Hydrex sent a team to the vessel to remove the blades on-site and re-install them when they returned from the workshop, while the vessel was afloat.
The team travelled from the company’s Antwerp headquarters with trucks and the required equipment. A large stock of tools is ready at all times in the Hydrex fast response centre, so mobilisation to any type of operation can be almost immediate, the company claimed.
The operation was carried out while the vessel was alongside and trimmed, enabling the blades to be surfaced one by one. While the blades were transported to the workshop and overhauled, the team carried out several other operations on the vessel.
A full inspection of the propeller hub was undertaken, as well as an inspection of the blade carriers and the propeller shaft. Anodes were also installed on the rudder. By combining these operations, time between the blades’ removal and re-installation was used as efficiently as possible.