active with jobs around the world - hydrex...ecospeed against cavitation which will prevent similar...
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NEWSL E T T E R | 1 8 2
Underwater repairs in the U.A.E. allow ship to sail on after a 150-meter large grounding damage
Ecospeed applied to two ice-going new-build general cargo vessels in Croatia
Active with jobs around the world
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ContentsPage 3 - 8
Underwater repairs in the U.A.E. allow ship to sail on after a 150-meter large grounding damage
Ecospeed applied to two ice-going newbuild general cargo vessels in Croatia
Page 10 - 15
Active with jobs around the world
Doubler plate repair on ro-ro vessel in Belgium
Customer returns for another rudder application in Poland
Supreme rudder protection for container vessel in China
Underwater propeller blade cropping in Mexico
Underwater propeller balance restoration in Belgium
Heavy pitting repair on tanker in Galveston
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.
3
When the shell plating of a 300-meter bulker was indent-
ed over a length of 150 meters after a grounding in the Suez Canal, a large crack 1.5 meters long appeared, making it impossible for the vessel to sail any further. To close off the crack and allow the vessel to continue its route, Hydrex sent a nine man diver/technician team to the vessel’s location, 21 miles off the coast of Fujairah, United Arabian Emirates.
The ship had suffered very extensive
grounding damage while leaving the
Suez Canal, indenting the underwater
hull on the starboard side over half
the total length of the ship and up to
six meters deep, compressing the shell
plating and seriously weakening the
strength of the hull. Luckily the damage
only covered the first three ballast tanks,
for had it reached the fourth tank or the
cargo hold, there was a risk that the ship
would have sunk.
and consequent water ingress made it
impossible for the vessel to continue to
China for unloading until the crack was
repaired sufficiently to avert the risk of
any further damage.
After the customer contacted us, one
of our technicians flew to Fujairah
As the situation now stood, only some
small cracks were present and no
leakages. The ship was allowed to sail
on to its next stop in Fujairah were
unfortunately a large crack appeared.
This was a consequence of the move-
ment of the indented plating during
the journey. The additional damage
A crack of 1.5 meter appeared after sailing to Fujairah, making it impossible for the vessel to continue its voyage.
A special frame was designed to make a perfect template of the new form of the shell plating.
Underwater repairs in the U.A.E. allow ship to sail on after a 150-meter
large grounding damage
4
for a preliminary inspection of the
damage. This was essential in order to
create a repair plan that would offer the
customer the best possible solution for
this specific problem. This plan was
designed in cooperation with a naval
architect. Next it was proposed to the
customer who gladly approved it.
The leakage had lowered the fully
loaded ship from a draft of 18 meters to
22 meters. Because such a water depth
means shorter diving intervals, a large
diving team was immediately mobilized
to the vessel to allow the team to work
continuously for the 12 hours that were
available each day.
A rotating diver/technician team was mobilized to make sure that the operation could continue for 12 hours each day, despite the working depth of 22 meter.
A cofferdam was designed and constructed to close off the crack and prevent it from propagating.
5
To get a perfect assessment of the way
the shell plating had been compressed,
a special frame was made and secured
over the damaged area. This allowed
the diver/technician team to get exact
measurements of the distorted plating.
These measurements were then used to
create a special cofferdam that would
cover the crack and prevent it from
growing further.
After the cofferdam had been positioned
and secured, it was reinforced with
longitudinal stiffeners and additional
fortifications until it was strong enough
to hold the water pressure. The tank
behind the crack was then emptied,
bringing the vessel back to its previous
draft of 18 meters.
In total the reinforcements covered an
area of 18m² and the combined length
of all the welds was over 500 m. When
the operation was finished, only a few
reinforcements needed to be added to
the inside of the hull to prepare the ship
for its journey to China.
The shell plating was indented over a length 150 meter and a depth of 6 meter.
Hydrex diver/technician making the final reinforcements to the cofferdam.
The cofferdam allows the ship to sail on to China to unload.
6
ANorwegian based shipping com-pany chose Ecospeed to give
lasting protection to their two new-build general cargo vessels. The first vessel, m/v Golfstraum, was delivered in November. Her sister vessel m/v Rystraum is planned for a 2012 delivery. Both vessels were coated in Rijeka, Croatia. They are of the highest ice class and will be trading in North Europe and the Baltic Sea.
Because the most northern parts of the
Baltic Sea are almost completely frozen
during the winter season the owner
wanted an underwater hull coating
that would protect his vessels against
the frequent impact of large pieces of
floating dry ice. Ecospeed was there-
fore the ideal coating, requiring no
more than a few touch-ups during future
drydock visits and no full repaint.
Ecospeed applied to two ice-going newbuild general cargo vessels in Croatia
Two newbuild general cargo vessels were given an Ecospeed treatment in Rijeka, Croatia.
Ecospeed is applied in only two, identical, layers.
Ecospeed has also received the Lloyd’s
Register certificate that recognizes the
coating as an abrasion resistant ice
coating for vessels intending to navigate
in ice conditions. For this reason the
ice belts of both vessels, the area on
the bow just above the waterline that is
7
Both vessels will be trading in frozen waters during the winter season and need an underwater hull coating that will protect them against these harsh circumstances.
Ecospeed is also suited for those areas that are prone to cavitation damage, like rudders.
most prone to mechanical damage from
sailing through ice, were also coated
with Ecospeed.
For over five years several vessels
coated with Ecospeed have been
sailing through the most severe Baltic
Winters. None of these vessels have
required more than just a few touch-
ups during their drydock visits. Further
evidence of Ecospeed’s resistance is
the excellent condition of the coating
on the underwater hull of the icebreaker
Oden that has been sailing to both the
North and the South Pole since it was
coated 4 1/2 years ago and the virtually
intact and undamaged condition of
Ecospeed on RRS (Royal Research
Ship) Ernest Shackleton after two
seasons of battering its way through
ice up to 2.5 meters thick with a high
8
An Ecospeed application can easily be adapted to the yard’s schedule.
Ecospeed is 100% toxicant free and has no negative effect on the water at any point.
content of gravel and volcanic lava
adding to its abrasiveness.
Besides its lasting resistance to me-
chanical damage, Ecospeed is also a
non-toxic coating and offers a TBT-free,
copper-free, biocide-free and silicone
oil-free solution for the protection of the
underwater hull. In 2008 stringent tests
were carried out within the framework
of an EU-LIFE demonstration project
to provide scientific data and to au-
thenticate the non-toxicity of the Eco-
speed hull performance technology.
This research proved that the coating is
100% toxicant free and that it produces
no negative effect on the water quality
or the marine environment at any point.
98
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 181.qxd 28-10-2011 10:07 Pagina 8
10
Hydrex was contacted to install a doubler plate over a corroded
hole in the shell plating and perform welding repairs under the sounding pipe in the bilge tank of a 214- meter ro-ro vessel during its stop in Antwerp.
Shortly after arriving at the location,
our diver/technicians performed an
inspection that revealed that a blanking
was already in place over the damaged
location. The blanking was released
from inside the tank and removed from
the hull. A new doubler plate was then
welded in place over the damaged area
on the underwater hull.
The additional welding repairs needed
inside the tank of the vessel required
that the tank be emptied of water. Once
this was done, the area around the
damage was cleaned, prepared, welded
and ground smooth.
Both repairs were performed according
to the Hydrex class approved proce-
dures. As in all operations carried out
by the company, essential professional
standards were upheld to ensure the
future safety of the ship.
While such repairs may not entail a very
large mobilization, they are nevertheless
very important in keeping a vessel on
schedule without unnecessary loss of
time or money.
Doubler plate repair on ro-ro vessel in Belgium
Active with jobs around the world
Hydrex has a wide range of equipment ready for a very fast mobilization.
The old blanking was removed. A new doubler plate was installed over the damaged area.
11
Satisfied with the result of the Eco-speed applications on the rud-
ders of several of their other vessels, a United Kingdom based company has a ordered the application of Eco-speed on the rudder of another of its existing vessels. The rudder was painted with Ecospeed in Gdansk where several of the previous appli-cations have also been carried out.
The decision to use Ecospeed was
made by the shipowner after cavitation
damage had appeared on the rudders of
several of his container vessels. These
rudders are given lasting protection by
Ecospeed against cavitation which will
prevent similar damage from occurring
again.
A great deal of effort goes into the design
and manufacture of rudders because
they are such a key part of a vessel.
They deserve to be protected adequately
against the ravages of cavitation.
Ecospeed’s durability provides complete
protection and the coating will remain
intact for the service life of the vessel.
COlD STRAIGHTENING OF SEvEREly BENT PROPEllER BlADES
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
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
bent propeller blades to their original condition.
Customer returns for another rudder application in Poland
Cavitation damage was present on the rudder prior to the Ecospeed application.
Ecospeed’s durability provides the rudder complete protection from now on.
12
Recently the rudder of a 212- meter container vessel was given
a protective Ecospeed coating in Shanghai that will safeguard it against cavitation damage from now on.
Ecospeed has been designed to give
a very thorough and lasting defense
against cavitation and corrosion damage
for the entire service life a ship’s hull.
The coating equally provides the rudder
with an impenetrable protective layer
while its flexibility enables absorption
of the forces that are produced by
cavitation, thereby preventing 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.
By removing the existing paint layers
and applying Ecospeed on the rudder a
shipowner/operator 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 full
repaint will be needed during future
drydockings. Ecospeed is guaranteed
for ten years. At the most, minor touch-
ups will be required during regularly
scheduled drydocking.
Supreme rudder protection for container vessel in China
After surface preparation only two identical layers of Ecospeed need to be applied.
The schedule of an application is adapted to the schedule of the yard.
After the second layer has been applied, the rudder is protected against cavitation damage.
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.
13
In Manzanillo, Mexico, a Hydrex diver/technician team cropped
two of the six blades of the propeller of a 208-meter container vessel. Both blades had suffered heavy cavitation damage and needed to be cropped to restore the propeller’s balance.
To make a full assessment of the
damage, the team first performed an
underwater inspection. The information
acquired was then used to calculate and
determine the correct measurements
needed to modify the trailing edges
of the propeller blades. The two
blades were then cropped and all edges
on the cropped areas were ground and
polished.
This kind of repair is carried out to
achieve the greatest possible efficiency
for the vessel.
By taking advantage of the in-house
developed cold straightening technique,
propeller blades that are bent can
often even 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 Mexico
Heavily corroded propeller blades can be cropped to restore a propeller’s balance.
After the cropping all edges are grinded and polished to achieve the highest possible efficiency for the propeller.
Measurements are taken and used to calculate the best cutting line.
14
Class Accepted underwater stern tube seal repairs under warranty
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.
Recently Hydrex mobilized a diver/technician team to a dry
cargo vessel close to the company’s headquarters in Antwerp to restore the balance of a propeller that had suffered a crack on one of its blades.
The team first carried out a detailed
underwater inspection to determine
the exact nature of the damage. This
revealed that one of the four blades had a
large crack in it and needed to be cropped
to make sure that the propeller would
not suffer any vibrations. To restore the
propeller’s balance the opposite blade
was cropped in exactly the same way.
If a ship has one or more bent or cracked
propeller blades, the classification society
might demand a repair before the vessel
is allowed to sail on. By straightening
the blades if possible or cropping them
if the damage is too severe, Hydrex can
restore the propeller’s balance, resulting
in a green light from the class for the
vessel, without any need to drydock.
Underwater propeller balance restoration in Belgium
Cropping was the only option after one of the propeller blades had suffered a large crack.
The exact same area was cropped on the opposite blade to make sure that the propeller would be balanced.
15
Hydrex US mobilized a diver/tech-nician team to perform weld-
ing repairs on the pitting that had occurred on multiple locations on the inside of the bilge keel holding tank of a 247-meter tanker. The operation was carried out while the vessel was in the port of Galveston, Texas.
The team placed a cofferdam on the
outside of the affected plating to make
sure that the water temperature would
not impair the quality of the welds. This
enabled the certified Hydrex welders to
fill the numerous pitted areas. Because
the damage was spread out over a very
large area, the team had to move the
cofferdam several times to fill all the
pitting. A class surveyor was present
during the entire operation and approved
the repair after the welds were inspected
by an independent UT inspector.
The team worked around the clock to
finish the operation as fast as possible
in order to minimize any delay for the
vessel.
Heavy pitting repair on tanker in Galveston
Hydrex US mobilized a truck and equipment to the location of the repair.Numerous pitted areas spread out over a large area were filled by the team.
All welds were inspected by an independent UT inspector.
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.
In-situ bow thruster operations
Phone: + 32 3 213 5300 (24/7)Fax: + 32 3 213 5321
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 -VishakhaptnamPhone: + 91 891 2711 863 (24/7)E-mail: [email protected]