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The Chronicles of the SubSea Solutions Alliance: Sept./Oct.

Published Nov 14, 2011 10:46 AM by The Maritime Executive

Monthly Summary of Major Projects Performed by the Subsea Solutions Alliance

The Subsea Solutions Alliance was very busy this period meeting the needs of the industry by performing multiple high value repairs in various ports around the world. The summary below illustrates just some of the major projects performed.

  • 1 monoblock propeller repair with cold static load straightening was performed in the Far East
  • 1 monoblock propeller repair with cold static load straightening was performed in the Caribbean
  • 1 monoblock propeller repair with sectional reduction was performed in Central Europe
  • 1 monoblock propeller repair with sectional reduction was performed in the Canadian Arctic
  • 1 monoblock propeller repair with sectional reduction was performed in Central Europe
  • 1 monoblock propeller repair with sectional reduction was performed in the Caribbean
  • 1 aft stern seal was repaired with a flexible hyperbaric cofferdam on the East Coast of the USA
  • 1 aft stern seal was repaired with a flexible hyperbaric cofferdam in Central Europe
  • 1 aft stern seal (Face Seal) was repaired completely wet in Australia
  • 1 stabilizer repair was performed in Israel
  • 1 permanent weld repair was performed to the shell plate of vessel on the East Coast of the USA
  • 1 permanent insert repair was performed to the shell plate of vessel in Central Europe
  • 1 temporary repair with doubler plates after a collision in Central Europe

Who you Gonna call?..........Subsea Solutions Alliance!

Emergencies happen and equipment fails, even to first responders like the Coast Guard.  After a summer refit and shipyard period a Coast Guard vessel was put back into service to provide support for critical research taking place high up in the Canadian Arctic.  As the vessel is an icebreaker the propellers are of a unique design allowing the blades of the fixed pitch propeller to be exchanged in the event of damage.  Unfortunately one propeller on the vessel developed a problem rendering the vessel out of service stranded at sea in the middle of the Canadian Arctic.

Finding a suitable dry dock or dry dock at all for that matter in the northern Canadian Arctic is impossible.  No such facility exists.  Propelling the vessel further would only cause further damage and potentially cause a catastrophic failure to the tail shaft and propeller.  So the decision was to perform an in-situ repair.  So whom does the Coast Guard contact when a propeller malfunction occurs well above the latitudes of any dry docking facility?  The member companies of the Subsea Solutions Alliance of course received the call.


subsea solutions alliance

The Subsea Solutions Alliance's offices in St. John, New Brunswick and Vancouver Canada were engaged to assist with trouble shooting and eventually attempting a repair in this remote and desolate area in Northern Canadian territorial waters.  With equipment packed and personnel prepared the team departed for the long trek by charter plane and helicopter to the stranded vessel.  Once onboard an assessment was performed to evaluate the extent of the damage.  The vessel's propeller had slipped off the keyed tapered tail shaft and was riding the tail shaft with a clearance fit as opposed to the required interference fit as outlined by the propeller manufacturer.  If not for the propeller nut, the propeller would have been lost at sea.

Considering the conditions and the design of the propeller system the diver / technicians of the Subsea Solutions Alliance together with the propeller manufacturer developed a repair procedure to attempt to reset the propeller on it's taper.  This required the rope guard to be removed for inspection of the shaft seal and forward flange area of the propeller.  As this propeller was a "built up" design, it required that all of the propeller blades be removed, taken topside to the deck so that the mono-block propeller hub could be pushed up the tail shaft the required distance.  Working in the extremes of nature, the diver / technicians of the Subsea Solutions Alliance forged ahead and completed the disassembly and inspection of the propeller.  Cooperating with the Subsea Solutions Alliance's OEM partner the diver / technicians fabricated the necessary tools to attempt to reset the propeller hub on its taper. 

The Big push up the taper began.  Following the same procedures provided by the OEM for pushing the propeller hub up the taper, the expert diver / technicians went to work.  Slowly and consistently the propeller hub made the trek up the taper toward its rightful position on the tail shaft.  However, within millimeters of reaching it's goal the propeller hub discontinued its upward climb.  Burrs on the tailshaft and damage to the propeller surface caused an irregular riding surface not allowing the propeller hub to ride successfully into position.  Considering the situation with the tail shaft damage, the decision was made to arrest the propeller hub and tail shaft into position and leave the propeller blades of the built up propeller off so that the vessel could sail safely to the next available port for repair.

It is unfortunate that the riding surface of the tail shaft was damaged beyond our capabilities of repair as the propeller refit would have been completed in accordance with the OEM's requirements.  However circumstances beyond anyone's control limited a full complete repair.  However, a safe temporary repair in accordance with the Coast Guard's and OEM's requirements was completed.  The good news is the vessel sailed away safely and is continuing it's all-important mission in the Arctic.  The diver / technicians of the Subsea Solutions Alliance demonstrated again that expert services are even needed by our most prepared and trained first responders of the sea.  Let us work together with you on developing permanent and temporary solutions to keep your vessels on the move!

Oh no!  My seal is not sealing!

Cruise ships do not come out of service for unscheduled service unless absolutely necessary.  Having an excessively leaking aft shaft seal could require a vessel to take an unscheduled dry-docking or be taken out of service in order to repair this damaged component.  Providing unique methods of repair for the cruise industry has been the mainstay for the member companies of the Subsea Solutions Alliance.  With our roots in this industry growing out of the expansion of the cruise industry we work very closely with all cruise operators to perform complex underwater repairs without delaying or taking a vessel out of service.  This past month two aft shaft seals were replaced on cruise vessels without any delays, any missed ports or any issues. 

While transiting it's itinerary on the east coast of North America a cruise vessel developed a leak on its aft shaft seal.  Unable to manage the volume of seawater ingress, an underwater seal replacement was required.  As this podded propulsion system contained a seal system with 6 bonded lip rings it required the Subsea Solutions Alliance's Transhab Flexible Hyperbaric cofferdam system for its repair.  The operations team from the Subsea Solutions Alliance's office in Miami Florida analyzed the itinerary and planned the execution of the repair over a series of three consecutive ports of call to ensure NO vessel delays or loss of ports.  Delays in leaving a cruise destination or missing a cruise destination are a huge impact to a cruise vessel's financial performance and reputation.  In the initial port the cover plates were removed cleanly with a carbon arc gouging system.  The vessel was then prepped for TransHab installation.   In the second port of call, which was over a 24-hour period, the TransHab flexible habitat was installed, the 6 bondable lip rings in the sealing system were replaced and the TransHab flexible habitat was removed.  As all diver / technicians from the Subsea Solutions Alliance performing this OEM and Classification Society approved repair were factory trained and certified by Blohm and Voss Industries, a full factory warranty was provided just as if the work was performed in the dry dock.  Finally in the third consecutive port, the cover plates were fully welded back to the podded propulsion system utilizing the Classification society approved wet welding procedures of the Subsea Solutions Alliance.  With diver technicians coded to a class "A" standard under these procedures a permanent wet weld on the cover plates was accepted by class.  Planning and executing according to the plan is what the Subsea Solutions Alliance is all about.  This is what has made the Subsea Solutions Alliance the cruise ship underwater repair and maintenance company globally.

While a cruise vessel was transiting its itinerary in Australia and New Zealand the face seal developed a leak.  Upon the delivery of spare parts, the face seal was exchanged completely wet without ANY vessel delays or off hire time.  The operations team from the Subsea Solutions Alliance's office in Miami Florida analyzed the itinerary and planned the seal exchange over three 10 to 12 hour consecutive port calls.  In the initial port call the rope guard was removed with a carbon arc gouging system.  In the second port of call the face seal and seat were exchanged using an OEM and Classification society approved procedure.  All technicians were factory trained and certified by the Original Equipment Manufacturer of the seal assembly.  In the final port of call, the rope guard was welded back into place utilizing the classification society approved wet welding procedures of the Subsea Solutions Alliance. 

Delivering solutions without delays to vessels is the way we "roll" in the Subsea Solutions Alliance.  Not only do we develop unique technical solutions, but we also develop the timelines to get it done following YOUR schedule.  We deliver to support your needs.  We look forward to demonstrating our proven performance to you in the future.

When the best plans DON'T come together

There are those times when the best plans just don't come together in today's shipping industry.  Ship owners are always looking to maintain their equipment and in some cases old equipment becomes obsolete and unavailable for direct replacement.  The majority of the time new replacement equipment is interchangeable with older models, but in some cases they aren't.  When echo sounders are upgraded and are incompatible with existing mounting flanges, through hull fittings need to be replaced.  Clients need a permanent and class approved insert repair performed WITHOUT taking their vessel out of service.  Who do they call?  The experts of the Subsea Solutions Alliance.

While a vessel was performing cargo operations in the port of Antwerp, Belgium, the Subsea Solutions Alliance member company from The Netherlands performed a permanent insert repair to facilitate the installation of a new mounting flange for a replacement echo sounder.  Taking into consideration the class requirements for governing the size and method of installation of a permanent insert repair, the engineering department of the Subsea Solutions Alliance developed a permanent repair procedure that was approved by class.  By developing this procedure in advance of the repair, an accurate timeline was developed so that repairs could be performed while cargo operations took place. 

The diver / welders from the Subsea Solutions Alliance in The Netherlands arrived at the vessel and performed all dive safety procedures as well as outlined the procedure with the vessel's staff prior to operations taking place.  A fully engineered cofferdam was then installed over the old echo sounder by means of wet welding to secure the cofferdam into position.  With certified wet welding procedures pre-approved by class and diver / welders coded to these procedures, quality welds with consistent strength were applied.  The cofferdam was then drained and leak tested. 

The ship's crew provided access to the cargo hold and the old echo sounder was removed.  The old plate and echo sounder flange was removed and the ship's structure was prepared for a permanent insert.  The permanent insert was prepared orienting the flange bolt pattern accordingly.  Finally the insert repair was welded into the ship's structure with a class approved repair procedure utilizing full penetration welding.  Upon cooling, the weld and heat affected zone was checked with a non-destructive method.  The technician from the manufacturer of the echo sounder installed the new echo sounder.  The cofferdam was safely removed and the technician from the OEM tested the newly installed echo sounder.

From simple video surveys to complex in water repairs, the Subsea Solutions Alliance can provide the entire portfolio.  Multi-skilled diver / technicians, certified in all facets of underwater ship repair, supported by an in-house engineering department enables the Subsea Solutions Alliance to deliver the entire repair; all in house!  

Making the Impossible- POSSIBLE- From Land to Sea and back again! Brian Epp- All-Sea Enterprises Ltd.

Innovation and customer service is what has made All-Sea Enterprises a global leader in underwater ship repair and a founding member of the Subsea Solutions Alliance.  I have the privilege to work together with the personnel that make it happen. I now have the honor to introduce you to Brian Epp, the Manager of Operations at All-Sea Enterprises Ltd., Vancouver. 

Brian Epp understands the real value of work.  Growing up on a grain farm in Saskatchewan and working at the family car dealership and garage, Brian experienced the value of working with his hands and what hard work provides.  "I've always worked since I can remember either at the car dealership or at the farm or at one of my other jobs outside of the family.  Working on the farm and at the dealership taught me about machinery and what hard work can provide." Considering his natural talent with machinery Brian attended a technical high school where he excelled in welding, woodworking, math and physics.  The true talents of a farmer's son shined through in his high school years, but let's face it there are more glamorous jobs around for a math and physics wizard.  So, after high school Brian ventured into the world of medicine and signed up at the university to take radiology courses, but "two weeks before the courses started I shook my head and said let's get this straight, I'm going to stand in a room with no windows tell people to keep still and press a button.... I DON'T THINK SO."   After Brian's short stint as a "wanna be" Radiologist, he decided that becoming an anesthesiologist maybe right up his alley, but once again the laughing gas wore off and he realized that he would be stuck in that room with no windows.....  Surely not the life for a farmer's son who thrived on hard work.  So off to welding school went young Mr. Epp to enjoy the smell of smelt metal in a dirty weld and fabrication workshop.  Realizing yet again that he was trapped in a dark weld shop with YOU GUESSED IT no windows; he thought it was time to take his natural welding and mechanical talents to the great outdoors.  Welcome Brian to the world of commercial diving.  Brian signed up at a commercial diving school in Vancouver to learn how to Underwater weld.  At dive school he soon realized that this was more about Diving than welding and he got the dive bug.  Seawater entered his veins and took over.  After the first day of the surface segment of the welding course "I was asked to teach the class the surface welding part of the course. I was now 19."

After dive school Brian started working for various dive companies while going back to school at the same time to take upgrade courses that would allow him to work in the Arctic and on oil rig's around the world.  Brian "went to Asia to get a job offshore but fortunately and I say fortunately I never got work. If I would have got work I would have had a totally different path working on rigs for months at a time offshore,  HELL NO. Thinking back it was the best thing that never happened."

Upon Brian's return to Canada he went to work for All-Sea Enterprises.  "All-Sea would be my family for the next 4 years. The year is 1989.  It was still a relatively small company with about 6 or 7 employees so this was not like going to work, you were just working with a bunch of good guys on ships all over the country."  After 4 years at All-Sea, Brian felt the urge to go "back into the room" without the windows.  "All of my friends and my wife were in the film industry, that was thriving in Vancouver so I decided to make a jump and go into film. I worked in film for 15 years travelling the world and becoming one of the top Assistant Property Maters in North America. After 15 years of 12 to 20 hour days I had had enough of that room again and I needed yet another change; It's now 2007."

It was time for a walkabout so across Spain Brian ventured with his wife to clear his head of the world of film so he could get back to the industry he loved, commercial diving.  Upon his return to Vancouver Brian ran into Vince Cummings, the owner at All-Sea. Brian and Vince caught up on life in the fast lane and here we go, the circle of life strikes again Vince needed an organized guy with commercial diving experience to take on the challenge of managing the operations at All-Sea.  So Brian, now 40 years old ventured back into the commercial diving arena, but this time into the room with no windows!  "When I went for the first meeting at All-Sea, I was blown away on what the company had become and the size of the projects that they were doing.  Being a part of the Subsea Solutions Alliance expanded the capabilities and size of the projects being successfully performed by the All-Sea Team; WOW."  After about a month of feeling out how things worked at All-Sea everything seemed to fall into place.  He moved into the position of operations manager with the help and support of the entire All-Sea team.  Brian realized that the room with no windows really wasn't that bad if you truly enjoyed what you are doing.   Brian was quickly introduced to the rest of the Subsea Solutions Alliance.  "I quickly learned that All-Sea and the SSA was one in the same, and for me it was not only the support of the people in the Vancouver office but all of the SSA offices that drove me forward."

Brian firmly believes that the greatest assets in All-Sea and the Subsea Solutions Alliance are defintely the people in the Vancouver office as well the over 200 people working within the Subsea Solutions Alliance.  "It would not be possible to work so efficiently and effectively without the support I get and everyone gets from all of the companies in the Subsea Solutions Alliance. The amount of years and knowledge that is combined in these companies are second to none."