocks are designed

to be easily transported around the world and are used to close off the thruster tunnel on both sides, allowing divers to perform repairs and other operations in a dry environment around the bow thruster unit.

This technique enables them to

reinstall the propeller blades of

an overhauled thruster inside the

thruster tunnel after the unit has been

secured or replace the blades or seals

and perform repair work on a specific

part without removing the unit.

Since the development of this flexi-

ble mobdock technique, numerous

thruster repairs have been carried out

by Hydrex diver/technicians around

the world.

There is no need to send the vessel

to drydock as all operations can

be carried out in port or while the

vessel is stationary at sea. Normal

commercial activities can therefore

continue without disruption.

On-site bow thruster operations

Phone: + 32 3 213 5300 (24/7)Fax: + 32 3 213 5321

[email protected]

13

At the end of 2011 Hydrex mobi-lized a diver/technician team to

Rio de Janeiro to carry out a detailed inspection and necessary repair to the damaged port-side propeller blades of a 73-meter supply vessel.

A wooden beam had fouled the

propeller and had damaged three of

the four blades. The affected areas

of the blades therefore needed to be

cropped to restore the propeller’s

balance. One blade had been damaged

in two different areas, so four pieces

needed to be cropped in total.

To make a full assessment of the damage,

the team first performed an underwater

inspection. They then used the acquired

information to calculate and determine

the correct measurements needed to

modify the trailing edges of the propel-

ler blades. The diver/technicians then

cropped the three blades after which

they ground and polished all edges of

the cropped areas.

This kind of repair is carried out to

achieve the greatest possible efficiency

for the vessel.

By taking advantage of Hydrex’s in-

house developed cold straightening

technique, propeller blades that are bent

can often be straightened underwater,

allowing the ship to return to commercial

operations without the need to drydock.

In this way optimum efficiency of the

propellers can be restored by bringing

the blades back close to their original

form while the vessel remains afloat.

Underwater propeller blade cropping in Brazil

A wooden beam caused severe damage to the propeller blades of a supply vessel.

The affected areas were cropped to restore balance to the propeller.

Permanent rudder repairs now possible without drydocking

Hydrex has developed an entire-ly new method enabling per-

manent repairs of rudders without drydocking the ship. Permanent repairs were hitherto not possible and ships had to drydock in case a major defect was found. The newly designed equipment is lightweight and can be mobilized very rapidly in our special flight containers. Therefore this new service is now available worldwide.

Major defects on rudders very often cause unscheduled drydocking of ships. The new method designed by our technical department allows engin- eers, welders and inspectors to perform their tasks in dry conditions. Class approved permanent repairs in-situ, without moving the ship, are now possible and commercial operations can continue. Steel repairs and replace-ments can be performed

and pintle and bushing defects can be solved without the loss of time and money associated with drydocking.

The equipment can be mobilized within hours to any port in the world and is available for rapid mobilization from the Hydrex headquarters in Antwerp.

The cropped areas were polished to achieve the best possible efficiency for

the propeller.

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January 2012 marks the publi-cation of the quarterly Journal

of Ship Hull Performance, volume 2, Issue 1.

Over the last year the Journal has set

out to provide useful information to

the shipping community on subjects

related to ship hull coatings, fouling

control and the environment with a

view to helping readers understand

the best practices for improving ship

hull performance, reducing fuel costs

through hull coating systems and

minimizing impact on the environment

from hull coatings and their application

and maintenance.

The Journal has received excellent

reviews for its efforts to gather useful

but sometimes hard to find information

on these subjects and to present it in

an easy to absorb format. Scientists

and researchers have expressed their

appreciation for the Journal’s efforts to

get their research information into the

hands of those who can actually use it.

The January 2012 issue of the Journal of

Ship Hull Performance is all about hull-

borne aquatic invasive species, a topic

currently very much in the headlines.

Much is changing in the shipping

industry.

One can take a negative view and resist

the changes or one can take an optimistic

approach and look on challenges as

opportunities. Nowhere is this more

true than in the area of dealing with

hull-borne aquatic invasive species or

non-indigenous species (NIS). At first

glance, new regulations looming on

the horizon may look like rocks and

shoals on which the shipping industry

could go aground. However, as we

have tried to cover

in this issue of the

Journal of Ship

Hull Performance,

the guidelines and

regulations which

will soon come

into force represent

an opportunity for

shipowners and o-

perators to change

hull protection and

antifouling habits

and save 25% of

their fuel costs by

doing so.

The journal in-

cludes Hydrex

White Paper N°8

Invasive Aquatic

Species – A pro-

posed alternative

solution, which

presents an alter-

native approach to

dealing with the problem of hull-borne

invasive aquatic species and explains

how this alternative approach can result

in enormous fuel savings.

The Journal includes some excellent

papers from prominent researchers

around the world who have been work-

ing diligently on the problem of how to

prevent the spread of non-indigenous

species (NIS) via ship hull fouling.

There are many facets to this problem

and we have compiled material which

cover all of these.

In addition to existing papers, you

will find an article written specially

for this issue of the Journal of Ship

Hull Performance by the Australian

Government Department of Agricul-

ture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF)

discussing their current review of the

1997 ANZECC Code of Practice for

Antifouling and In-water Hull Cleaning

and Maintenance in progress.

The Journal also announces some of

the important conferences, seminars

and events coming up in the next

quarter which may be of interest.

You can download an electronic

copy of the latest Journal of Ship

Hull Performance at no charge at

www.shiphullperformance.org at the

“Publications” link. You can also ask to

be sent a printed copy if you register

(free) at that website.




1531

Turnkey underwater solutions for the offshore industry

Phone: +32 3 213 5300 (24/7)Fax: +32 3 213 5321E-mail: [email protected]

www.hydrex.be

Underwater solutionsavoid drydocking

Hydrex has certified divers at its disposal, readyto perform all types of offshore inspections.

Fully trained and certified diver/technicians

Removal of heavy marine foulingon FPSO and drill vessels

Fast response centers withinstant mobilizable equipment

Magazine 183.qxd 22-12-2011 14:11 Pagina 31

Fast underwater repairs keep ships out of drydock

Hydrex offers turnkey under-water repair solutions to ship-

owners wherever and wheneverthey are needed. Hydrex’s multi-disciplinary team will help you findthe best solution for any problemencountered with your ship belowthe water line. We will immediatelymobilize our diver/technicians tocarry out necessary repair workwithout the need to drydock.

Hydrex has a long track record of

performing complex permanent under-water repairs to thrusters, propellers,rudders, stern tube seals and dam-aged or corroded hulls. By creatingdrydock-like conditions around theaffected area, our diver/technicianscan carry out these operations in portor at anchor.

All the projects we undertake areengineered and carried out in closecooperation with the customer andany third party suppliers, relieving

the customer of all the hassle of coor-dination, planning and supervision.

Headquartered in the Belgian port ofAntwerp, we have offices in Tampa(U.S.A), Algeciras (Spain), Mumbaiand Visakhapatnam (India), and PortGentil (Gabon).

All Hydrex offices have fully opera-tional fast response centers where anextensive range of state-of-the-artequipment is available at all times.

www.hydrex.be

Headquarters Hydrex N.V. - AntwerpPhone: + 32 3 213 5300 (24/7)E-mail: h y d r e x @ h y d r e x . b e

Hydrex Spain - AlgecirasPhone: + 34 (956) 675 049 (24/7)E-mail: i n f o @ h y d r e x . e s

Hydrex LLC - Tampa, U.S.A.Phone: + 1 727 443 3900 (24/7)E-mail: [email protected]

Hydrex West Africa – Port Gentil, GabonPhone: + 241 04 16 49 48 (24/7)E-mail: w e s t a f r i c a @ h y d r e x . b e

Hydrex India - MumbaiPhone: + 91 222 2046 988 (24/7)E-mail: m u m b a i @ h y d r e x . b e

Hydrex India -VishakhapatnamPhone: + 91 891 2711 863 (24/7)E-mail: [email protected]

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