Thursday, June 10, 2010

Thar She Blows!

They were singing Yo Ho and Up She Rises at Halifax shipyard this afternoon after the floating drydock Scotia Dock II broke the surface after a month on the bottom.
The dock sank May 8, and since then the shipyard has been working with divers to make the structure tight and rigging pumping gear.
Once all the gear was in place they forced air into the compartments to displace the water.
Late this afternoon the main deck broke the surface, and water was blasting out of several manholes in the main deck as well as a large outlet on one side wall.

1 The main deck is clear of the water and at normal draft. Water under pressure spews from manholes in the deck.

2. A large stream of water water is forced from an outlet at the top of the west sidewall.

3. The main deck just breaks the surface as air is forced into the tanks displacing water.

This was a major salvage operation, brought to a happy conclusion. Much work remains to be done to ensure that the rig remains afloat, and of course there will be repairs to damage caused by the immersion and sinking. It may be some time before the drydock is back in operation, but it is good to see that it is back on the surface.

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