If you work in the marine industry you will already understand the vital importance of regular inspections and upkeep. Ongoing maintenance ensures that everything runs safely and efficiently and applies to everything from ports and offshore infrastructures to individual vessels.
The significance of regular inspections, repairs and maintenance cannot be overstated, especially in this most challenging and essential of industries. 90% of the world’s imports and exports are transported by sea so regular upkeep to maintain a safe and consistent service is crucial.
Repair and maintenance achieve more than the straightforward identification and correction of defects and/or damage. Regular upkeep can also improve and ensure fuel consumption efficiencies, reduce unnecessary or unplanned downtime and potentially increase the productivity of vessels and offshore operations.
Many regular maintenance tasks can be undertaken by crew, staff or on-site engineers, particularly those repairs that offer easy access. However, within the maritime sector there are a vast number of maintenance requirements below the waterline, which are always best undertaken by experts with specialist knowledge and equipment, particularly when repairs in a dry-dock environment are not possible or cost prohibitive.
Services that require the experience of a commercial diver can include hull inspections and repairs which are vital to the safe and efficient running of a vessel. These tasks are often referred to as underwater marine services and are specialist solutions that require years of training to execute safely. Using specialist underwater marine service providers is rapidly becoming an industry standard within the sector, this is because it provides a better, more cost-effective outcome whilst maintaining safety requirements.
If your marine business does not already employ an underwater marine services organisation, it may be time to explore the benefits of what they offer and how they can improve productivity whilst saving you money.
Understanding underwater maritime services
Providing services for and undertaking maintenance underneath vessels or below the waterline on other maritime and offshore infrastructures are the specialist solutions offered by underwater marine services. They have become an integral part of the marine industry and offer the security of potentially dangerous maintenance tasks completed with efficiency and expertise.
The primary benefit to owners and operators is that many routine inspections and repairs can be undertaken with little or no disruption to operations and without taking staff and crew away from the day-to-day running of a vessel or offshore setting. These tasks can be as simple as removing creatures, plants and algae from the hull or as complex as major structural repairs. All of which would be far more expensive and time consuming if undertaken in a drydock.
Among other specialist solutions, underwater marine services can include:
- Hull Cleaning – natural build up on the hull of a vessel needs regular cleaning to avoid further heavy growth including barnacles. If cleaning and maintenance is not undertaken, deeper calcification and growth can result in corrosion, impact to hull based sonar systems, noise pollution and negative impacts on speed and fuel efficiency.
- Structural Engineering – Below the waterline repairs can include major structural and engineering work to maintain the integrity of a vessel or offshore infrastructure. Some of this work can be completed without the need for a dry-dock environment by specialist divers and engineers, reducing the impact to ongoing operations.
- Surveys & Routine Inspections – conducting industry standard surveys with divers can save owners/operators both time and money, by minimising impact to the day-to-day running of a site or vessel and reducing the need to dry dock.
- Propeller Polishing – vital to maintain good fuel efficiency, propeller polishing is applicable to vessels of all ages and sizes and should be undertaken twice a year. Underwater marine service organisations offer this solution in situ reducing the need for costly downtime.
What are the advantages of using an underwater marine service company?
You do not need an underwater marine service company to undertake all vessel repairs and maintenance, but they are uniquely suited to a large number of regular upkeep requirements that will ensure productivity, fuel efficiency and operational continuity, all of which will save you money and time in the long run.
Underwater Marine Services offer:
Safety
It is an essential requirement of the marine industry to ensure the safety and suitability of all vessels, offshore and subsea structures.
Regular inspections and repairs are vital and structural integrity needs to be maintained to secure a safe living and working environment for seafarers.
A large percentage of various marine infrastructure exists below the waterline and is continually exposed to the elements. Efficiency and safety can be negatively affected by cracks, leaks, dents and corrosion which is why regular care, maintenance and inspections are so crucial.
Underwater marine services offer easy and efficient routine safety inspections and repairs without the time and cost implications of having to dry-dock.
Sustainability
Sustainability issues in the maritime industry include a need for fuel efficiencies, minimising fossil fuel consumption as well as correct structural maintenance to reduce the risk of corrosive particles polluting marine environments and entering the aquatic food chain.
Underwater marine services provide vital solutions to mitigate negative environmental outcomes, moving the marine industry towards a more sustainable future.
Final thoughts
What are the advantages to employing underwater marine services?
There is no getting away from the fact that proper maintenance and upkeep is essential to best business practice within the maritime industry. Not only is it vital for keeping structures secure and crews safe, it guards against negative environmental impacts.
Employing the services of underwater marine specialists, gives you the peace of mind that comes with every metaphorical i dotted and t crossed. You will have the confidence that your vessels and structures are operating safely, are correctly maintained and are meeting the productivity and efficiency targets that they were designed to achieve.
