The Chronicles of the SubSea Solutions Alliance

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1 Having trouble viewing this ? Click here The Chronicles The Subsea Solutions Alliance March, 2012 In This Issue Monthly Summary of Major Projects Propeller and Nozzle Repairs Hyperbaric Seal Bonding Tunnel Thruster Repair Dear Rick, March brought upon us an abundance of activity in all areas of the business. A wide variety of repairs were performed all around the world with the diver / technicians of the Subsea Solutions Alliance tackling projects in the far corners of the world. Like the arrival of the spring, vessel repairs blossomed around the globe. Quick Links Subsea Solutions Alliance Web Site March also gave us a unique opportunity to showcase our skills to the maritime community with demonstrations and a meeting held with the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. It was an honor and a privilege to showcase our developments and efforts to the US maritime community. It again reinforced our commitment to the industry and to our clients by allowing us to demonstrate our expertise in engineering and project performance to the maritime community. "We are all Divers" as my colleagues would say and March gave me the unique opportunity to showcase my limited dive 1 of 7 5/10/12 3:00 PM

2 skills to the maritime community. I will leave the underwater welding to the expert diver / welders of the Subsea Solutions Alliance as my primitive welding skills and gorilla beads were no match in quality when compared to the Class "A" underwater wet welds that most of our welder/ divers perform. I want to especially thank the professional diver / technicians at our office in Miami Florida for allowing me to experience "their world" during our SNAME meetings. It was truly a great experience and I am looking forward to the next opportunity to don the "hat" with my colleagues. We continue to advance our capabilities in underwater wet welding and the creation of flexible hyperbaric cofferdams. Through partnerships with our clients we continue to develop advanced methods of repair that continue to change the way vessel repairs are performed today. We thank our loyal customers for their continue support and confidence in our services. We look forward to continuing to be there for you in your time of need. Let us know where you need us and we'll be there. Sincerely Yours, Rick Shilling SubSea Solutions Alliance Monthly Summary of Major Projects Performed by the Subsea Solutions Alliance The Subsea Solutions Alliance was very busy in March 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. One Aft Shaft Seal with Hyperbaric bonding was performed in the Caribbean One Propeller Repair with Sectional reduction was performed on East Coast of North America One Propeller Repair with Sectional reduction was performed in Singapore One Underwater Permanent Crack WET Weld Repair was performed in the Gulf of Mexico in North America One Tunnel Thruster hydraulic and mechanical repair was performed in Australia One Tunnel Thruster blade repair was performed in Europe One Tunnel Thruster blade repair was performed on the East Coast of North America One Tunnel Thruster repair was performed on the West Coast of North America Two Tunnel Thruster hydraulic and mechanical repairs on East Coast of North America One Propeller and Nozzle Repair was performed in the extreme southern tip of South America One Stabilizer repair performed with underwater WET welding was performed on the East 2 of 7 5/10/12 3:00 PM

3 Coast of North America I'd Rather be catching Krill than repairing my Propeller Underwater Propeller and Nozzle repairs in the extreme Southern Oceans How many times in your life do you have the opportunity to dive in the crystal clear waters of the extreme southern oceans? As far as I know, the diver / technicians of the member companies of the Subsea Solutions Alliance never had the unique opportunity to perform any work in this part of the world. Well, that has all changed now! Starting a typical Friday morning, an urgent call is received from a client in Scandinavia. After an apparent grounding while working in a remote location off South America, a specialized fishing vessel required immediate assistance. One of its propellers was severely damaged and seized in the nozzle. In addition to this, damage to its bow thruster and other sections of the vessel were apparent. Considering the damage and urgency of this inquiry the Subsea Solutions Alliance went to work. Commercial airline service does not exist at the location where the vessel was drifting offshore, so an aircraft was chartered and prepared for travel. As the member companies of the Subsea Solutions Alliance maintain equipment specifically designed for air transport, the necessary equipment was prepared and immediately packed. Approximately 800 Kg worth of equipment was prepared and packed in order to support these emergency repairs while the vessel drifted in the fishing fields. Within hours of the initial call the plane was fully loaded with gear and personnel from the Subsea Solutions Alliance location in Miami Florida, USA. Once on site the diver / technicians enjoyed world-class diving conditions in the southern oceans of the world. Despite a heavy current and rough sea conditions, the visibility was crystal clear. However, the current and rough seas made repairs challenging, but the diver / technicians of the Subsea Solutions Alliance employed the best safe practices and performed the work with out incident or delay. Upon completion of the inspection of the shaft line, it was determined that the grounding caused mechanical damage to the nozzle thus deforming its shape. Cracks were apparent in the nozzle and the grounding compromised its structural integrity. Additionally this deformation caused the propeller blades to seize inside 3 of 7 5/10/12 3:00 PM

4 The Chronicles of the SubSea Solutions Alliance the nozzle; thus causing considerable damage to the propeller. To eliminate the damage to the propeller and restore the propeller to a working state, the diver / technicians performed a sectional reduction process to the propeller blades and freed them from the nozzle. All stress risers, linear indications and other defects were removed and a proper edge was restored by the diver / technicians. With diver technicians certified in underwater inspection and repair of propellers by major propeller manufacturers, the Subsea Solutions Alliance is able to perform repairs quickly with assurances on propeller and vessel performance upon completion. With the propeller freed from the nozzle, the focus turned to the nozzle to assure the structural integrity of the nozzle to the vessel. The diver / technicians completed a full underwater inspection of the affected area and provided details to the engineering department of the Subsea Solutions Alliance. Within hours, a repair procedure was prepared by the engineering team, approved by the owner and executed by the diver / welders of the Subsea Solutions Alliance. Support brackets and other plates were welded into place utilizing the Subsea Solutions Alliance's class approved "A" class underwater WET welding procedures by coded diver / welders fully employed by the Subsea Solutions Alliance. By maintaining "A" class WET weld procedures approved by all major classification society in place and diver / welders coded to these procedures FULLY EMPLOYED, the member companies of the Subsea Solutions Alliance can provide class approved PERMANENT weld repairs utilizing WET welding techniques quickly with its own personnel. The fast response, fully engineered repair and talented diver / technicians of the Subsea Solutions Alliance completed the repair quickly and safely and allowed the vessel to return to the krill. The client was overjoyed to hear that he was able to continue the short and very lucrative fishing season in the southern oceans. Saving fishing season for a client is "all in a day's work" at the Subsea Solutions Alliance. What can we do for you? Way too much water coming in- What's up with my shaft seal? Underwater Shaft seal replacement Unfortunately our seas are filled with "invasive" species including fishing lines, mooring lines and many other destructive devices that can cause shaft seals to leak. It is even more unfortunate when these invaders attack the propulsion shaft lines of cruise vessels. While cruising the Caribbean, a cruise vessel suffered significant water ingress on one of its propulsion shaft lines. Taking the vessel out of service was out of the question and the vessel's internal systems could not 4 of 7 5/10/12 3:00 PM

5 The Chronicles of the SubSea Solutions Alliance handle the volume of seawater ingress into the seal. The Subsea Solutions Alliance was called into action. Evaluating the itinerary of the vessel, the operations team at the Subsea Solutions Alliance office in Miami Florida established an action plan that called for the execution of the seal exchange on the affected podded propulsion system over 3 port stays. By performing the work over multiple port stays, the repair can be executed safely and efficiently without any delays or changes to the vessels itinerary. Delays in leaving a cruise destination or missing a cruise destination are a huge impact to a cruise vessel's financial performance and reputation. As this podded propulsion system contained a seal system with multiple bonded lip rings it required the Subsea Solutions Alliance's Tranhab Flexible Hyperbaric cofferdam system for its repair. In the initial port stay the cover plates were removed from the podded propulsion system 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 multiple 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 and 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 reinstalled and fully welded back to the podded propulsion system. The diver / welders were utilizing the Classification society approved AWS "A" class wet welding procedures of the Subsea Solutions Alliance. With diver technicians coded to "A" class standards under these procedures a permanent wet weld on the cover plates was accepted by the attending class society. With the system completed and seal renewed, the vessel continued in service without further issues. 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. We will tell you we are going to do UPFRONT and we do what we say ON THE JOB, which is what the Subsea Solutions Alliance is all about. Catch me if you can! Tunnel thruster repairs on a vessel that does not want to stop 5 of 7 5/10/12 3:00 PM

6 The Chronicles of the SubSea Solutions Alliance Sometimes it's just a challenge to get the vessel to stay in one place long enough for us to perform the repair! The diver / technicians of the Subsea Solutions Alliance are efficient, but we surely have not mastered the technique of performing repairs while the vessel is underway. Especially when the repairs involve working on tunnel thrusters INSIDE the tunnel. Recently we executed critical hydraulic and mechanical repairs to a tunnel thruster on a container vessel in a very critical and environmentally sensitive trade route. With a tight schedule and a lucrative charter, the vessel operator was very reluctant to give the member companies of the Subsea Solutions Alliance sufficient time to complete the required repairs in one location. As with all of our repairs, proper planning delivers proper results. With this in mind the operations department at Subsea Solutions Alliance's office in Ternuezen, The Netherlands, studied thoroughly the itinerary of the affected vessel. Multiple alternatives were evaluated with a final conclusion taken by the vessel operator and charterer to execute the repair over multiple port stops in Australia. The vessel required the tunnel thruster lower unit to be opened in a dry environment. This required the deployment of the Subsea Solutions Alliance's flexible dry door system. In the initial port stay, the thruster tunnel was prepared for flexible door installation. The tunnel grates were removed cleanly with a carbon arc gouging system. The tunnels were then prepared with proper rigging pad eyes and engineering approved attachment points for the flexible door installation. Incorporating the Subsea Solutions Alliance's class approved "A" class WET welding procedures allowed the diver / welders to install proper flexible door attachment points and load suitable welded pad eyes in the proper locations. During the final port stay, the flexible doors were installed, back cover of the tunnel thruster removed and hydraulic and mechanical repairs were performed to the tunnel thruster. As these repairs were factory warranty repairs, the Original Equipment Manufacturer from the Far East required the work to be performed by a qualified contractor. The diver / technicians of the Subsea Solutions Alliance are experienced and factory trained in these types of repairs for all major lines of thrusters. Since the work had been previously performed by the Subsea Solutions Alliance on another vessel for this manufacturer without incident or delay, it was a clear choice to whom they would choose. So, once we caught up to the ship we executed the repair. It was good to finally catch up to this "moving target". With his bow thruster back in service, the vessels owner was pleased with the result. Taking the time up front and properly planning the job always pays in the end. With a proper plan in place, personnel trained for the specific task at hand and equipment necessary to support the repair able to mobilize practically anywhere a ship goes, the Subsea 6 of 7 5/10/12 3:00 PM

7 Solutions Alliance continue to set the standard for underwater equipment repair. We look forward to supporting your vessels needs in the future! The Subsea Solutions Alliance (SSA) consists of underwater ship repair specialists: All-Sea Enterprises Ltd, Miami Diver LLC, Parker Diving Service LLC and Trident BV. With a dedicated staff of over 150 diver / technicians globally, the SSA has revolutionized the methods of repair for ship equipment underwater. Through a common shared system of dive equipment, specialty tools and diver personnel, the SSA is able to mobilize quickly anywhere throughout the world with diver / factory trained service technicians for most OEM equipment. From the replacement of aft propeller shaft seals to the exchange of thrusters to the straightening of large bends in propellers, SSA has become the OEM's choice for all types of complex repairs. With class approved techniques and a highly motivated and trained staff, the SSA is the clear choice for vessels operating in sensititive environments on critical trade routes. Please feel free to contact: Rick Shilling Phone: subseasolutionsinfo@gmail.com Website: Forward This was sent to rick.shilling@comcast.net by subseasolutionsinfo@gmail.com Update Profile/ Address Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe Privacy Policy. SubSea Solutions 69 Peter Road Brewster NY of 7 5/10/12 3:00 PM