In the summer of 2022, a vessel - a 10-meter long motor yacht - sank in the waters off the coast of Latvia. The ship was considered unsalvageable until Latvian commercial divers from "Dronelab" took on the challenge of recovering it. Using their specialized diving equipment and the knowledge gained from their work experience, they were able to successfully recover the yacht and return it to the owner. This is the story of their remarkable achievement in retrieving property from Latvian waters.
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Divers raise a motor yacht from the underwater depths
The challenge of recovering a sunken ship from the underwater environment is not new. Throughout history, sailors and divers have faced this daunting task, often with limited technology and resources. Today, however, the use of commercial divers and modern equipment has made the process more efficient and effective.
Initially, the owner of the ship started the recovery process of the 10-meter yacht off the coast of Latvia, looking for opportunities to recover the water vehicle. He contacted Dronelab, a local commercial diving company with a reputation for undertaking difficult and complex underwater projects.
Raising a sunken yacht from the water
The first step in the recovery process was to locate the sunken yacht. Using specialized sonar equipment, divers were able to pinpoint the ship's location on the ocean floor. This information was then used to develop a detailed plan for the extraction operation.
The plan called for the use of special lift bags, which are large inflatable bags that can be attached to a yacht and filled with air, causing the vessel to rise to the surface. Divers carefully attached lift bags to the yacht and filled them with compressed air. Slowly but surely, the yacht began to rise to the surface, guided by divers who carefully controlled the ascent.
Once the yacht's sides were raised to the surface, the motor yacht was pumped out with a powerful water pump and towed to a nearby harbor marina where it could be inspected and repaired. Despite the extensive damage to the interior of the cabin and electrical equipment caused by the sinking, the ship was salvageable and repaired, and after the repair was returned to its owner for further use.
The lifting works from the water have been successful and the owner is satisfied
The successful recovery of the vessel, a 10-meter yacht, off the coast of Latvia testified to the skill and competence of local commercial divers. With their specialized equipment and training, Dronelab divers were able to overcome the challenges of recovering a sunken vessel and returning it to its rightful owner. As technology continues to advance, the field of commercial diving will undoubtedly continue to play a critical role in the recovery of vessels lost and damaged at sea.
"Dronelab" company of divers' work
The manager of the company says, we perform various technical underwater works, which include underwater measurements, pier survey, underwater search, underwater repair and underwater cleaning. It is possible to carry out underwater technical searches (Underwater sonar, underwater ROV, underwater lateral sonar, underwater multi-beam echo sounder, underwater magnetometer and underwater metal detector) and extraction works from water bodies.
Work manager – "Dronelab" SIA, phone number tel. 220-77-202, e-mail: mail@dronelab.lv
References related to vessel highlighting
- Underwater technical survey works in Latvia
- “Commercial Diving.” National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), www.nccer.org/training-and-credentials/craft-detail/commercial-diving.
- "Latvian yacht sinks off Jurmala coast." LSM.LV,
- “Lift bags” JW Fishers, jwfishers.com/products/lift-bags.
