Hydrex Underwater Technology has assisted an excavation vessel hemorrhaging oil from a stern tube seal entangled with steel wire to pass safely through the Panama Canal.
The 156 m long, Dutch-owned vessel was unable to make the canal transit until the propeller shaft seal had bee[ds_preview]n repaired. Otherwise the operations where delayed potentially and that could cause financial penalty for the owner. Hydrex, however, repaired the leaky seal allowing the vessel to continue without disruption to its schedule the Antwerp-based underwater ship repair specialist told.
Following the dive team’s inspection of the seal, it was confirmed that steel cable was entwined around the seal, extensively damaging the stern tube assembly. The rope guard – a component designed to prevent ropes and wires from wrapping around the propeller – was found to be severely dented, destroying the seal’s split-type housing.
After removing the damaged components the dive team set up a flexible Mobdock around the stern tube to create a dry environment in which to repair the equipment. Since the liner had been severely scuffed from the steel wire, this was the first component to be replaced, after which diver technicians bonded four new stern tube seals and installed a new housing arrangement. All remaining parts of the stern tube seal assembly were then reinstalled and secured, including a new rope guard. After leak tests confirmed the stern tube seal’s integrity, the Mobdock was removed.
