Refloating the sunken corvette MPK-56 Brilliant at Shipyard No. 82, Roslyakovo
Refloating of the sunken corvette MPK-56 Brilliant at Shipyard No. 82. Divers rigged slings and pontoons under the hull, sealed the leaks and fed compressed air into the compartments — the stern surfaced first, then the bow, and the ship was set down on the drying berth.
69.050° N, 33.280° E
- Site
- waters of Shipyard No. 82, Roslyakovo, Kola Bay
- Scope
- survey and refloating of the sunken corvette MPK-56 Brilliant
- Method
- slings and pontoons combined with blowing the compartments with compressed air
The task
A vessel sunk alongside is more than a lost hull. It occupies the quay wall, obstructs movement in the yard's waters and carries environmental risk: fuel oil and technical fluids remain inside. The corvette MPK-56 Brilliant sank in the waters of Shipyard No. 82 in Roslyakovo near Murmansk and had to be raised.
Salvage is the most demanding category of diving work in engineering terms: putting a diver in the water is not enough — it takes calculation, a plan and precise coordination of the whole operation.
How the work went
- 1
Diver survey of the sunken hull
The first stage of any salvage is to understand exactly what is lying on the bottom. The divers surveyed the position of the hull, its list and trim, the nature of the seabed, the condition of the plating and the places where lifting gear could be rigged. From those findings the plan of the operation was drawn up, and the position of the hull was recorded on video.
- 2
Engineering calculations and lift plan
On the basis of the survey the lifting mass, the points where forces would be applied and the sequence of the operation were calculated. A combined method was chosen: slings and pontoons plus restoring the hull's own buoyancy by blowing the compartments.
- 3
Preparing the hull
The divers rigged slings and pontoons under the hull and sealed the leaks through which the compartments were open to the sea. This is the most labour-intensive stage: all of it happens underwater, by feel and over the video link, in the confined waters of a working yard.
- 4
The lift
Compressed air was fed into the compartments. The ship surfaced in the calculated order — the stern first, then the bow: that way the hull comes out of the water without snatching and without dangerous heeling. The operation was coordinated with the yard's services. The raised ship was set down on the drying berth.
The outcome
The sunken ship was raised and the yard's waters were cleared. The client received a full set of documentation with a photo and video report on every stage of the operation.
Why this project is a good measure of the work
Raising a ship in the working waters of an operating yard means confined conditions, other vessels and quays close by, and no room for error. Operations like this are direct proof of a diving contractor's competence: they demand well-trained divers, engineering support and experience of working alongside large industrial enterprises.
How the work went — shots from site
Has a vessel, boat or item of plant sunk? We mobilise quickly for the survey, prepare the calculations and the lift plan. Kola Bay, the Barents Sea and the inland waters of the Murmansk Region.
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