MARINE

The Marine and Underwater Engineering Division of AIA Engineers, Ltd. provides teams of structural engineers who are certified divers to perform subaqueous inspections and evaluations of the structural integrity of marine facilities and submerged structures. The primary goal of establishing the Marine Engineering Division, staffed by engineer/diver teams having strong structural engineering backgrounds, is to bolster the level of technical competence of the underwater inspections. Underwater inspection pertains to that portion of the structures from below mean high water to the mudline. First hand evaluations by a qualified engineer/diver have proven to show vastly different and superior results over inspections made by non-technical divers. Their observations are relayed to an engineer who is forced to accept and interpret the observations reported to him.

Although many engineers are skilled in basic scuba diving, expertise in commercial hard hat diving techniques is also needed. The phrase commercial hard hat diving techniques refers to the use of surface supply air equipment and diver-to -surface audio communication, an essential component for competent underwater inspections. The Dive Teams are skilled in the use of non-destructive testing techniques, underwater photography and underwater videotape documentation. The firm has state of the art equipment: surface supply systems, underwater photographic and audio-video equipment, communications systems, recorders and boats.

AIA staff have been performing underwater inspections of the fender systems, piers and towers of the New York City East River Bridges as part of the Region 11 Biennial Inspection Program. This major project included the inspection of the Manhattan Bridge, the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Following the "Nor'easter" of December 18, 1992, AIA was called in on an emergency basis to inspect the Hoboken Terminal Marine Facilities along the Hudson River waterfront for NJ Transit.

* Certified divers
* Engineers with strong Structural Engineering background
* Hard Hat Diving
* Surface Supply Systems
* Underwater Photography
* Underwater Videography
* Communication systems
* Recorders, boats etc.