Marine salvage is a service that is vital to the safety of shipping lanes and the protection of marine ecology. Whether it is a natural disaster, a ship accident, or a historical shipwreck. Marine salvage can be used to remove wrecks and debris that may obstruct shipping lanes. This ensures the safe navigation of ships as well as the reduction of marine pollution.
Marine salvage is an operation that dates back centuries. At that time, salvage relied on divers and simple equipment. With the introduction of steam power in the 19th century, salvage efficiency was greatly improved. With the recent use of advanced equipment, salvage has become more efficient and safer. The most common of these are advanced equipment such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), sonar systems, and high-powered pumps. By now, marine salvage has become a highly specialized service. In the following section, Henger takes a comprehensive look at marine salvage.
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What is marine salvage?
Marine salvage refers to the specialized means of recovering a ship after it has been involved in an accident, sunk or run aground. The purpose of this is to ensure the smooth flow of shipping lanes and to reduce environmental pollution. It also reduces the risk of shipping accidents. This work is one of the basic measures to ensure the safety of navigation and environmental protection. Below we will explain in detail the different types and methods.
The main types of marine salvage
Marine salvage can be categorized into several main types depending on the operation and purpose. Each of these types has its own specific application scenarios and objectives. Let us look at the subdivided types below.
Harbor Salvage: as the name suggests, this is a salvage operation carried out in a harbor. Its main purpose is to invite shipwrecks and obstacles in the harbor. This ensures unobstructed access to the harbor and safe entry and exit of vessels. It is in a sheltered harbor, so the task is less susceptible to natural conditions such as weather. It is a relatively stable and straightforward form of salvage.
Wreck Salvage: This task requires the most practical and economical way to deal with objects that have sunk in the waters. The best way is the dismantling salvage method that we will talk about below . This way the object is cut into smaller pieces so that it can be cleaned up. However, this method usually involves more complex techniques. Especially in deeper waters, it requires the assistance of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or a diver.
Equipment Recovery: When the hull is damaged, but some of the equipment is still of value for recovery, it can be removed by dismantling or destroying the hull. Vital equipment or valuable cargo can be recovered by dismantling or destroying the hull. This way is to minimize the loss as much as possible.
Marine rescue and salvage: This kind of operation mainly occurs on the sea. Because of the changeable weather at sea, it is very challenging for marine salvage. The whole process may take months.
Clearance and salvage: This type of operation is usually carried out after natural disasters or accidents. Clearing and salvaging the waterways and sea areas to restore the navigability of the waterways.
Sea salvage method
Marine salvage needs to be based on the state of the wreck, sea conditions and salvage goals of different, so as to take different salvage methods. Each method has different technical characteristics and applicable scenes.
Restoration of buoyancy method: This method restores buoyancy and refloats the ship by sealing the breach of the wreck and then pumping out the water inside the ship. It is usually used when the hull structure is complete and the breach is easy to seal.
Floating dock salvage method: by building a floating dock above the wreck, the wreck will be lifted to the water surface. It is more suitable for larger wrecks and large commercial salvage projects such as deep sea salvage.
Disintegration salvage method: the wreck is disintegrated into smaller parts underwater and then salvaged piece by piece. This method is suitable for ships that are seriously damaged or too large in size and difficult to be salvaged as a whole.
Buoyant material method: By injecting closed-cell foam into the inside of the wreck, the hull is floated with the help of buoyancy. This method is applicable to the environment of shipwrecks where sealing is difficult and the sea condition is unstable.
Inflatable salvage method: injecting compressed air into the ship, discharging the water inside the ship, so that the shipwreck generates buoyancy to float. This method is easy to operate and suitable for shipwrecks with stable hull structure.
Cofferdam salvage method: build a cofferdam around the shipwreck, and repair or seal it after discharging the water. This method is very suitable for the local treatment of shipwrecks in shallow water.
Buoyancy airbag salvage method: use inflatable airbags fixed around the wreck to provide extra buoyancy to lift the hull. This method requires the use of a marine salvage airbag. This is the equipment that Henger’s manufactures to its advantage. This method is simple, safe and suitable for small wrecks.
Crane salvage method: Wrap the wreck with steel cable and lift it with the help of crane. It is usually used to salvage small wrecks or part of the hull structure in shallow water.
Blasting and dredging method: Directly carry out underwater blasting to remove the wrecks that have no recovery value and seriously obstruct the navigation channel, so as to ensure that the navigation channel is free from obstruction.
Key technologies and equipment for marine salvage
Marine salvage relies on a variety of advanced equipment and techniques to ensure a safe and efficient salvage process. The following are the key equipment and tools commonly used in salvage operations organized by Henger:
Crane: A crane is an important piece of equipment for salvaging wrecks or large obstacles, usually used in conjunction with steel cables. Its role is to lift the wreck or heavy object to the surface. Cranes are capable of handling objects of greater weight and are suitable for shallow water or harbor salvage operations.
Salvage Airbag: salvage airbag is a gas-filled buoyancy device. By securing it around a wreck to provide extra buoyancy, it helps to float the ship. airbags manufactured by Henger are flexible, safe and can be adapted to suit vessels of all sizes. This device is particularly effective in structurally unstable or complex environments.
Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs): ROVs can be operated in deep water and are suitable for detecting and cleaning wrecks and performing delicate underwater tasks.
Submersibles and Divers: Submersibles and specialized divers are essential in complex salvage missions. Divers can perform operations such as underwater repairs and sealing. They use submersibles to gain access to the interior of wrecks for precise operations, especially for shallow water and detail repair operations.
High-power water pumps: This equipment is used to pump water from wrecks or cofferdams to restore buoyancy to the hull or to carry out repairs. High-power water pumps are the key equipment in the buoyancy restoration and cofferdam salvage methods, which can drain water quickly and help the wreck to refloat.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a variety of methods available for marine salvage. At Henger, we manufacture salvage airbags that have assisted many companies with successful salvage operations. Henger’s salvage airbags are highly recognized by our customers for their customized performance and durability. And these companies have ordered airbags from us many times. If you are looking for high quality marine salvage equipment or other marine airbags, please feel free to contact us.