Hull Thickness Gauging When Vessels Are Working And Everyday Port Activities

Most people who stand by a working vessel will be unaware when Hull Thickness Gauging is being performed as cranes load containers aboard a vessel and crews perform routine maintenance on and to the vessel. Tugboats navigate busy channels in the harbour while marine surveyors conduct their work below deck using ultrasonic testing devices located inside ballast tanks, cargo compartments and confined structural areas.

Even though the survey process has little to no effect on everyday port activity, it has a large impact on vessel safety during the vessel's operation and on shipping company's long-term structural planning for vessels that operate throughout the Baltic Sea and Eastern European Sea regions.

Surveys conducted using UTM technology are now part of standard marine operations for the majority of commercial shipping fleets. These surveys are typically scheduled during dry docking periods, Class renewals, pre-purchase evaluations, steel repair planning, or scheduled routine maintenance. Some vessels return to port after extended voyages with evidence of damage to the hull; however, there are vessels that appear to be visually sound but do have undetected gradual loss of steel within the hidden structures of the vessel's hull.

Hull Thickness Gauging as PartCompared to the much faster rate of activity occurring on the outside of the ship, the structural inspection activities taking place within the different compartments of the ship usually occur much slower than if you were performing the inspections on the outside of the ship. Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement (UTM) Survey Services allow surveyors to assess the remaining thickness of steel in critical structural areas of a vessel. Using an ultrasonic testing device, surveyors will collect values from a predetermined number of locations to detect areas of corrosion, steel loss, breaking down of coatings, and the development of wear patterns of the structural members.

While each individual UTM reading may not be useful on their own, providing a means of comparison to other measurements taken on different frames, bulkheads, sections of tanks, deck plates and longitudinal supports, will help determine the condition of the entire ship structure.

The Practical Nature of UTM Survey Services

Marine inspection work can be highly technical in nature; however, the actual process involved is practical and detail oriented. Surveyors clean the surface of the steel before they make measurements, calibrate the ultrasonic testing device, make and document thickness measurements for a section-by-section basis throughout the vessel.

In this field, accuracy takes precedence over speed.The degradation of structural steel can occur in localized areas of significant risk, including but not limited to, weld lines, bracket connections, pipe penetrations, and areas with long-term entrapped moisture. The exterior of a structural steel member may appear to be in stable condition; however, beneath protective coatings, the thickness of the steel may have been noticeably reduced.

When carrying out inspections in enclosed marine spaces, the overall volume of noise produced by machinery becomes significantly less noticeable. The noise from machinery fades away as it passes through the various structural elements of the steel vessel, allowing surveyors to continue measuring across decks and frames, as well as internal structural features. Although multiple vessels will experience repetitive inspection processes, no two vessels will wear in exactly the same manner.

Long Term Structural Monitoring for Shipping Companies

For shipping companies operating in the Baltic Sea, as well as companies working in Eastern European maritime industries, hull thickness gauging is much more than just routine compliance; it provides a long-term record that allows operators to track the evolution of their vessel's condition over time.

Steel structures are continuously subjected to the influence of seawater, vibration, cargo-induced stresses, humidity, temperature variations, and cycles of operational loads. Some corrosion develops over an extended period and is not usually significant enough to require immediate repair, whereas some sections may require early repair intervention due to accelerated corrosion or fatigue.

Marine Companies engaged in providing marine structural assessment and marine inspection services, such as HARBORT KLAIPEDA, continue to provide support to shipping companies throughout the Baltic Sea and Eastern European Sea through detailed reporting and performing ultrasonic thickness measurements and vessel condition assessment surveys as part of their regular marine operations.

Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement Services

Ultrasonic thickness measurement services for marine vessels and offshore structures operating in the Baltic Sea and Eastern European Sea. Accurate measurements obtained through ultrasonic thickness measurement will be used for monitoring the effects of corrosion, assessing both the current structural condition and compliance with classification requirements, evaluating the costs associated with repair and conducting safe marine operations on vessels and offshore platforms.