Diving into Efficiency: How Underwater Services Enhance Maritime Operations

The maritime industry is one of the most diverse and indispensable in the world, responsible for a vast percentage of global trade. It encompasses vessel types from cargo ships and tankers to barges, cruise liners and oil rigs. Linking all of these is the inherent need for sector wide safety, considering the highly specialised and potentially hazardous nature of working, living and travelling by sea.

Maintaining this extraordinarily complex infrastructure to secure the continuity of maritime operations and supply chains is the remit of experienced specialists offering a range of marine services. Ensuring that sea-going vessels are well maintained and safe is essential to the security of the industry and where ‘time is money’, minimal interruptions are a route to better efficiencies and a greater return on investment.

In this article we’ll explore the role and purpose of marine maintenance, looking specifically at underwater services, and their vital function in securing and enhancing maritime operations.

What are Maritime Operations?

Maritime operations is a term that refers to and includes all aspects of ocean based and sea-going travel, transport and trade. It also includes work on static offshore settings like oil rigs and it can often be used to describe naval manoeuvres.

The marine industry is responsible for the safe transport of over 90% of the world’s imports and exports, as well as billions of dollars in sea travel and tourism. This means that maintaining safe vessels that are fit for purpose and able to withstand the extreme conditions at sea is an essential part of maritime operations.

Many ship owners, whether they operate a single vessel or an entire fleet, employ an expert marine service company to tackle their ongoing maintenance and safety requirements. In many instances, repairs, assessments and maintenance occur below the waterline which means that those solutions require specialist underwater services and technicians.

What are Underwater Services?

In maritime operations, the term underwater marine services covers all of the methods and procedures that address repairs and maintenance that are at or below the waterline and therefore need specialist personnel to undertake them.

Underwater services can also be used as a wider ‘catch all’ term for marine maintenance including those above the waterline as well. They are essential in creating safe, sea-worthy vessels that are secure to travel and work on.

All types of vessels across the marine industry have to contend with extreme and challenging environmental conditions, so repairs and maintenance that increase safety and mitigate issues while at sea can ultimately save lives.

Regular maintenance and checks to correct smaller issues before they escalate can also be a way for organisations to save money and reduce downtime caused by lengthier repairs in an expensive dry dock environment.

Underwater services for marine vessels should always be undertaken by specialists with experience, knowledge and the correct qualifications and tools. These are potentially hazardous environments and often complex repairs which require the attention of skilled experts.

Underwater services include but are not limited to:

Hull Cleaning – to remove naturally occurring build up on the underside of a vessel.

Propeller Polishing – to limit build-up and calcification, resulting in improved performance.

Regular Inspections –  to examine fixed state rigs and vessels below the waterline to identify potential issues.

Pre-purchase Inspections and Inventories – to assess a vessel before sale or purchase and address issues of repair or clarify any inventory queries.

Maintenance of Navigation Equipment – some of which is sited below the waterline and needs to be checked regularly for damage.

How Can Underwater Services Enhance Marine Operations?

Successful marine operations that provide continuity of service and supplies rely on secure vessels that can withstand the rigours of being at sea for long periods of time. Of primary importance is that any ocean-going vessel is safe and secure to work and travel on, ensuring the wellbeing of passengers and the 2 million seafarers who keep the marine industry moving.

Essential maintenance and regular inspections and repairs made by underwater marine service providers and specialists have been shown time and time again to extend the lifespan of vessels, reduce accidents and incidents at sea, limit the need for costly downtime and dry dock repairs and ensure safety on voyages. The benefits achieved by undertaking regular maintenance are that time, money and lives are saved.

Coupled with the need to provide a working and transport environment that is as safe as possible is the increasing demand to protect the natural world from adverse impacts caused by ocean travel. The marine industry is looking to the future and exploring alternatives to its vast fossil fuel consumption. Solutions for better, more environmentally friendly sea travel in years to come could offer exciting opportunities to explore even better provisions for vessel maintenance and repairs, further extending the useful lifespan of ships and limiting the use of finite global resources.

Well maintained vessels have fewer instances of causing negative environmental issues because they meet the required guidelines for safety and emissions. Underwater services that tackle issues below the waterline before they become serious can dramatically reduce occurrences of pollution when undertaken regularly and as part of on-going upkeep and maintenance.

Final Thoughts

Successful and continual marine operations help to feed the world, with over 90% of imports and exports moved across the globe by sea.

The impact of breaks in the supply chain because of unseaworthy vessels, accidents and lost cargo can be catastrophic for trade, food security and also for the environment.

Specialist underwater marine services and correct ship maintenance to ensure safe, secure and well-maintained vessels help to improve the lives of seafarers and passengers and ensure an unbroken network of goods and services that rely on the continuity of the marine industry.

A safe vessel that has been maintained and checked by experts is one that has a longer and safer functional lifespan and is less likely to require a dry dock environment for extensive repairs. The result is enhanced marine operations for organisations that undertake regular inspections and maintenance, clearly signalling the benefits of responsible and proactive ship ownership and management.