ABC Diving® Ltd.

International Cy
Registered in Port-Vila P.O. Box 3242
VANUATU South Pacific
Ph: +678 5684277 or 7100230

~ COMMERCIAL DIVING ~

FUEL OILS & LUBES REMOVAL from SUNKEN SHIP

Oils and Lubes pumped off floating or sunken ship:

We provide the ideal and faster solution for emergency fluid removal from a damaged or incapacitated vessel.

No leak, no pollution:

The protection of the environment from cargoes such as oil or other contaminants is often considered a high priority. Do not wait for the oil spills.

"Active" and Preventive strategy : the right choice at the best cost !

The most efficient and cost effective response option is often to "control at source" any potential ship sourced spill.
A clean-up of an oil spill once it has occured is a "reactive strategy" whereas oil cargo salvage from a wreck is an "active" preventative strategy.
The magnitude of the risk, the likelihood of extensive environmental damage, and common sense dictates that the most responsible option would be to tap the fuel oil tanks of the shipwreck and drain any remaining oil under controlled conditions from the deteriorating wreck.

We can survey shipwrecks (u/w hull thickness control, photo & video report) and off load extensive oil cargo under controlled conditions.

WWII shipwreck integrity: risk of oil release?

Do not wait, act now!

The sea is a sacrificial and corrosive chemical environment for metal objects and wooden materials.
The shifting sediments, marine bacteria and organisms, destructive storms, important water pressures and currents reduce shipwreck structures back to their original basic elements over time. Degradation rates also depend upon the depth, water oxygen content and temperature the vessel has been lying in as well as the extent of damage prior to sinking.
Military vessels that have been sunk during wartime are expected to have suffered extensive structural damage, fires and explosion of munitions, prior to sinking. Each year that passes, the vessels sunk in WWII across the Pacific deteriorate more and the risk of significant oil release becomes more likely.

Over 67 years after, their oil tanks can start leaking at any time

It must be recognised that the WWII shipwrecks of the Pacific:

Been weakened by the initial explosions that sank the vessel and the fires on board prior to it sinking;

Have been crushed and deformed by the forces of the seawater pressure if sunk in deep water;

Served in combat with associated wear & tear prior to sinking;

Are at least over 67 years old;

Have settled over time into bottom sediments and will continue to do so placing different structural stresses and strains on the vessel over time;
Been continuously exposed to corrosive seawater at high oxygen levels and at high water temperatures, accelerating steel corrosion and metal loss;
Suffered the impacts of storms, typhoons and ocean currents over many decades;
Been suffering slow degradation of the super-structure due to general metal loss from rust as well as pit corrosion causing pin hole leaks;
Are suffering the loss of strength of fasteners throughout the vessel tanks, superstructure and associated pipe-work causing possibly internal and external leaks of oil.

Oil leakage from shipwrecks, often occur at pipe-work, mechanical connections, valves and joints, usually in the water-exposed parts of decks, holds or tanks. Metal fasteners over time lose their ability to hold flanges together (e.g. nuts and threads waste away), rubber seals fail and the ingress of seawater to metal components and seals causes rust and metal wastage. Iron oxide (rust) occupies more physical volume than the iron/steel itself, causing expansion and the forcing apart of the already weakened fasteners, hence oil leakage and seepage.

We can provide you with a Hot tapping efficient solution:

Hot tapping (or pressure tapping) is the method of making a connection to existing piping or pressure
vessels in which welding operations are prohibited (flammable fluids or any hazardous substances) without the necessity of emptying that section of pipe or vessel. (e.g. a pipe or tank can continue to be in operation whilst maintenance or modifications are being done to it. The process is also used to drain off pressurised casing fluids).

Please, contact us.

Hand operated Hot tapping machine

Hot Tapping Equipment