Hydrex underwater repairs in winter conditions
(Posted on 06/04/21)
In just over a week Hydrex diver/technicians travelled to Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and France to assist shipowners with damaged propeller blades. On two bulkers the blades were cropped while on a third bulker and a general cargo vessel the bent blades could be straightened.
In all cases the best solution was offered to the customer to restore the propeller’s efficiency as close to the original condition as possible.
One of the propeller blades of a 180-meter bulker was severely bent. A fast, on-site solution to restore the propeller’s balance and efficiency was needed. Hydrex therefore sent a team to the ship’s location in Rotterdam with one of the company’s workboats.
After the equipment arrived the team started the operation with a detailed survey of the ship’s propeller. This revealed that one of the other three propeller blades was also bent slightly. It was decided to straighten this blade as well.
With the survey completed and in close communication with the team leader in the monitoring station on-shore, the divers returned the bent blade to its original state. When the straightening was complete, the technicians polished the blade to make sure that any remaining loss of efficiency would be minimal. The same procedure was then repeated on the other damaged blade.
The conditions for a similar repair in Tornio, Finland were a lot less warm. All 4 blades of a 144-meter general cargo ship were bent. Hydrex mobilized a team to straighten the blades using the same procedure as on the vessel in Rotterdam. They traveled through the snowy landscapes with two vans and the needed equipment to the ship’s location.
During the operation the divers had to work in water filled with chunks of ice, but these conditions offered no problem for them. They are used to adapt to different circumstances and carried out the repair without any loss of quality.
If straightening is not an option, the affected area on the blade will be cropped. By doing this the greatest possible efficiency is achieved for the vessel. This was the case for the operations described below.
With all four blades of a 235-meter bulker’s propeller severely damaged after impact with ice, the engine was overloading. Hydrex was asked to perform an on-site repair during the ship’s stop in Rostock, Germany.
After the equipment arrived at the vessel’s location, the underwater operation started with a detailed survey of the affected propeller blades. The information acquired during the inspection was then used to calculate and determine the correct measurements needed to crop the blades.
Next the divers cropped the blade tips. When the cropping was complete, the blades were smoothened.
The 5-blade propeller of a 229-meter bulker had unfortunately suffered a similar fate. An identical repair was carried out by Hydrex diver/technicians in Dunkirk, France. The result of the operation was also the same: The propeller’s balance was restored and the efficiency was brought back to optimum condition.
Latest News
Zuidnatie raises capacity with Konecranes Gottwald Generation 6 MHC
(Posted on 02/06/23)Belgian logistics and transportation company Zuidnatie NV ordered their first Generation 6 Konecranes... Read more
Framo pumping systems selected for Norwegian Centre for Ocean Technology
(Posted on 31/05/23)Norwegian government agency Statsbygg has awarded Framo the development contract to supply pump systems... Read more
Wärtsilä lab engine for SIMAC to support skills development
(Posted on 30/05/23)Technology group Wärtsilä has signed a contract to deliver a Wärtsilä 20 ... Read more
Siwertell unloader ordered for multi-material handling in Senegal
(Posted on 23/05/23)Bruks Siwertell has secured an order from Senegal Minergy Port SA (SMP) for a high-capacity Siwertell... Read more
ISO Limited and Liebherr advance New Zealand timber
(Posted on 17/05/23)To support the sizeable lumber industry in New Zealand, Liebherr Maritime Cranes has worked with ISO... Read more
BWMS success helps DESMI reach new heights
(Posted on 14/05/23)The Desmi Group’s general assembly has approved the year end result for 2022 – record-high... Read more
EMS-Tech expands reach in Europe with new Netherlands office
(Posted on 06/05/23)EMS-Tech, a leading provider of custom designed bulk material handling systems, has opened a new office... Read more
Wärtsilä partners with DNV’s Veracity to streamline Anglo-Eastern’s reporting
(Posted on 02/05/23)Technology group Wärtsilä and DNV’s industry cloud platform Veracity have entered a... Read more
Agreement on AI gains for Carbon Intensity Indicator transparency
(Posted on 28/04/23)METIS Cyberspace Technology will be collaborating with MTI Co. Ltd. Singapore Branch and the Agency... Read more
Sensing360 and Damen join forces on sensors for shipping
(Posted on 24/04/23)Utrecht-based startup Sensing360 and Damen Shipyards Group have formed a partnership to improve the... Read more
