While a Hydrex diver/technician teams were undertaking underwater bow thruster repairs in Phuket, a cruise ship suffered grounding damage while on her way to Thailand.
Upon hearing of the incident, the Hydrex technical department contacted the undisclosed cruise ship owner and proposed that the team inspects the vessel uponher arrival in Phuket and undertake any repair needed on-site.
Because the damage was too severe, a permanent afloat repair was not an option. A Singapore drydock had therefore already been booked. However, the ship could not sail that far on her own,due to the damage.
Hydrex offered an underwater solution that would allow the vessel to sail safely to Singapore for extensive permanent repairs. This was agreed by the owner.
As soon as the team finished the bow thruster repair they moved their equipment from one quay to the other and started operations on the cruise ship.
First the divers performed a detailed underwater inspection of the damage. This revealed a large gap in the portside shell plating by way of the freshwater tank. The bilge keel in this area was also severely deformed. In addition, four smaller hull penetrations were discovered in front of the gap, as well as large scraping marks and indents behind it.
After a meeting with the vessel’s superintendent and the attending class surveyor, the proposed repair plan was accepted. This consisted of the installation of a doubler plate over the gap in the hull and patches over the smaller holes.
The doubler plate was designed to follow the contours of the deformed hull exactly. Together with the patches it was fabricated by the Hydrex team on-site and installed underwater. A stiffener was welded over the plate and part of the hull for extra protection. The repair was then inspected and approved by the class surveyor.
