Company statement

High quality underwater repairs by trustworthy professionals

When we send a team to an operation, any operation, we have one goal in mind: to get the job done in the shortest possible time and to the highest standards. This has been our policy since Hydrex was founded in 1974. Our track record proves that this is not a false claim.

Turning technicians into underwater specialists

We want to offer the highest quality of service for our customers while at the same time guaranteeing the safety of our divers at all times. To achieve this we need staff who are familiar with a wide range of operations as well as the relevant know-how.  Our diver/technicians are trained and qualified to perform all class-approved repair procedures.

New diver/technicians need to have proven their technical skill and knowledge. They are also required to have internationally accepted commercial diver certificates. Once they join our team they go through a stringent training that includes high standard external courses as well as comprehensive in-house training.

This consists of both theoretical classes and practical drills on the Hydrex premises. There they have access to a wide range of underwater tools and various other equipment, including three dive training tanks in which underwater welding and other repair work can be practiced.

In addition to these classes, new divers also get the opportunity to train with experienced Hydrex diver/technicians. This allows them to take advantage of the technical know-how and practical knowledge we have accumulated in the last 45 years.

One of the aspects the training focusses on is learning to be flexible during an operation. Our teams have to be able to respond to changes if the need arises. This is very important because they are the ears and eyes of our technical department during an operation. From the initial inspection all the way through to the final check-up of the repair, they are the ones underwater and on-site.

When their training is completed they can handle any kind of situation. They have become underwater repair specialists.

This means that if a shipowner needs assistance, we are able to send a team of certified diver/technicians to the vessel immediately without losing time. They can carry out both simple and complex jobs even in harsh circumstances. They do this uniformly without unnecessary loss of time, quality or safety.

Putting the customer first

The customer pays to get the best results without losing any unnecessary time. So that is what we deliver. The scope of work is agreed upon in advance and the owner is given a precise assessment of the duration of the operation. Our many years of experience with a wide array of underwater repairs enables us to make an accurate estimation of the needed time frame.

We do this to establish a strong connection with our customers based on trust and good results. We give clear answers to any questions we receive and we deliver what we promise.

Over the years we have also built long-lasting relationships with classification societies, OEMs and local support bases around the world. Correct and direct communication is an essential factor in establishing and maintaining a network you can rely on. This allows us to quickly arrange spare parts, an engineer from the OEM or any external equipment needed for an operation.

We understand how important it is for a ship to keep her schedule. Going off-hire for days or even weeks to have underwater repairs carried out or pay an unscheduled visit to a drydock costs a tremendous amount of money. That is why we have developed technologies that allow us to perform underwater repairs within a very short time and to drydock standards.

R&D

This is done with our mobdocks. Mobdock is short for ‘mobile mini drydock’. With this technology work below the water line is done by taking a small mobile drydock environment to the vessel, rather than by taking it to a shore based drydock. With the implementation of this technique Hydrex diver/technicians can perform permanent repairs to all parts of the underwater ship propulsion system, as well as steel work or crack repairs in drydock-like conditions.

Because of the nature of repair work, it is often necessary for solutions to difficult problems to be worked out in a short time period, sometimes even after an operation has already started. This can only be done successfully by people who have familiarity with such challenges and the relevant know-how to resolve these technical difficulties. This is why Hydrex has a technical department capable of executing all the required planning, an in-house Research & Development department that can take care of the engineering aspect of an operation and diver/technicians that are trained and qualified to perform the full range of required class-approved repair procedures in even the harshest conditions. We have found that an effective, competent team is the only way to consistently achieve a high quality result in the short periods of time usually available to ships with a tight schedule to maintain.

Through an ever-expanding, worldwide network of offices and service stations Hydrex can provide these start-to-finish solutions economically at any location. Headquartered in the Belgian port of Antwerp, we have offices in Tampa (U.S.A) and  Algeciras (Spain). And the list is growing as the demand for cost-effective localized services increases.

All Hydrex offices have fully operational fast response centers where an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment is available at all times for immediate deployment with our skilled diver/technician teams to wherever they are needed.

All this is done to make sure that Hydrex is always prepared for all operations, including those that present unexpected conditions.

Contact us 24/7 with your underwater ship repair needs, routine or emergency, and we will help you get under way again rapidly without the need of a costly drydocking.