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

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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

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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: hydrex@hydrex.be

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

hydrex@hydrex.bewww.hydrex.be

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: info@hydrex.us

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: vishakhapatnam@hydrex.be