Offshore Services 150 Ton Azimuthing Thruster Exchange

Subsea Solutions Alliance says, "The bigger the better!"

The exchange of underwater demountable thrusters in itself is typically not a challenging process. A step-by-step process is developed over months of dialog between the vessels owners and equipment manufacturers. As the units are specifically designed for underwater demounting, it minimizes the amount of in-water processes required. However, when thrusters get to be this big, the consequences of your actions become all the more critical and that is why major offshore drilling operators rely on the consistently reliable service from the diver / technicians of the Subsea Solutions Alliance. With top notch equipment approved for use on these types of projects, documentation and safety manuals compliant with offshore and operator requirements, and skilled diver / technicians familiar with the construction and exchange process of thrusters, the Subsea Solutions Alliance is the one call they need to make for operations taking place on a global basis. During a routine wet docking all four (4) underwater demountable azimuthing podded thrusters were exchanged with factory overhauled exchange units. Utilizing a somewhat modified procedure for thruster exchange; these 150-ton azimuthing thrusters were exchanged successfully in accordance with the wet docking time constraints. A single shift of diver / technicians and one project manager was dispatched from the Subsea Solutions Alliance base the Netherlands. A complete containerized dive station and containerized decompression chamber was delivered on site for quick and easy mobilization.  All operations were managed from the advanced dive control station as delivered by the Subsea Solutions Alliance. Advanced communication systems were employed so that vessel internal operations were easily coordinated with underwater operations and diver management.

As with all heavy lifts, surprises and challenges arose. That is when the experts of the Subsea Solutions Alliance shined. Providing real time engineering support, diver / technicians with expertise in performing rigging operations in all different types of scenarios added an additional layer of on-site review and confirmation to assure results. This allowed a safe operation to be performed and completed on time.. As the superintendent put it "Anyone can fly an airplane in perfect conditions, but not everyone can fly an airplane in undesirable conditions with limited visibility and no automated controls. That's the difference between a pilot and a pilot wanna be!” That's the difference between the Subsea Solutions Alliance and companies that wanna be. The Subsea Solutions Alliance make a challenging operation safe, efficient and reliable.