Divers Aid Tanker with Propeller Damage in Corpus Christi

Commercial divers recently helped a tanker return to service after suffering major propeller damage in the Port of Corpus Christi.

Phoenix International Holdings, Inc. said its commercial ship husbandry division recently responded to a call from the stricken 330-meter vessel in 60-feet of water in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Upon mobilizing a fly away dive spread and dive team, the project manager Errol Gritten performed the complex mathematics involved in calculating the mass loss of the damage to restore hydrodynamic balance. Phoenix divers then worked over 8 days cropping the blades and balancing the propeller in extremely poor visibility with lots of nearby vessel traffic, Phoenix said.

After completion, the vessel was cleared by the U.S. Coast Guard and departed port, while the cropped sections of the propeller were returned to the client so a permanent repair could be made in dry dock.