Hydrex Performs Underwater Insert Repairs

Hydrex diver/technician teams carried out underwater insert repairs in Marseille and Togo.

One of the repairs was performed on a general cargo vessel while it was berthed in Marseille. An inspection performed shortly after arrival at the location indicated that an insert of 800 mm x 400 mm was needed to repair the damage that had occurred on the flat bottom of the vessel.

The actual operation started with the preparation of the insert and the installation of an external cofferdam over the affected area. Next a frame was cut away to enable our team to remove the damaged bottom plating.

At around the same time Hydrex was contacted to carry out an insert repair in accordance with RINA on abarge in Port of Lome, Togo. During an inspection of the inside and outside of the affected area, two cracks were found in the flat bottom plating.

A tailor-made cofferdam was then installed on the outboard side of the cracks, after which the affected areas were cut away and two inserts were installed, one measuring 300 mm x 319 mm and the other 500 mm x 300 mm.

A full penetration weld was executed on both inserts from the inboard side in accordance with the Hydrex approved welding procedures. Finally the integrity of the insert repair was verified by ultrasonic testing.