Salvage and Wreck Removal

"A fast, effective and reliable method to detect the level of oil, fuel or water within storage or ballast tanks of submerged vessels" Tracerco's novel inspection techniques have been widely used for over 50 years in the process industry to define tank inventories, gas/liquid interfaces, liquid/liquid interfaces and solid accumulations. This unique technology is now utilised Subsea with great success. Predicting the amount of hydrocarbons (or water) in sunken vessels prior to recovery can be crucial in terms of avoiding environmental incidents and formulating the optimum recovery plan Tracerco's technology can be deployed to address a wide range of scenarios including an unforeseen accident (remaining fuel quantification) or the assessment of remaining fuel in vessels sunk during conflicts. There have been thousands of ships sunk during previous conflicts and their hulls are disintegrating due to corrosion. They thus provide a source of potentially catastrophic and unpredictable pollution. The 'peak leak' period for those vessels is believed to be closing in rapidly and therefore with the use of our technology the remaining quantities and locations of fuel or oil can be quickly determined. Thus, appropriate remedial action can be taken for example, as part of a 'Wreck oil removal program'. This not only creates a safer environment for the future but also speeds up the recovery process by allowing a targeted and focussed removal plan to be implemented. The vessel integrity can be determined in real time via online measurements, which effectively make the vessel transparent, thereby providing "insight onsite". Let Tracerco provide you with a clear advantage. Prevention measures and risk reduction… Often, under the guidance of global pollution control legislation, there is the obligation to respond, provide assistance and provide information on any form of pollution into the environment. Our measurement system provides critical information for the management of hydrocarbons contained within submerged or sunken vessels, thus preventing or controlling any unwanted release to the marine environment. Bunker fuel is a heavy oil that has a damaging effect on marine life and fisheries. Therefore, its removal is key to ensuring a safer marine environment in the future. Rapid Response… The technique is non-intrusive and uses a small hand held (Diver operated) or ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) mounted detector to scan the external surface of the vessel under inspection. The detection system is interfaced with the ROV and the RS232 (or screened twisted pair) cable feeds the data to the engineer on the support vessel. Hence the results are analysed in real time, providing you with instant feedback, therefore saving time and thus money. Hot tapping precision… The detector is moved up and down the outside vessel emitting its signal through the vessel wall and into the stored medium. The resultant immediate signal provides an extremely accurate profile of the contents. This enables the salvage operator to establish the optimum hot-tapping locations for product removal etc. The data indicates a large change in signal response as the detector is moved through any air/hydrocarbon/water or structural interface. For example, if the detector was moved across the hull of a vessel with damaged internals, there is a possibility that different materials could have formed an interface or emulsion. This occurs when the integrity of the internal compartments is unknown following the vessels arrival at the seabed. The benefits to a client seeking to responsibly manage the environmental impact of a salvage operation are considerable. Using this unique solution, we can determine the remaining contents such that appropriate actions can then be successfully implemented. Benefits of our wreck removal and salvage technology are: Ecological protection - preventive measures and risk reduction Environmental impact - eliminate loss by Hydrocarbon management Response - global team of engineers and resources for rapid deployment Speed - A live data feed enables interpretation of results in real time Efficiency - saving time on ROV and diver usage during data assessment Universal - adaptable to a wide range of divers and ROVs Integrity - can assess the hull's compartment integrity post sinking Vision - the ability to see through vessel walls - “Insight Onsite” Accuracy - product placement accuracy to +/-50mm Security - knowledge that the vessel is not leaking into the environment Monitoring - time stamped surveillance, allocate appropriate response plan Preparation - works on a surface to surface contact Location - a rapid response team Global operations enable rapid mobilisation Creating safer environments Live data acquisition and analysis Simple integration and deployment Q? How many years experience does Tracerco have? A: Tracerco has over 20 years experience working in subsea environments. Q? Where in the world do we operate? A: We have a global track record with a dominant position in the market place due to our strategically placed base locations. Q? What depth can the Subsea equipment be used? A: The equipment is rated to 3000m water depth. Q? How quickly are the results obtained? A: A live data feed enables the interpretation of results in real time by our engineer, therby providing immediate feedback. Q? Is your system limited to ROV use? A: No. Simple electrical and mechanical interfacing means that it can be used with divers and all size and shapes of ROV, observation class through to work class. Q? Does the system only detect oil? A: No. It can detect any form of material that is hydrogenous, for example, heavy oil, bunker fuel, water etc Q? Will the system work for a double hull? A: No, At present, only for a single hull due to the limitations of the penetrative depth required for a response from the compartment contents. If access is available inside the hull to the second steel layer then measurements can be made. Q? Does marine growth affect the quality of the readings? A: Yes. It does however depend on the type and depth of the marine growth. Stand off from the vessel wall does affect the quality of the signal change. It is possible to jet off marine growth to remove a strip 30cm wide to increase the quality of results and hence establish a true surface to surface contact. It is possible to scan through soft marine growth. Tracerco has a global presence, which allows us to deliver our products and services to customers anywhere in the world, whilst still retaining the important aspect of local service. For queries please contact us at one of the following locations or email us: tracerco@tracerco.com alternatively, send an enquiry to our technical specialists.