HAUX-LIFE-SUPPORT has been selected to supply the diving bell system for the ship Carl Straat for the Wasserstraßen- and Schifffahrtsamt Duisburg-Rhein (WSA). The new diving bell ship will replace the vessel of the same name which the WSA has operated on the Rhine River waters since 1963.

The modern diving bell system developed by HAUX is integrated in a lifting mechanism that makes it possible for the ship to travel the Rhine and its tributaries and to operate without lowering the water level. The WSA notes that the Carl Straat can also be used to produce barrel anchors in gravel or rocky areas and to carry out sampling by drilling with nitrogen icing.

According to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Heinrich Witte, President of the Directorate General for WSA Koblenz, “The new modern diving bell ship is a unique specimen. On the Rhine and its tributaries, this special vessel is needed to search for and recover lost cargo or wreckage. In addition, it will be used for important work on the river bed or for construction inspections.”

Integrating the hyperbaric chambers HAUX-STARCOM and HAUX-BELLSTAR, the diving bell assembly consists of an entry lock, lock conduit with stairway, and a caisson chamber with a capacity of six persons. The bell can supply an operating pressure for a working depth of up to 10 meters for underwater riverbed work. Among other features, the special assembly design takes into account the influence of underwater current forces and will be equipped with the certified HAUX-FIRE-EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM, a high performance breathing air system for all chamber components as well as heating and insulation of the bell.

Damen Shipyards in Hardinxveld, Netherlands, has been tapped to construct the new Carl Straat itself, and plans delivery of the ship to the WSA sometime in 2020.

For an interesting article with lots of information about the diving bell system click here.