Ultrasonic Safety & Survey Equipments

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Authorities Discourage Faulty Ships to Sail

Making ships safe for transportation has been the agenda for many years now. But without proper tools this agenda would be missing a major piece of importance. That is why a lot of research has been done in order to come up with the best tool that would enable the crew to find lurking holes and gaps. Apparently the hatch covers of a transport ship are the weakest. They can easily get corroded and also develop a series of minute holes or even a gap between the fittings. All of these damaged areas can be the reason of water entering inside and damaging all that is being transported.

In an attempt to overcome the leaking issue, it has been proven that checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound provides the best results. The ultrasonic hatch cover testing device easily detects all the areas in the ship’s body that could be a threat to the safety of the goods being carried. While the ship sails on the vast oceans, the humid air must be completely locked out. Humidity can damage the packing of the goods which is mostly of cardboard. Cardboard easily sucks in wetness even from the air around it.

Each year thousands of customers file claims against their shipping companies. The basic reason mentioned is, damaged goods due to excessive wetness. The cases regarding manhandling of goods are also related to the wetness issue. As the covers get wet they break or tear off when lifting them out of the cargo holds. When the customer sees a torn cover, he automatically assumes that his consignment was handled badly and that the goods inside would be as good as wasted. Issues pertaining the wetting of goods on the transport ships is giving the industry a bad name which it does not deserve. Because a few ship owners do not pay attention towards hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing, the entire industry gets stewed for their acts.

To discourage ship owners from sailing with battered ships and faulty hatch covers, the government of the United States has imposed fines and penalties. But one can never be sure where and how the goods can be damaged especially if they are swapped in some other destination. At times when the port is not big enough to allow a huge ship to dock, the goods are transferred to a small ship which brings them to shore. This practice is rare, but it can happen.

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