İZDENİZ AŞ, the company that provides sea transportation for the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, has taken an important step in order to respond quickly and effectively to possible malfunctions that may occur on passenger ships and ferries and to carry out emergency maintenance and repair work in-house. The company aims to ensure that sea transportation continues without disruption by establishing a special team of professional divers.
Intervention Team of Expert Divers
The 4-person expert diver team formed within İZDENİZ brings together professionals from different levels of expertise. The team includes a diver, a first-class diver, a candidate diver and an experienced diving chief. This competent team actively works at the İzmir Marina and the piers belonging to İZDENİZ. The team, which routinely conducts control dives, closely monitors the underwater conditions of the ships and has the opportunity to detect potential problems in advance.
Increasing the Navigation Safety of Ships
One of the important tasks of İZDENİZ’s newly established diving team is to determine whether ships are fit for voyage (survey). Divers examine the underwater parts of the ships in detail, checking the hull integrity, propeller and steering systems, seawater inlets and other critical components. In this way, a possible malfunction is detected and fixed in advance, and the ships are allowed to continue their voyages safely.
Support to the Metropolitan Municipality in Case of Need
İZDENİZ diving team not only provides service to its own ships, but also supports other units of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality in underwater work when needed. This cooperation provides an effective intervention opportunity in various marine projects of the municipality and in emergency situations.
Future Plans
There are also exciting plans for the future for İZDENİZ’s diving team. In the upcoming period, the team is expected to work in districts with marinas and provide sport diving training to raise awareness about maritime activities. In this way, both a contribution will be made to maritime safety and the opportunity to take up a new hobby for the people of İzmir who are interested in the underwater world.
Emphasis on Savings and Rapid Response
Diving Chief Burak Erdost from the İZDENİZ diving team emphasized the importance of the newly established system and said, “Previously, these works were carried out by outsourcing. With the new working system, both savings are achieved and malfunctions are intervened more quickly. We clean the underwater insect infestations on ships, the seawater receiving sections, and maintain the propellers. With our routine maintenance, we take precautions in advance so that our ships do not encounter any malfunctions during the journey. Our work also reduces fuel consumption.” These statements clearly show that İZDENİZ has increased operational efficiency and reduced costs by establishing its own diving team.
