Subsea Solutions Alliance (SSA) delivers forward-thinking global solutions for customers requiring innovative underwater ship repair and maintenance. Thinking ‘outside the box’ has allowed us to be the innovators in the subsea ship repair field. That is why the SSA has become the diving company of choice for most major equipment manufacturers around the world.
From the replacement of aft propeller shaft seals to the exchange of thrusters to straightening large bends in propellers, SSA has become the OEM’s choice for all types of complex repairs. With class approved techniques and a highly trained staff in both underwater ship repair and propulsion equipment maintenance, SSA is the clear choice for vessels operating in sensitive environments and on critical trade routes.
The SSA consists of underwater ship repair specialists, All-Sea Enterprises, Miami Diver, Parker Diving Service and Trident. With 11 offices throughout the world and over 150 full-time diver technicians and staff, personnel and equipment can be mobilized to any location globally rapidly to support your vessel or platform’s needs.
Underwater machinery repairs
Developing innovative underwater machinery repairs is what Subsea Solutions is all about. With dry dock space for repairs not available on a global basis, vessel owners and operators are looking for cost-effective approved repair solutions that will not impact their vessel performance or schedule.
We provide quality technical repairs and complete replacement of underwater machinery in both wet and dry environments. We offer fast response worldwide to your underwater machinery replacement or repair needs.
Underwater propeller repairs
As licensed members of the Subsea Propeller network (exclusive underwater repair providers of Wartsila Propulsion), our certified propeller technicians perform sophisticated shop-quality underwater propeller repairs, which include straightening large bends, precision cropping and design modifications worldwide. We offer:
Ship repairs:
- Straightening large bends
- Removal of damaged blade sections
- Crack repair and propagation control
- Restoration of hydrodynamic edge contours
- Static balancing (calculations on-site)
- Hydrodynamic balancing (calculations on-site)
- Replacement of CP blades and blade seals
Design modification solutions:
- Pitch and camber alterations
- Diameter and blade area reduction
- Correction of propeller induced engine overload
- Contour modification to eliminate cavitation
- Edge modification, including anti-singing edge correction
Underwater seal replacements
In addition to our well-established face type seal replacement service, we have fully class and OEM approved equipment, personnel and processes approved for underwater replacement of lip type stern seals. With a proven track record of service performance and a reference list of hundreds of aft stern seal repairs completed, complete rebuilds, including bonding new seal rings, can be performed underwater using TransHab (transportable habitat).
TransHab is a lightweight, inflatable habitat that is fitted around the stern seal between the stern tube and propeller, thereby providing a dry environment large enough for two technicians to carry out repairs. Using stock adapters TransHab is designed to fit any seal arrangement, including azipod drives, with liner sizes from 480mm – 1,000mm and can be easily modified to fit sizes outside this range.
Underwater weld repairs
Permanent class approved underwater wet weld repairs were thought to be impossible until the Subsea Solutions Alliance pioneered the certification process. By combining the technology developed by Hydroweld and the underwater repair knowledge and experience of the Subsea Solutions Alliance members, a higher quality weld has been achieved in accordance with standards outlined by the American Welding Society. This process produced the first ever surface quality wet welds in accordance with the AWS weld standard D3.6M class ‘A’.
When the SSA combines this high-quality weld process together with engineered solutions that are pre-approved by class societies prior to the repairs beginning, our clients are able to receive a rapid high-quality repair to hull damage below the water line. The SSA maintains class approved wet welding procedures, maintains surface welding procedures, maintains certification to performed dry weld repairs in specialized cofferdams with all major classification societies and diver / welders certified to these procedures in all positions available on a global basis.
SSA is well versed in the development of flexible as well as rigid cofferdams. The team has successfully developed specialized cofferdams up to 80t that are buoyancy controlled. In the case of buoyancy controlled cofferdams this has alleviated the need for heavy lift cranes, allowing repairs to be done in standard lay berths anywhere around the world.
Thruster repair / replacement
SSA can provide tunnel thruster repair anywhere in the world typically without taking a vessel out of service. Experience counts with these types of repairs and with a proven track record of excellent customer service, SSA has the equipment and personnel to rapidly deploy anywhere around the world with minimal to no lead time. Soft doors and tooling that is packaged for transport on commercial cargo airliners makes this truly a global repair solution.
Large azimuthing propulsion thrusters are expensive to demount and in some cases impossible to demount without dry docking the vessel. The SSA has developed unique methods of repair to exchange underwater demountable azimuthing thrusters without crane barges and have also developed underwater hyperbaric methods of repair and overhaul for large azimuthing propulsion thrusters for vessels and platfoms.
With experince working in all major offshore sectors (including the North Sea, West Africa and the Gulf of Mexico), the SSA can mobilize personnel and equipment to meet your operation’s needs.
Marine construction services
SSA divers’ talents include all types of underwater construction, performed worldwide. We frequently install and maintain entire cathodic protection systems for ports and harbors. Our expertise in pier repair, reconstruction, inspection and maintenance is unrivaled.
In addition to wood and concrete piling repair, sheet wall repair, and removal of submerged hazards, SSA designs and builds intricate forms for concrete pumping to improve and repair underwater structures. SSA has also adapted high-pressure water jetting for use in underwater construction.
Underwater maintenance and inspection services
Ships husbandry, maintenance and inspection is provided by SSA globally. Fuel maintenance management agreements are available for entire fleets. Our services include in-water surveys, propeller polishing, hull cleaning, non-destructive testing and value repairs.
All SSA member companies maintain current certifications with all major classification societies for surveys and inspection work. Multi-brush machines approved for cleaning even the most sensitive hull coatings are owned and operated by the member companies of the SSA.