Underwater Repairs Successful at Port of Spain, Trinidad

Last month a Hydrex diver/technician team carried out underwater stern tube seal repairs on a 148-meter container vessel in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

The ship was suffering from an oil leak, making an on-site repair necessary. Using one of the company’s flexible mobdocks the team was able to carry out the entire operation on-site and underwater, saving the owner an expensive and time-consuming trip to drydock.

The lightweight flexible mobdocks packed in flight containers allowed for a very fast mobilization and a timely arrival in Trinidad of the Hydrex team.

The diving team first set up a monitoring station. The operation then started with a thorough underwater inspection of the stern tube seal assembly.

After the inspection, the team detached the vessel’s rope guard. Next the divers installed the flexible mobdock around the stern tube seal assembly creating a dry underwater environment so that they could work in drydock-like conditions. The split ring was then disconnected and brought to the surface to be cleaned. After cleaning the entire assembly, the divers removed the first seal and replaced it with a new one which was then bonded. This procedure was repeated with the other two damaged seals.

The operation ended with the conducting of pressure tests with positive results, the removal of the flexible mobdock and the reinstallation of the rope guard.