Shitai 158: patching a sunken cargo ship
Divers on mixed gas mapped and patched six breaches in a sunken cargo ship's hull, then a refloating plan was drawn for a grounded vessel.
- Year
- 2010 – 2011
- Client
- Guangzhou Shitai Shipping
- Location
- Hong Kong waters
- Status
- Completed
- Category
- Underwater & marine
Before a sunken ship can be raised, its hull has to be made watertight again. On 8 and 9 February 2010 three divers on mixed gas surveyed the Shitai 158 and patched each breach they found:
- 120 × 1,200 mm: a 500 × 1,800 mm steel plate held by four 17 mm × 400 mm bolts.
- 150 × 1,100 mm: a 500 × 1,700 mm plate.
- Small splits, from 12 × 50 mm: wooden wedges, cloth and marine putty.
The damage report with every patch marked on the hull was issued on 10 February 2010.
In 2011 we drew a salvage sequence for a grounded cargo vessel: anchor alongside, grab about 1,500 tonnes of cargo onto a barge, airlift the remaining silt, then pump the holds at low tide while a crane barge holds the list. The buoyancy of each compartment was worked out first.
Drawings
