Last month, Hydrex diver/technician teams carried out underwater stern tube seal repairs on a 130 m tanker in Rotterdam.

The unnamed vessel was suffering oil leaks, making a fast repair necessary. Using one of the company's flexible mobdocks the team was able to carry out the entire operation on-site and underwater, thus saving time and money for the owners, Hydrex claimed.

Each Hydrex office has a fast response centre equipped with the latest facilities, lightweight equipment and tools. These centres were designed specifically to increase speed of service, thus allowing the company to mobilise a diver/technician team to the tanker within the shortest possible time frame.

When oil was noticed as leaking from the tanker's stern tube seal assembly, diver/technicians mobilised from the Hydrex office in Antwerp went to the vessel's location in Rotterdam together with all the necessary equipment.

After the diving team had set up a monitoring station, the operation started with a thorough underwater inspection of the stern tube seal assembly.

Following the inspection, the team removed the vessel's rope guard. It was found that fishing lines tangled around the liner had caused the oil leak.

These were removed. The team then installed a mobdock around the stern tube seal assembly creating a dry underwater environment for the divers to work in drydock-like conditions, a necessity for permanent stern tube seal repairs.

The split ring was then disconnected and brought to the surface to be cleaned. Next, the team removed the three damaged seals one by one and replaced them with new ones

Source: Tanker Operator