Page 38: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2000)

Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering Materials

Wet Welding Provides More Than Quick Fix

The aim of any shipowner is obvious- ly to keep a vessel in shape and operat- ing for as many revenue-generating days as possible per year (cargo rates willing, of course). Singapore - which is one of A three-man Hydrex (Antwerp, Bel- the world's busiest ports - was the sight gium) repair team was dispatched to of a unique repair job on a Panamanian Singapore to enact inwater repairs to tanker. cracks in the stern area. Unlike the g&wCth/the/pr&i

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MAI http : mm majority of the company's work, which calls for fast response repair and mainte- nance, the repair was indeed unique.

The shipowner had called upon

Hydrex in January asking for advice concerning a crack repair in the rudder of the 735 ft. (224 m) ship. Upon inspecting the reports, the Hydrex tech- nical manager found that this particular wet weld repair required a specialized underwater welding procedure, which in turn needed to be certified by American

Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

ABS is, of course, one of the world's leading ship classification societies, and has been since its founding in 1862.

ABS is responsible for determining the structural and mechanical fitness of ships and marine structures in accor- dance with their intended use.

Following the initial inquiry to its head office, the Hydrex technical sup- port staff rolled into action to process the paperwork and initiate the weld tests and procedures for this certificate. With only a few diving companies around the world possessing this highly regarded certificate, it was essential to Hydrex that the ABS certificate be issued as quickly as possible so that repairs could be carried out. With three of its divers already highly trained, all that was need- ed following paperwork was setting the

ABS test day. Early in January 2000 an

ABS surveyor arrived to witness the test, and Hydrex's three diver/welders performed the wet weld in the training tank, with a live video link-up so that the surveyor could witness the event up close. The result: all three diver/welders were fully certified.

Once on the scene, Hydrex's staff uti- lized the report of a local diving compa- ny in Fujairah, which had reported the cracks on the rudder. Upon making the initial dive, however, it was found that both cracks had actually increased in length since the earlier inspection, meaning that immediate repair was cru- cial. With the approval of the ABS sur- veyor, the crack repairs got underway.

Firstly, the preparation work was done and then the task was passed to the cer- tified wet welders. The welds were per- formed in one working day and were fully passed and approved by the ABS surveyor on site.

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