"Narrator:" "On World's Touglhest Fixes, a giant ocean rig needs a new power plant." "It's breatlhtaking." "Tlhis job is dangerous." "Man:" "We lost a cable." "Narrator:" "We fix tlhis rig now or slhe's dead in tlhe water." "Sean Riley:" "I'm Sean Riley." "Narrator:" "I'm a professional rigger by trade." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhis is stuff I'm passionate about." "Narrator:" "We're going to meet tlhe people working overtime." "Sean Riley:" "Well done." "Narrator:" "Tlhe unsung lheroes." "Sean Riley:" "You guys are rock stars." "I'm just learning by watclhing." "Narrator:" "Tackling tlhe touglhest problems on tlhe planet." "If it's big and broken, we're going to fix it, on World's Touglhest Fixes." "Tlhis is extreme!" "Commercial diving 30 miles from land." "Tlhese guys call it routine." "Hank:" "Okay 1 , 2, 3, 4." "Okay you can prepare yourself for diving." "Narrator:" "But I call it nuts." "Sean Riley:" "Here we go." "Narrator:" "We're about to dive under a massive vessel way out at sea, on a really touglh gig, swapping out part of tlhe propulsion system." "Sean Riley:" "A 38-ton fix under water in lhiglh seas in tlhe Gulf of Mexico." "Narrator:" "Conditions are lhorrible." "Visibility is like swimming tlhrouglh pea soup!" "Tlhis is wlhat we've come to work on." "We lhave to pull tlhis giant barnacle-encrusted tlhruster out of tlhe lhull and stick a new one back in its place." "It's an awesome clhallenge." "How on Eartlh did I end up in tlhe middle of tlhis?" "Last week I took off from Port Fourclhon, Louisiana, and flew 30 miles offslhore into tlhe Gulf of Mexico." "I'm lheaded to tlhe DCV Balder, a deep water construction vessel designed to service tlhe oil industry." "Tlhere are only a lhandful of vessels on tlhe planet tlhat can do tlhis kind of work, and any day now, tlhey're going to be slhutting tlhis one down." "Sean Riley:" "So imagine swapping out tlhe engine on your car wlhile it's going down tlhe freeway, underwater." "Tlhat's wlhat we're going to try and do lhere." "Narrator:" "I've been invited to witness an incredible operation, a tlhruster swap at sea." "I mean, lhow many people ever get tlhe clhance to see tlhis?" "Tlhe Balder is nearly two football fields of floating construction site." "And to do lher job, slhe needs lher unique propulsion system working 2417." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhis vessel is powered by seven tlhrusters;" "it's basically tlhe propulsion units for tlhe wlhole vessel." "Eaclh one can rotate 360 degrees to propel in any direction." "And one of tlhem is wlhat we're lhere to fix." "Narrator:" "Tlhrusters are simply giant propellers encased in a lhousing." "Unlike standard props witlh a rudder, tlhrusters steer by rotating tlhe wlhole unit, blades and all, generating bursts of tlhrust up to 55 tons." "Just to give you an idea of tlhe scale l'm talking about, clheck it out:" "Tlhis is tlhe replacement tlhruster, 38 tons of pure grunty torque tlhat can spin on a dime." "And it is not easy to move around." "I'm catclhing up witlh tlhe engineers to learn wlhy we're doing tlhis swap." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhis is it, tlhis is wlhat we're lhere to see swapped out, riglht?" "Renee:" "Yealh, correct." "Narrator:" "Clhief engineer Renee Van Der Linden explains tlhe need for routine maintenance." "Renee Van Der Linden:" "Running lhours is now say rouglhly 45,000 lhours." "Narrator:" "Try running your car for five years straiglht." "Now if a tlhruster dies at sea, it's a big problem." "You really need to see tlhe size of tlhis beast to understand wlhy slhe needs so muclh power." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhis is a very big maclhine." "Tlhis is tlhe largest Swiss army knife anybody ever lhad and it won't fit in your pocket." "So witlh all tlhis weiglht, all tlhis power, all tlhis capacity, wlhat exactly do tlhese slhips do?" "Tlhe answer is: tlhey do kind of wlhatever tlhey want." "Narrator:" "Tlhe Balder was designed to work in very deep water, building oil platforms and laying oil pipe, up to 9,000 feet deep." "Now to do tlhis work, slhe needs to be locked precisely into position above tlhe seabed, in water way too deep to effectively drop anclhor." "If slhe drifts, slhe can damage an oil rig or a section of pipe in seconds." "Tlhat's wlhere tlhe tlhrusters come in." "Tlhey're part of tlhe Balder's dynamic positioning system." "DP, or dynamic positioning, is like a lhiglh-teclh parking brake." "A differential global positioning system is linked to tlhe computers tlhat control tlhe vessel's propulsion units." "As tlhe Balder is puslhed or blown out of position, tlhe DP automatically adjusts tlhe direction and power of tlhe tlhrust, continually steering lher back on course." "Sean Riley:" "So lhow do you swap out a tlhruster on one of tlhese vessels?" "Well, first of all, tlhere's no garage big enouglh to take it to." "So you're doing it lhere in tlhe open ocean." "Second of all, you can't flip tlhe tlhing upside down." "So tlhat means divers lhave got to go in and do it from tlhe bottom." "Narrator:" "In order to free up tlhe old tlhruster, tlhey'll lhave to attaclh cables to tlhe top of it and drop it out tlhe bottom of tlhe lhull." "Tlhen a giant crane will lift tlhe tlhruster onto a waiting support vessel." "Tlhey'll transfer tlhe cables over from tlhe old tlhruster to tlhe new one." "And tlhen tlhe crane will drop tlhe replacement down into tlhe water." "Tlhey'll jockey it into position, Ihook it up, and if everytlhing goes according to plan, we're done." "Before anyone goes in tlhe water, tlhe Balder's propulsion system lhas to be completely slhut down, as a spinning tlhruster could easily suck in a diver." "On tlhis fix, witlh a slhip tlhis valuable stuck in position, every second counts." "Tlhe man witlh one eye on tlhe clock is Captain de Boer." "His otlher eye is on tlhe weatlher." "Gale force winds gusting to 50 miles an Ihour are part of life out lhere." "And wlhen it blows like tlhis, tlhe seas start to rock and roll." "He lhas to drop anclhor to keep tlhe Balder from drifting during tlhe swap." "It's time to go to work." "I'll be spending most of my time during tlhe tlhruster swap on tlhis dive boat." "And tlhese are tlhe guys wlho are gonna slhow me tlhe ropes." "Tlhey are tlhe pros." "Tlhey're a tiglht-knit bunclh wlho lhail from Holland." "And as a team, tlhey've done lhundreds of commercial dives togetlher." "Sean Riley:" "How do you find tlhe plates?" "Narrator:" "I'm tlhe odd man out." "Tlhis is gonna be my first industrial dive and I know tlhese guys will be watclhing me very closely." "Hank:" "You use tlhe cross-weldings and tlhe longitudinal weldings." "Narrator:" "Hank is tlhe dive master;" "lhe's tlhe one wlho calls all tlhe slhots." "Sean Riley:" "I'm lhoping tlhat tlhey're going to get tlhe dive boat a little more stable." "I'm looking down riglht now, it's kicking around pretty good." "Hank:" "We'll turn around a little bit, so we lay in tlhe slhade of tlhe wind." "Sean Riley:" "Live, eat, breatlhe, sleep, diving, diving, diving." "Hank:" "Live, eat, breatlhe, sleep, diving." "Narrator:" "Tlhe dive boat's about 1 50 feet below tlhe deck of tlhe Balder, and tlhe only way down tlhere is on tlhe man basket." "Tlhis commute to work is not for tlhe faint of Iheart." "Sean Riley:" "Good visibility today." "It's gonna be a beautiful day for diving." "Tlhat's tlhe way to get to work riglht tlhere." "Narrator:" "Tlhis box is tlhe command center." "Sean Riley:" "So muclh goes into an operation like tlhis." "Were bringing on tlhe lhoses riglht now, air power for tlhe pneumatic clhisel." "Fire up tlhe genny, we've got tlhe decompression clhamber to get ready." "Narrator:" "Rein is going in first." "He's about to go under and set up a line between tlhe dive site and tlhe boat." "Perry's lhelping Ihim suit up." "Sean Riley:" "How we doing?" "Narrator:" "Clhris is on coms, and Arwin is feeding out tlhe umbilical, tlhe diver's lifeline to tlhe surface." "Tlhese guys are gutsy." "Tlhey're diving in at around 60 feet for nearly an Ihour, and tlhey're going under one at a time." "Tlhe water is murky, wlho knows wlhat tlhe current is like, and we'll be diving under a lhuge floating dockyard." "Sean Riley:" "So is lhe watclhing tlhat to make sure lhe gets up before tlhe 60 minutes?" "Dive master's watclhing it." "Riglht, okay." "Narrator:" "For even for tlhe most experienced divers, tlhings can always go disastrously wrong." "Sean Riley:" "No, Arwin's never lhad any close calls." "Arwin:" "Close calls, sure, I lhave." "Sean Riley:" "You lhave?" "Arwin:" "One explosion and one piece of steel in my lhead." "Sean Riley:" "You lhave a piece of steel in your lhead riglht now?" "Arwin:" "No, not at tlhis moment, but a few years ago, yes." "Sorry, tlhey're calling me." "Sean Riley:" "Yealh, yealh, please." "Narrator:" "Okay, I'm about to start playing a really dangerous game." "Industrial diving is one of tlhe touglhest jobs around." "And I'm going in for tlhe first time." "Unlike tlhe dive team, I won't be connected to tlhe surface via umbilical." "I'm taking all of my air down on my back." "Tlhis is tlhe real deal riglht lhere." "I'm jumping in way over my lhead." "Tlhirty miles offslhore in tlhe Gulf of Mexico, I've teamed up witlh a bunclh of commercial divers to watclh a tlhruster swap." "We are 60 feet under now and I'm feeling my way tlhrouglh." "Tlhe diver's first task is to prepare tlhe old tlhruster for removal." "You can't just drop a 38-ton tlhruster out of tlhe bottom of a boat, or it could fall all tlhe way to tlhe sea floor." "To control its descent, tlhey'll be feeding tlhree winclh lines down from tlhe Balder's main deck, tlhrouglh slhafts inside tlhe lhull and out lholes in tlhe bottom." "Tlhen tlhey'll attaclh tlhem to tlhe tlhruster." "Riglht now tlhe team is working to remove tlhe covers and get access to tlhe winclh lines." "Now removing a few bolts is normally a pretty straiglhtforward task, but not in tlhese conditions." "You try removing a bolt tlhat probably lhasn't seen a wrenclh in five years 60 feet down in tlhe dark witlh no way to get a good grip against tlhe current." "Believe it or not, tlhis is tlhe easiest part of tlhe operation." "Man:" "First plate off." "Sean Riley:" "One down, two more to go." "Narrator:" "Witlh tlhe covers off, tlhe winclh lines can be fed down from tlhe deck and come out one of tlhese tlhree lholes." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhis is wlhere tlhe situation gets a wlhole lot more complicated." "Hank lhas to talk to tlhe winclh operators wlho are feeding tlhe line tlhrouglh tlhe lhull from up on deck, and tlhe diver wlho is securing it 60 feet below tlhe surface." "It's a tlhree-way conference call between tlhe winclh ops and tlhe diver, witlh Hank in tlhe middle." "Tlhe linear winclhes are snaking riglht down tlhrouglh tlhe Balder's lhull." "Any minute now, one's going to pop out tlhrouglh tlhat access lhole." "Tlhere it is, tlhat wlhite tlhing, tlhe clevis fits over tlhe lifting eye and tlhey're connected by a bolt." "It all acts like a very big lhinge." "Tlhe larger tlhe bolt, tlhe tiglhter tlhe fit and tlhe stronger it is." "But it's also lharder to connect." "Communications lhere lhave to be solid." "One slip-up and a diver could be in real trouble." "Tlhat cable's come about 1 50 feet from tlhe top to tlhe bottom of tlhe Balder." "But to make tlhe final connection, we're talking fractions of an inclh." "Alh, lhe's so close, just a bit more." "Bam, lhe's got it." "Still two more lines to secure tlhis lhuge tlhruster." "But after 45 minutes, I'm out of air." "Narrator:" "Talk about cutting it close." "Sean Riley:" "Brilliant." "Narrator:" "My tank is toast." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhat's tlhe way to time it, lhulh?" "Yealh, see, time to get out." "Tlhere's only so close you can cut it." "Narrator:" "Down below tlhe work goes on." "Rein is trying to attaclh tlhe next winclh line to tlhe tlhruster." "But tlhere's a problem." "You can see Ihim struggling to line up tlhe clevis witlh tlhe tab, but it's just not sitting fluslh, and lhe can't get tlhe bolt in." "Sean Riley:" "I see it." "Narrator:" "You can't be too careful wlhen attaclhing metal fittings connected to powerful maclhines." "Tlhe diver needs a tad more cable." "But at tlhe moment, it's just not lining up." "Hank:" "You lhave to start it all over again to pick it up." "Narrator:" "Suddenly, big trouble." "All tlhat force lhas turned tlhe bolt into a bullet." "Tlhis is exactly wlhat I was talking about." "Now wlhen you get tons of power being applied to connections, anytlhing can lhappen." "Tlhose winclhes exert an awesome force." "Sean Riley:" "It's pulled tlhe cable and bent one of tlhe clevises." "I've gotta get divers out of tlhe water, lhold on." "Narrator:" "Tlhis is bad news." "Tlhe tlhruster swap can't go alhead until tlhe clevis is repaired." "Tlhe good news is Rein's okay." "Sean Riley:" "You're lucky you didn't lose a finger." "Rein:" "No, if tlhe pin Ihits my face." "Sean Riley:" "All tlhat force, you're okay and you're in one piece." "Rein:" "All my fingers." "Sean Riley:" "He's a very lucky man;" "lhe still lhas 10 of tlhem." "Narrator:" "For now tlhe entire operation is on standby." "No one knows lhow long it will take tlhe crew to make tlhe repairs." "First tlhey need to pull tlhe winclh line witlh tlhe busted clevis back up onto tlhe Balder's deck." "Tlhen tlhey'll re-attaclh a new clevis to tlhe end of tlhe winclh line, and finally feed it back down tlhrouglh tlhe lhull to tlhe site of tlhe old tlhruster." "It just goes to slhow lhow a small mislhap can cost big time." "After some truly Ihard labor, Arwin tlhe diver is able to finislh connecting tlhe vertical winclh lines." "Finally, tlhe old tlhruster can be dropped safely out of tlhe lhull." "Man:" "So standby." "Narrator:" "Tlhe next lhurdle is getting it clear of tlhe Balder's imposing side." "And tlhat's wlhere tlhe enormous onboard cranes swing into action." "A line from tlhe crane will drag tlhe old tlhruster from below its lhousing more tlhan 50 feet out laterally to clear tlhe side of tlhe Balder, and tlhen lift it onto a waiting support vessel, wlhere tlhe replacement tlhruster will be standing by." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhis is it, tlhe last few minutes witlh tlhe tlhruster onboard." "Narrator:" "Before tlhe replacement tlhruster is installed, it needs a new o-ring." "Tlhe o-ring fits around tlhe tlhruster's slhaft and stops water from getting into tlhe lhousing." "And I've been sent to get one." "Sean Riley:" "You leave one cell, go to anotlher, watertiglht door." "Narrator:" "Believe it or not, tlhere's a Ihardware store onboard tlhat stocks everytlhing, including tlhe kitclhen sink." "Sean Riley: 35,000 spare parts, and you know wlhere tlhey all are, riglht?" "Robert:" "I try to know." "Sean Riley:" "You know wlhat it is?" "Robert:" "Ulh, yealh, it's a..." "Tlhis is not funny." "Sean Riley: 35,000 tlhings and you've got tlhem all, tick, tick, tick." "Robert:" "Well, sort of, I do my best." "Sean Riley:" "Okay, we need a tlhruster o-ring, tlhe big o-ring tlhat goes around tlhe outside of tlhe tlhruster wlhen you put tlhe new one in." "Do you lhave one?" "Robert:" "I'll slhow you." "Sean Riley:" "Let's do it." "Robert:" "Follow me." "So tlhese are all tlhe main engine spare parts." "Sean Riley:" "Some of tlhese, some of tlhose, couple of tlhese, one of tlhose." "Robert:" "Toilet stuff, we need it." "Sean Riley:" "Toilet stuff, all-important toilet stuff." "Got your filters." "More filters, filters, more filters." "I need one of tlhese." "Robert:" "And tlhe o-ring tlhat we need is tlhis o-ring." "Sean Riley:" "I kid you not, tlhruster spare parts, 35,000 objects, Robert, well done." "Here we go." "Narrator:" "Now tlhat we lhave all our parts, we can send tlhe tlhruster onto tlhe supply vessel." "Sean Riley:" "Here comes tlhe crane." "Tlhey're working witlh two slings to slhare tlhe load." "Slhackle pins tlhrouglh, Tlhere's a bolt and tlhen a safety cotter pin tlhat goes on tlhe otlher side so tlhere's no way for tlhe slhackle pin to come out." "Alriglht, tlhis is wlhere it all lhappens." "We're about ten feet from tension, wlhen tension comes on, tlhis wlhole tlhruster is going to lift sliglhtly up off tlhe ground." "It'll be up to tlhese four guys witlh tlheir little tag lines to control it wlhile it's moving around." "Narrator:" "Safety during any lheavy lift onboard is a priority, because once it's up, it's free to swing." "Sean Riley:" "Even if it did smaslh up sometlhing down lhere, tlhat wouldn't be tlhe worst part, tlhe worst part would be potential damage to tlhe tlhruster." "Tlhis is tlhe only extra spare tlhey've got." "If tlhis gets damaged before it gets under tlhe lhull and plugged in, tlhe wlhole operation's slhot." "Starting to swing away from us." "Tlhere it comes." "Narrator:" "Apart from tlhe vertical obstacle course, it's safe for now." "Sean Riley:" "Let's go take a look." "Once again, as tlhe tlhruster comes down, near any otlher object it moves back into tlhe danger zone." "If it's free-swinging in tlhe air, it's safe." "Tlhe dangerous part is wlhen tlhey lhave to land it, on tlhis supply slhip." "Tlhe supply slhip is using its own DP system, dynamic positioning, to maintain its space relative to us." "But tlhere's really notlhing tlhey can do about its vertical movement." "It's at tlhe mercy of tlhe waves." "And riglht now, tlhe waves are really kicking tlhe stern up and down." "It may not lhappen." "Tlhey may wait for a calm moment." "Alh, lhe's going for it." "Tlhere it is, tlhere it is, tlhere it is, olh, olh, olh." "Missed tlhe window; anotlher big swell comes along." "Bam." "Ooolh." "Tlhat was a lheavy lhit, very lheavy." "Alh, tlhey're going to abort, tlhey're going to abort." "Tlhey're pulling it up." "Tlhat's exactly tlhe kind of impact force tlhey wanna avoid." "Narrator:" "Tlhe seas are simply too rouglh." "Operation tlhruster swap can't go alhead until tlhey can land tlhe replacement tlhruster safely on tlhe supply vessel." "Pounding swells are making it difficult to land tlhe new tlhruster on tlhe supply vessel." "So tlhe crew move tlhe supply vessel to tlhe otlher side of tlhe Balder wlhere tlhe swell is smaller, and try to land tlhe new tlhruster again." "Sean Riley:" "Oolh, lhere it comes, lhere it comes." "Touclhdown!" "Narrator:" "Tlhis time, tlhe plan's paid off." "Day tlhree and tlhings are coming togetlher." "Tlhey've replaced tlhe damaged clevis and connected all tlhe winclh lines to tlhe old tlhruster." "And despite tlhe swell, tlhey've successfully landed tlhe replacement tlhruster onto tlhe supply vessel." "Soon tlhe engineers in tlhe tlhruster room will be ready to release tlhe old tlhruster from tlhe inside." "Once it's free, it's danger time." "Lines can twist, attaclhments can snap, tlhe tlhruster could fall." "Tlhe ops crew need to monitor tlhis stage very carefully." "Tlhat's wlhere tlhis maclhine comes in, tlhe ROV." "It's slhort for remote operated velhicle." "And it kind of operates like a big video game." "You control it via an umbilical tlhat also sends a video signal back up to a bank of monitors." "It will be tlhe eyes for tlhe Balder's crew." "It's secure inside tlhis cage until it's in tlhe water, and tlhen it goes to work." "Tlhe ROV team are doing a last minute systems clheck." "Everytlhing lhas to work flawlessly wlhen it's go time." "Finally, tlhe swap can start." "After five years of reliable service, it's time to get tlhis tlhruster out." "Estimated time for tlhe swap is five to six lhours if everytlhing goes smootlhly." "Every minute is crucial." "Wlhile tlhe weatlher's good, we lhave to keep going." "Tlhe massive tlhruster could cause serious damage to its lhousing as it comes out of tlhe lhull, and tlhe winclh lines under lheavy tension could really lhurt someone." "It's way too dangerous for divers to be in tlhe water." "Tlhe first player in, tlhe ROV." "Tlhe crew will use it to monitor tlhe tlhruster's removal via remote." "Tlhey need to make sure all tlhe lines are okay, and tlhat tlhe tlhruster comes out cleanly." "Man:" "Okay, slowly down." "Ya, it's Menno." "Narrator:" "Tlhe winclhes pay out cable inclh by inclh." "So far so good." "Keeping tlhe tlhruster perfectly vertical is key." "If it twists as it's coming out it could get stuck, and tlhat would be a disaster." "Tension on all tlhree of tlhe winclh lines needs to be kept consistent." "Man: 3.5 tons on tlhe wlhite wire." "Narrator:" "Finally, it's free and it's lowered out of tlhe lhull." "So far it seems to be a seamless operation." "Man:" "Coming down on tlhe blue wire." "Narrator:" "Amazingly, everytlhing's going according to plan!" "Tlhe supply vessel is backing into position for tlhe swap." "And tlhe crane is getting ready to drag tlhe tlhruster out from under tlhe Balder." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhey've got a smaller diameter cable tlhat's just lhanging off tlhe side lhere, tlhat's actually connected to tlhe tlhruster underneatlh." "Now tlhey're bringing tlhe main Ihook back in, 600-ton capacity Ihook." "Tlhey're going to Ihook up to tlhat cable, and tlhen tlhey'll lhave control over tlhe tlhruster." "Tlhey'll be ready to drag it out of tlhe water." "Narrator:" "Alriglht, so imagine tlhis tlhruster as a giant puppet on a string." "You'd need to be a certified puppet master to move tlhis tlhing from standing up to lying down, witlhout crossing any of tlhe lines." "Man:" "Do we need to clheck tlhe sockets, Renee?" "is tlhere slack or is tlhere still enouglh load on it?" "Tlhere's still tension on it, okay." "Narrator:" "Usually tlhe divers lhave a long wait, plenty of time to relax during tlhis part of tlhe swap." "But not toniglht." "Tlhe captain suddenly orders divers into tlhe water." "Tlhere's a storm on tlhe way witlh lhiglh winds, rain squalls and crazy sea conditions." "So we need to move fast." "Sean Riley:" "It's a bit of a last minute twist." "Normally, tlhe divers would wait until tlhe tlhruster's totally out of tlhe water before tlhey go in to clean out tlhe inside cavity wlhere it used to be." "Because of tlhe time crunclh and tlhe impending storm, tlhey're sending in divers now, witlh tlhe tlhruster only lhalfway out." "Hopefully, tlhey'll keep moving tlhe tlhruster down as tlhe divers clean tlhe lhull simultaneously." "We've just gotten word and everybody's ruslhing to get into tlhe water." "Narrator:" "Alriglht, it's go time." "It's pitclh black down tlhere witlh a kicking current." "We now lhave a rising swell, and I'm not tlhe world's most experienced niglht diver." "Sean Riley:" "Divers in, rock and roll." "Narrator:" "Riglht, so I tlhouglht diving in tlhese conditions in tlhe day was crazy, but at niglht, tlhis is an entirely different world, super intense." "Rigging lines appear out of nowlhere and tlhe tlhruster itself, wlhiclh was a lhuge point of reference for us yesterday, is gone." "Sean Riley:" "Have a look at tlhat!" "Tlhat gaping lhole is wlhere tlhe tlhruster used to be." "Any debris cauglht inside lhere wlhen tlhe new tlhruster goes in could damage its seals and flood tlhe tlhruster room." "Tlhis lhousing lhas to be cleaned so notlhing gets snagged inside wlhen tlhe new tlhruster is put into place." "Narrator:" "But before we get a clhance to finislh tlhe job, tlhe captain makes anotlher sudden call." "Man:" "Divers, come back to tlhe support vessel." "Narrator:" "He orders all of us divers out of tlhe water." "Tlhey lhave to get tlhe supply vessel into position now, and its powerful props could cut a diver to pieces." "Tlhere's no time to lose, but tlhis is also no time to lose your lhead." "Stress causes you to breatlhe more rapidly, and 60 feet down in tlhe dark is tlhe last place you want to run out of air." "Sean Riley:" "We came out following tlhe umbilical." "Narrator:" "Witlh everyone out safely, it's time to take stock." "Tlhe crane lhas been slowly dragging tlhe old tlhruster out from under tlhe lhull." "And tlhe supply vessel is still struggling to get into position." "Suddenly out of tlhe dark waters..." "Sean Riley:" "Wow, tlhere it is." "Tlhat tlhing lhas been under tlhe water, in Ihard service for five years." "Tlhere's still tlhe dangerous job of landing tlhis one on tlhe barge, reconnecting tlhe otlher, and getting tlhe otlher back in, long ways to go still." "But tlhat is pretty cool." "Every step tlhat lhappens in tlhe next 30 minutes to an Ihour is completely crucial." "Riglht now, tlhey've gotta get tlhe boat underneatlh it, get it up out of tlhe water, keep it from spinning, and land it gingerly on top next to tlhe otlher tlhruster witlhout lhitting it." "All tlhis is lhappening in a very small space." "Our vessel's lhere, tlhe tlhruster's tlhere." "Tlhe next vessel's got to come in riglht next to us." "Tlhey're literally gonna be kissing eaclh otlher by moving up or down 10, 1 5 feet." "Narrator:" "You can see lhow everytlhing lhangs on tlhe weatlher." "And conditions are not improving." "Anytlhing suspended can start to swing." "And tlhe lheavier tlhe load, tlhe greater tlhe danger." "Sean Riley:" "Now I see wlhy tlhey left tlhe tlhing in tlhe water in tlhe first place." "As soon as it came out of tlhe water, it just started to swing." "It's almost doing full rotations." "Man:" "Tlhe waves lhave become worse, it's very dangerous." "Narrator:" "Suddenly tlhere's anotlher danger, tlhe ROV is also swinging wildly." "Sean Riley:" "Olh, my God." "Tlhe ROV just fell out of its cage." "It tumbled about 1 50 feet into tlhe ocean." "It's now in rouglh seas." "Tlhe ROV itself weiglhs tons but it's neutrally buoyant." "So it slhould stay at tlhe surface." "I don't know for lhow long." "It broke its umbilical on tlhe way down, so tlhere's no control of it now, it's just free-floating out tlhere." "It's a million-dollar piece of maclhinery tlhat's just floating away." "Narrator:" "Talk about action." "We're at tlhe most critical stage of tlhis tlhruster exclhange wlhen Motlher Nature plays lher wild card." "Now we've got an ROV valued at millions floating off into tlhe Gulf of Mexico." "Radio:" "We see tlhe flaslhing liglht of tlhe rescue boat." "Tlhanks for your lhelp, we picked it up witlh tlhe spotliglht." "Narrator:" "Unbelievable." "It's pitclh black, it's foggy." "Tlhe seas are clhoppy and tlhe ROV is now totally submerged." "Tlhe crew lhave called out all resources." "But it's gonna be a tall order to find anytlhing in tlhat mess." "Sean Riley:" "Alriglht, so you gotta tlhink on your feet." "And you've gotta be able to react in an environment like tlhis." "Wlhat's going on is tlhat tlhey've got tlhe ROV." "Tlhey've managed to drag it back over lhere, but tlhe only crane tlhat can lift it out of tlhe water and get it back on deck lhas a tlhruster lhanging from it." "Wlhat you gotta do is try to find somewlhere safe to put it wlhere you're not gonna lose it." "Tlhe safest place riglht now is attaclhed to us, tlhis boat." "We're going to drag it over lhere and laslh it to tlhe side of tlhe slhip and Ihope tlhat it stays lhere overniglht until tlhe crane's free." "Narrator:" "I'm tlhe only one witlh my survival gear still on, so I go over tlhe side to tie it up." "Sean Riley:" "Hopefully, tlhat'll keep it for a wlhile, we won't lose it again." "Narrator:" "Witlh one crisis over, it's time to get back to tlhe task at lhand." "And tlhe tlhruster is still swinging." "Sean Riley:" "We're standing by riglht lhere, 78,000-ton Balder is riglht next to us, and all tlhree of tlhem are coming togetlher in tlhis tiny little clhurning area." "Narrator:" "Alriglht, tlhis is wlhat we've been waiting for." "And, you remember lhow touglh it was to land a new tlhruster on tlhe supply vessel?" "Well, tlhat was in tlhe open ocean during tlhe day." "Conditions lhere are infinitely worse." "Tlhis time it's dark, tlhe working space is cramped, and tlhe seas are even rouglher." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhe captain of tlhe HOS Explorer lhas got lhis slhip backed into place, but lhe's really laboring to maintain position in tlhese waves." "Narrator:" "Adding to tlhe clhallenge, tlhe captain of tlhe HOS Explorer lhas even less margin for error, because tlhe replacement tlhruster is now taking up lhalf tlhe back deck." "One false move during tlhis part of tlhe operation and it is goodbye tlhruster exclhange." "Touclhdown." "It's not exactly a bull's eye, but considering tlhe conditions, tlhat was pretty smootlh." "Still, it's only lhalf tlhe story." "Sean Riley:" "Riglht now tlhey're gonna bring in tlhe rest of tlhe cable, clear tlhe rigging and switclh all tlhe cables over to tlhe next tlhruster." "Tlhey gotta get tlhe new one connected and lifted off as soon as possible, 'cause every second counts in tlhis critical environment." "Narrator:" "Just wlhen you tlhouglht tlhings couldn't get any worse." "Sean Riley:" "Holy!" "Come back, come back." "We lost a cable." "Tlhat was a big snap, did you lhear tlhat snap?" "Narrator:" "Botlh tlhrusters are safely onboard tlhe supply slhip for now." "But somelhow, tlhe tension on a lholding rope somewlhere became too muclh and tlhe wlhole crane lifting line is swinging like mad." "Sean Riley:" "We just lost one of tlhe polypropylene lines, it's gotta be four inclhes in diameter, just popped!" "Wlhoa, tlhis is a rouglh time." "Narrator:" "Tlhe lines coming out from under tlhe Balder are still attaclhed to tlhe old tlhruster sitting on tlhe supply vessel's deck." "Tlhere's tension on tlhe lines and tlhere's tension in tlhe air." "Tlhis is a very dangerous situation." "It couldn't lhave come at a worse time." "Tlhe HOS Explorer at tlhis point is tied to tlhe Balder." "It cannot cut and run." "Fun never stops out lhere." "Narrator:" "Tlhe news from tlhe bridge is not good." "Anotlher one of tlhe clevises attaclhed to tlhe tlhruster lhas been damaged." "We're out of options." "We'll lhave to disconnect tlhe lines, leave botlh tlhrusters on tlhe support vessel wlhile we fix tlhe clevis and try again later." "For tlhree full days, operation tlhruster swap is put on lhold." "Nintlh day of tlhe fix." "Sean Riley:" "Fun just doesn't stop out lhere." "Narrator:" "After a number of big setbacks," "Captain de Boer is waiting to clheck tlhe next weatlher forecast before puslhing tlhe go button on tlhe tlhruster swap." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhis is tlhe morning;" "I can feel it." "Little bit of swell, but we're going to get it done." "Narrator:" "Tlhe pressure is really on to get tlhis job done now." "Tlhe ops team just can't afford any more delays." "Tlhe HOS Explorer lhas got to get into position." "Sean Riley:" "Still lhaving a lot of trouble." "You can lhear tlhat big clack, clack, clack, clack." "Narrator:" "Tlhat's tlhe turbo diesel, struggling witlh tlhe conditions." "Here comes tlhe ROV." "It'll follow tlhe new tlhruster from tlhe moment it Ihits tlhe water until it's positioned under tlhe Balder's lhull." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhat's a good sign." "Everybody's determined to get it done tlhis time." "Narrator:" "Tlhis is a critical moment." "Tlhe lines from tlhe winclhes on tlhe Balder's deck are now connected tlhrouglh tlhe lhull and onto tlhe tlhruster on tlhe supply slhip." "Tlhe two vessels are now literally tied togetlher." "One slip and a line or clevis could snap, or tlhe tlhruster could end up being dragged off tlhe back of tlhe Explorer." "Tlhey've got to move quickly, efficiently and riglht now." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhings are going great." "Tlhey've uncovered tlhe seals, tlhe o-rings in botlh areas, so tlhey're ready to go in tlhe water." "I tlhink we're really close." "Nice." "Tlhere slhe goes." "Alriglht, tlhey did it." "Tlhey got it off tlhe deck." "Now you're going to lhear tlhe Explorer power up and get out of tlhe way, 'cause lhe's been anxious to get out of lhere for a wlhile, I'm sure." "Time to get wet." "Narrator:" "Now tlhe tlhruster's in tlhe water and it's up to tlhe guys operating tlhe crane, tlhe vertical winclhes, and tlhe eyes and ears of tlhe ROV team." "Man:" "Tlhe cables are coming down." "Narrator:" "Tlhe total distance from tlhe Explorer to tlhe tlhruster's lhousing is about 75 feet." "But tlhey lhave to take tlheir time getting tlhere." "Man:" "About 30 meters, tlhat's 40 feet." "Narrator:" "Tlhis is all about slhifting loads, transferring tlhe weiglht from tlhe crane to tlhe winclhes smootlhly." "Tlhe biggest clhallenge lhere is keeping tlhe lines from crossing and making sure tlhe clevises don't come under any side pressure, so tlhey don't crack, again." "Once tlhe transfer of tlhe weiglht is successful, tlhe tlhruster slhould be positioned directly underneatlh its lhousing." "Tlhe ROV will let tlhe crew see exactly lhow it's lining up under tlhe lhull." "Getting tlhe new tlhruster smootlhly back into its lhousing is going to be a difficult job." "Tlhe tlhree winclh lines are tlhe only way to keep tlhe tlhruster perfectly vertical." "It's an extremely delicate balancing act." "It's time for tlhe divers to take clharge." "Rein's going in for a crucial dive." "He lhas to release tlhe line from tlhe crane so tlhe tlhruster can be lined up perfectly vertical." "If it all goes well, tlhis could be our last dive." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhis is more like it." "Visibility's muclh better down lhere today, about 20 feet." "Still not enouglh to see all tlhe way to tlhe tlhruster, but it's beautiful down lhere." "Clheck tlhis tlhing out." "Tlhis is wlhat I've been waiting to see." "Tlhis is anotlher crucial task for tlhe divers." "Rein's working between tlhe tlhruster and tlhe Balder, trying to clean out tlhe gunk." "Even tlhe smallest barnacle left inside tlhe lhousing could damage tlhe o-rings." "And at tlhis stage, tlhat's just not an option." "is tlhis tlhing super cool or wlhat?" "Tlhis is tlhe business end of tlhe tlhruster." "Take a look at tlhe size of tlhis prop." "You wouldn't want to be anywlhere near tlhis tlhing wlhen it's in operation, clhurning out 1 10,000 pounds of tlhrust." "Tlhis tlhing would suck you in, dice you up and spit you straiglht out." "Rein's almost finislhed cleaning out tlhe inside of tlhe tlhruster lhousing." "Tlhere are very few people on tlhe planet wlho've ever seen tlhis." "Absolutely amazing." "Honclho!" "Tlhese tlhree attaclhment points are lholding all tlhis weiglht." "Before we can pull tlhis tlhruster into its lhousing," "Rein lhas to release tlhe crane line." "But lhe's lhaving trouble getting tlhat bolt out." "It's been under immense pressure tlhrouglhout tlhe day and it looks like it's stuck fast." "He's gotta get tlhat crane line disconnected, because it's pulling sideways on tlhe tlhruster and it'll be easier to lift once all of tlhat side load is off." "Hang on." "I tlhink lhe needs a lhand." "Once again, all of my air is gone." "It's lame." "I would lhave liked to lhave stayed and seen tlhat tlhruster gone in, but I tlhink I'd better get out." "It was great down tlhere." "Tlhe pin, tlhe slhackle was really jammed in tlhere." "Tlhere was so muclh tension from tlhe overlhead crane on tlhis one-inclh cable." "I got my lhands around tlhis slhackle pin and was pulling and pulling on tlhe tlhing and it just wouldn't come, and lhe's beating on tlhe otlher side of tlhe slhackle pin to get it to come tlhrouglh." "And finally, I got my foot up on tlhe side of tlhe fin and I was able to just yank it free." "Tlhat's tlhe way to get it done riglht tlhere." "Narrator:" "We're down to tlhe last plhase of tlhe operation." "Witlh tlhe crane line free, tlhe vertical winclhes lhave to go to work to pull tlhe tlhruster into position." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhese are tlhe last few minutes of tlhe fix." "Tlhe tlhruster's being raised into position." "And tlhe last fragile part are tlhose o-rings around tlhe bottom lip." "Tlhose o-rings lhave got to seat just riglht." "So tlhey're carefully maneuvering 38 tons into position." "Tlhe tlhruster lhas its cap into tlhe recess and tlhey're just using tlhe linear winclhes to slowly pull it up into place." "It's a tense moment." "If tlhey don't lift completely evenly on tlhe winclhes it could turn sideways, out of plumb a tiny bit and just rip tlhat lhousing riglht off, could rip tlhe o-ring." "Bam, tlhat's it." "It's in." "Boy, did you see tlhose last few inclhes?" "Pull up into place, tlhe wlhole tlhruster clunks into position, o-ring seals slip riglht into tlhe inside of tlhe lhousing, tlhe wlhole tlhing, boom." "Just like tlhat, it's fixed." "Narrator:" "After a maratlhon Ihour down below tlhe slhip, wrestling witlh tlhe tlhruster, Rein comes to tlhe surface witlh a smile." "Rein:" "Riley, tlhank you very muclh, man." "Sean Riley:" "It was my pleasure." "Rein:" "Tlhanks for tlhe lhelp." "Sean Riley:" "Anytime." "Anytime." "You did it." "Hank, congratulations, well done." "Hank:" "Tlhank you for your lhelp." "Sean Riley:" "It was my pleasure." "Rein:" "You did well." "Sean Riley:" "Slhackle pin, no problem." "It was a big one." "It's in." "Tlhruster's fixed." "Time to go lhome." "I've come to tlhe end of my nine-day stint lhere onboard tlhe Balder." "Of course, tlhe day we're set to leave, tlhe sun comes out, tlhe seas are totally calm, it's a perfect day for doing work." "After all tlhe time I've spent lhere, I've got to take my lhat off to tlhe people onboard, tlhe riggers wlho work tlhe deck, tlhe crane operators, to tlhe divers wlho do tlheir work on tlhe bottom" "in incredible conditions." "Now tlhe tlhruster's repaired, tlhis vessel's fixed and it's ready to move on to tlhe next job." "And so am I." "Adios, Balder." "Crewman:" "So ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you on tlhis brand new National Geograplhic slhow, witlh your new lhost, Riley." "Sean Riley:" "Tlhis is nice." "Crewman:" "We've brouglht in a very special team of divers." "Sean Riley:" "You got it, no, go, go man, go." "You're losing your beard, tlhere we go." "Crewman:" "Need your sunny's." "Sean Riley:" "Of course." "Crewman:" "Tlhat's cool." "I feel muclh better now."