In-service Robotic Hull Repair
Sub6HLX™ is Effee’s robotic welding repair solution for corroded, water-backed steel hull structures with material loss, corrosion pitting, and remaining wall thickness below 6 mm.
Built on qualified welding procedures, robotic execution, and class-aligned quality assurance, it delivers a repeatable, in-service repair that permanently extends asset life – without cofferdams, dry-docking, off-hire, or production interruption.
Remote operations: Welding is planned, supervised, and quality-controlled from shore. Offshore crew is reduced to a small, qualified team, typically 2-3 people, and repairs are pre-engineered, simulated, and validated before mobilization.
Digital twin and traceability: Every weld parameter, NDT record, and inspection result can be linked to the asset's digital twin – supporting on-stream risk validation, class acceptance, and long-term integrity management.
Key benefits
Download fact sheet
Download the fact sheet for additional information about this solution.
What it saves versus dry-dock, cofferdam, or steel-replacement alternatives
POB (persons on board): Robotic execution and robotic habitat replace scaffolding-based habitats and diver/confined-space crews. Welding is supervised from shore, so offshore headcount drops to a small team – releasing accommodation capacity for other scope.
Time: No dry-dock transit and stay. Reduced need for scaffolding rig-up. Pre-engineered repair geometries and qualified procedures compress offshore engineering. The asset stays in production from inspection finding through closeout.
Cost: No need for cofferdam build, no off hire, no deferred production. Predictable scope and pricing replace the variability of bespoke offshore repair campaigns.
Emissions: Sub6HLX™ avoids three major project-emissions categories that conventional alternatives typically incur: flaring and venting from production shutdowns, embodied carbon in replacement hull steel, and CO₂ from dry-dock transit and yard works. Defensible per-project CO₂-equivalent ranges are available on request, aligned with EU GHG accounting principles.
From inspection finding to integrity statement in four steps
Where it applies
Deployed globally on steel marine and offshore assets.
- FPSOs, floaters, semi-submersibles, and drilling rigs
- Tankers and other steel marine vessels
- Local or general corrosion at low remaining wall thickness
- Areas inaccessible or uneconomical for steel replacement
- Assets in life-extension programs or under integrity notices
- Situations where dry-docking or shutdown is commercially prohibitive
Talk to our specialists and find out if we can help. We will review your challenge, key requirements and identify a safe and cost-effective way forward.
