EXPERTISE IN DEPTH

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News and Events

for Seaward Marine Services, LLC, a Titan company


Training Ship Empire State Cleaning and Lamp Ray®

Seaward Marine Services, Inc. has been awarded a firm fixed contract by the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) to perform an underwater hull cleaning and Lamp Ray® survey for the Training Ship Empire State. Seaward's Lamp Ray® is a state of the art submersible Remote Operated Underwater Survey Vehicle capable of taking hull plate thickness, coating thickness, and cathodic potential readings simultaneously with a very high degree of accuracy. T/S Empire State is located at the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College; she is the oldest power vessel to be used by the school and is intended to be in service until 2019(wikipedia).  To meet this commitment to MARAD, Seaward has dispatched Mobile Diving Unit 4 and Lamp Ray Survey Team out of Norfolk, VA.  
 





Posted on: 23/Aug/2016

Cecil C. Achord

Hummel Family Homecoming

Seaward Marine Services, Inc. would like to welcome home one of our own Mrs. MM1 Carolina Hummel, wife of Seaward Mobile 3 East Coast diver Mike Hummel from a long seven-month deployment with the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group. We thank you for your service to our country and your role in Operation Inherent Resolve.  May you now enjoy your family, friends, and those who supported you during your deployment. We appreciate the sacrifice that you and your family had to bear while you were away.
 

 
https://www.facebook.com/Kearsarge/

Posted on: 04/May/2016

Cecil C. Achord

Seaward Marine Services, Inc. Awarded 5 Year Underwater Hull Cleaning Contract With NAVSEA OOC


The Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Seaward Marine Services, Inc. a $53 million firm-fixed-price, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract for waterborne hull cleaning.  The contract includes options which would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $257 million.  Work on this contract will be performed in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and the European, African, and Arabian Peninsula waters.  

Cecil Achord, President of Seaward Marine Services, Inc. stated “Seaward is very proud that we have been awarded this 5 Year Sole Source Underwater Hull Cleaning Contract.  This award was made possible by the excellent work that everyone at Seaward has been doing over the years.  Safety First and Quality and Performance have put us ahead of the rest and I am confident we will not falter in continuing that effort for our government. 
 



Link to official press release:  U.S. Department of Defense, Contracts Press Operations Release No. CR-004-16, January 7, 2016

 


      

Posted on: 07/Jan/2016

Cecil C. Achord

Seaward Divers Complete TURBO activation cleaning for Keystone Shipping

Keystone Shipping Services, Inc. Called on Seaward Marine Services to support a “TURBO” activation of M/V CAPE RACE.  Seaward Divers attached to the Dive Motor Vessel Coastal Pride cleaned the underwater hull, propeller, rudder, sea chest gratings, and appendages in two shifts around the clock from 0600 December 16 through 0600 December 17 to complete all diving within the 24-hr time frame.

Turbo Activations consist of four separate no-notice exercises during the year that measured the activation time and personnel and materiel readiness of selected Ready Reserve Force (RRF) vessels by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MSC).  DOD conducts these no-notice exercises, called "Turbo-Activations," annually to assess RRF activation readiness. The USTRANSCOM, via MSC, randomly selects and orders the activation of a number of RRF ships on an annual basis to test their capability to be ready-for-sea (i.e., mission-capable) within their assigned readiness time frames of 4, 5, 10, or 20 days.

Seaward Marine Services, Inc takes great pride in being the “go to” diving contractor for Keystone and many other MARAD and MSC Operators when short fused high impact turbo activation diving jobs are required.
 



 

Posted on: 21/Dec/2015

Cecil C. Achord

Seaward Divers Complete Second Hull Cleaning on USNS STEPHEN W. PLESS for Keystone Services

Prior to commencing their latest deployment, the Maj. Stephen W. Pless was cleaned and inspected by Seaward Marine Services, Inc., DMV Coastal Pride. What started out as an inspection and propeller and sea chest cleaning quickly turned into a full underwater hull cleaning once the initial hull inspection was completed.  The dive crew was able to transition seamlessly to accommodate the request, since the Coastal Pride is a floating dive station and carries all required ships husbandry and hull cleaning equipment including two Submersible Cleaning and Maintenance Platforms (SCAMP) multi-brush machines, which are piloted by qualified divers. The SCAMP has the ability to clean a five foot section of the underwater hull with each pass. The USNS Maj. Stephen W. Pless will be able to make and maintain all desired speeds as they deploy. 
 


Pre and Post Condition of Hull



Pre and Post Condition of Sea Chests


Pre and Post Condition of Propeller


 
 

Posted on: 24/Nov/2015

Cecil C. Achord

Underwater Hull Cleanings Completed on Two JHSVs

Seaward’s Mobile Diving Unit 3 completed underwater hull cleanings on two Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSV’s). Mobile-3 performed a full underwater hull cleaning on the USNS Trenton (JHSV-5), latest ship of this class and a partial cleaning and inspection of the USNS Choctaw County (JHSV-2) in a three week period of time. Cleaning of this class is made more challenging due to the foul release coating and the detailed cleaning needed on the water jet assemblies and impellers for the two underwater hulls. All cleanings were accomplished using NAVSEA 00C5 approved procedures.  As always the Seaward divers rose to the challenge.
 




Typical preclean conditions found

Posted on: 11/Nov/2015

Cecil C. Achord

Seaward Marine Mobile Diving Crew Cleans Their Way Through the Northeast

Seaward Mobile Diving unit 4 mobilized on August 16, 2015 for an extended three city road trip which covered 1620 miles. During the three week excursion four vessels were cleaned and two were certified with an American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Underwater Inspection In Lieu of Dry-Docking (UWILD). The TS State of Maine received a full underwater hull cleaning, ABS UWILD inspection, a Lamp Ray Hull Survey, and a Data Scan. The crew also cleaned and inspected the Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) Barge Oyster Bay. With the work in Castine, ME completed Mobile 4 demobilized and moved two hours south to Rockland ME for a full underwater hull cleaning and ABS UWILD inspection of the Giant Cement Companies Barge MBT-35. Upon completion of Barge MBT-35 the crew packed up and headed 350 miles farther south to Groton CT, the Submarine Capital of the World to provide services to the submarine community.

Matt O’Donnell, Port Engineer/Marine Surveyor with the United States Department of Transportation - Maritime Administration stated, “Tom, your crew did an excellent job. It was a pleasure working with such professionals.”

Capt. Dana Willis, Marine Operations Manager for the Maine Maritime Academy writes “Tom, Thanks for putting this whole operation together for us on short notice, and your entire crew was helpful and easy to work with through the project.”

Seaward Marine Services would like to commend the entire Mobile 4 dive crew and the Lamp Ray team for their professionalism and willingness to go where the work takes them on short notice. A job well done!

 


TS State of Maine with Mobile 4 and Lamp Ray crew alongside.


MMA Barge Oyster Bay

Giant Cement Companies Barge MBT-35

   
Submarine base at Groton, CT


 

Posted on: 02/Sep/2015

Cecil C. Achord

Seaward Divers Complete Underwater Repair of Six ICCP Anodes on Navy Ship

Underwater Repairs of the Cathodic Protection system on a Navy ship were completed in August, with the waterborne replacement of six ICCP system anodes by Seaward’s Mobile Diving Crew 2 in Norfolk VA.  A Cathodic Protection system helps to slow and combat the electrochemical effects of corrosion to a ships underwater hull, a condition which is always present due to the variations in the chemistry of metal, both within the hull, and between dissimilar metals.

The repair work included not only replacing the external anodes, fasteners, and dielectric shielding material around the anodes, but also the components on the vessels interior. The faring material, which is traditionally a two part capastic material installed as a dielectric shield, could not be used in an underwater environment so Seaward Divers used the U.S. Navy NAVSEA approved Hycote 461 faring compound on the areas where the capastic had to be removed.  Hycote 461 fairing compound is the preferred method when installing CP anodes in-water.

 By doing this work waterborne a significant savings was afforded the Navy.  Additionally, Seaward personnel completed the project three days ahead of schedule and 18% under budget, giving our customer a substantial savings. The Project manager and Mobile 2’s crew showed great professionalism, and did an exceptional job ensuring the ships underwater hull and appendages were protected once again against all forms of corrosion.

Great Job!
 


Typical Damaged Anode


Typical New Anode Installed using Hycote 461
 

Posted on: 26/Aug/2015

Cecil C. Achord

Seaward Marine Cleans JPO Aquarius

Seaward Marine Services Mobile Unit 4 transited to Wilmington North Carolina during the July 4 weekend to clean the underwater hull of JPO Aquarius.  The crew mobilized the evening of July 2nd and started work the morning of July 3rd.  The dive crew worked through a hostile environment with a very swift non-stop current continuously for 18 hours to get the hull cleaning complete and the ship underway as soon as possible in the early morning hours of July 4.  As the dive crew was pulling away from the pier so was JPO Aquarius on to its next destination. We appreciate the dedication and commitment our divers put in to complete a task when asked, especially on Independence weekend. 
 


Posted on: 14/Jul/2015

Cecil C. Achord

Seaward Marine Divers Clean and Survey EX-USS Midway

As part of Seaward Marine Services, Inc.'s continuing contract with the MIDWAY Museum in San Diego, CA, divers completed an underwater hull cleaning using SCAMP, coating of bare metal areas on the underwater hull using HYCOTE underwater coatings, and a hull potential survey on the EX-USS MIDWAY (CV-41).  Divers then completed an inspection and documented the hull conditions for future planned maintenance.  This most recent maintenance period was completed in June 2015.

The full hull cleaning using Seaward's SCAMP multi-brush platform was performed in accordance with NAVSEA’s Naval Ships’ Technical Manual Chapter 081, Hull Cleaning Guidelines.  Afterward, bare metal areas were identified and the dive crew applied approximately 250 sq. ft. of HYCOTE underwater coating to the underwater hull, running gear, and seachest blank box attachment areas which required repair.  HYCOTE is a superior underwater coating approved by the U.S. NAVY for the preservation of bare metal areas in high humidity and underwater environments.  The underwater hull potential survey was done at the completion of the underwater coating of bare metal areas, and utilizes a handheld silver-chloride probe measures hull potential values or the ability of the underwater hull to protect itself from corrosion.  The survey documented an increase in hull potential values in the mid-ship and bow areas of the hull. This reporting allows the ship’s engineers to monitor and track both current and historical data for hull preservation.

Seaward Marine Services, Inc. is proud to be a part of the ongoing preservation program for EX-USS MIDWAY which started in January of 2010.

 




 

Posted on: 09/Jul/2015

Cecil C. Achord

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General Manager:
Tom Wright
(757) 853-7683






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Kevin Morero
(619) 474-8163




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Glen Tchelistcheff
(808) 682-8550