Hydrex diver/technicians carried out three separate repairs on a 118-meter general cargo vessel while the ship was at anchorage off the coast of Port Gentil, Gabon. These on-site repairs allowed the customer to save precious time and money.
The entire operation was supervised and coordinated by the Hydrex team leader from inside a monitoring station.
A detailed inspection of both the outside and inside of the bulbous bow revealed that the entire area had been damaged. The bottom of the bow was heavily indented. This had caused serious deformation of the structural framework in the forepeak of the vessel. There were also several cracks and small holes in the hull plating.
The Hydrex team installed 14 larger doubler plates, as well as many smaller ones to close off the damaged area from the rest of the vessel and prevent leaks. Three additional frames were also installed to reinforce the bulkhead and to make sure that the vessel could sail safely. Finally crack arrests were drilled to prevent the cracks from spreading any further.
- Insert repairs in bottom plating
To repair holes in the bottom plating of the cargo hold, the Hydrex diver/technicians installed two insert plates, measuring 600 x 600 mm and 500 x 450 mm. After they had cut away the damaged areas they prepared the edges of both holes. Next the new inserts were positioned and kept in place with screw docks. A full penetration weld was then used to secure the plates, finishing the second part of the operation.
- Installation of new brackets on frame in cargo hold
Simultaneously with the other two repairs, the Hydrex team also replaced plating of the damaged port side brackets of one of the large container guiding frames in the cargo hold. Pins are pushed through this plating and into tubes in the hold wall to secure the frames. This allows the crew to reposition the frames or remove them according to the requirements of the cargo that is transported. The Hydrex technicians cut away the old plating on the frames as well as on the hold wall and installed new plating with full penetration welds. They also replaced the old worn tubes in the cargo hold wall and the securing pins with new ones.
Carrying out these three repairs during one operation while the vessel was at anchorage illustrates the flexibility and professionalism of Hydrex and its staff members. The company’s goal has always been to keep a vessel out of drydock as much as possible and to carry out needed repairs or maintenance with the least possible interruption to the sailing schedule. With no drydock close by, this was extremely important for this customer.
The Hydrex technical department has the know-how and experience to create tailor-made solutions for the specific problems encountered by a shipowner, while the diver/technicians have been trained to perform these operations in the shortest possible time frame and without losing the quality Hydrex is known for.