Wet Underwater Welding Alternatives You Should Know

If you need to make permanent repairs underwater in any industry, underwater welding is probably a concern. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in oil and gas, shipping, defense, or marine infrastructure. You need to make sure all your underwater components are stable and functional.

Underwater welding is an important part of maintaining any metal structure existing in full or in part below the water. However, most conventional underwater welding systems have a number of problems. They’re expensive, can provide only temporary repairs, dangerous, and/or hard to move around.

Some dry underwater welding systems, like the Neptune System, have a number of advantages over wet welding methods. They allow the creation of high quality dry welds without the use of time consuming, costly hyperbaric chambers.

Gas and oil operators will enjoy the cost and time savings they can get with dry underwater welding of this sort. Since infrastructures and platforms are aging, the demand for good repair, maintenance and inspection services is going up. A fast, easy, relatively cheap solution for underwater welding is vital.

Oil rigs, subsea pipelines, platforms, and just about any other underwater structure with metal construction will benefit from high quality underwater welding options. You can create a customized habitat and configure it to work in almost any situation where underwater welds might be required.

If you own or operate a ship, you’ll also enjoy the savings that can be had using portable dry underwater welding methods. It keeps you from having to prematurely put your vessel into dry dock - the welds produced cost around the same as a wet weld, but they’re a lot stronger. Previously, a temporary underwater repair was the only thing available, with the other option being an early dry dock for the vessel.

The big problem with wet weld repairing is that it’s a quick fix. These welds can be quickly and cheaply performed, but they require constant reworking, making them cost more in the long term. It’s also important to regularly inspect a wet weld.

Eventually, temporary wet underwater welds have to be removed, and the vessel dry docked to be repaired correctly. A wet weld isn’t enough to match the original strength and integrity of the hull. Dry docking takes time and can be quite expensive.

Dry welding using a technology similar to Neptune’s NEPSYS can allow you to maintain a ship while underwater and effect permanent repairs. Corrosion, cracks, pitting and holes and hull tears can all be repaired. It’s possible to weld complete insert plates into the hull, with full penetration.

This rapidly deployable, portable technology is also good for permanent repairs in military operations and marine infrastructure. In fact, dry underwater welding is important for any subsea industry where a repair might be needed.

If wet underwater welding has previously been your only option for below water repairs, consider a portable, affordable dry welding option. Just about any underwater repair application can benefit from this technology, from pipelines to ship hulls.