Hydrex repair saves cargo ship expense

The ship suffered a dent of 3m in width and 80m in length on the starboard side around the bilge keel. During this incident seven of the vessel’s tanks were pierced inside this area and filled with water while large parts of the internal framework were also damaged, causing the ship to list 12°.

The ship was making its way downstream towards the port of Matadi when the accident occurred. To bring the vessel back to its upright position and to allow it to travel further on to Matadi, the tanks on the port side were partially filled with water, increasing the ship’s draft.

Hydrex was asked to inspect the damage and perform the external repairs needed to get the ship back in business. Because of the strong current and the very poor visibility, the ship sailed on to a more suitable location for initial inspection off the coast of Angola. To enable the ship to cross the shallowest part of the river, its draft needed to be decreased and its cargo had to be unloaded first.

The new location was situated just south of the river mouth where in-water working conditions improved considerably but because the current was still very strong, the inspection had to be performed adrift.

After reviewing the results of the inspection, the company’s technical department devised a repair plan which could be carried out at anchorage in Port Gentil, Gabon. A local support base would assist the team with the repairs.

Two Hydrex supervisors sailed with the vessel to Port Gentil and a team of four additional diver/welders were mobilised from the Hydrex headquarters in Antwerp.

Upon arrival in Port Gentil, a more thorough inspection was performed and doubler plates were modified to fit the shape of the dent in the bottom plating, secured with screw dogs. In total, 14 cracks were sealed. The repair took only four days after which both the damaged tanks and their counterparts on port side were emptied to relift the vessel to its normal draft.