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(From Lloyds List)
Cyprus
A 26,000 tonne bulk carrier involved in a serious grounding required temporary repairs to enable it to arrive safely in an Antwerp dry dock.
The damage (pictured right) was extensive with large sections of the hull caved in and two of the ballast and forepeak holed in their shell plating. They were also flooded and needed to be emptied as much as possible in order for the vessel to sail. Underwater specialist Hydrex was called in to make a detailed inspection and provide an overall analysis of what repairs would be needed in dry dock.
But before the ship could make it to Antwerp temporary repairs were needed. The main problem was the holes in the ballast tanks. The team closed one the holes by welding an angle bar (for extra strength) over part of the hole and then filling in the rest of the gap with steel plating.
The difficulty with the other holes was that the deformation of the hull was very bad and it was impossible to weld over the area. An alternative solution was devised to block the holes.
Following these operations the water was pumped out from the ballast tank and the bow raised 1.2 m.