How Goods Are Protected On Ships

When we leave for a vacation or some long trips, we always cover our furniture and other precious items with a cloth to avoid being damaged by the dust and humidity in the air. The coverings keep the dust particles and the humidity in the air away from inflicting harm to the polish and the surfaces of the things. Similarly when the goods are being sent to a distant place they need to be properly covered. We take special care in wrapping up the things in plastic or wooden boxes to keep them safe during the transportation. But in many cases where the items are bulky such as sofas, wooden cupboards or raw items such as wheat (in tons), meat and livestock, wrapping them is not an option.

These huge and bulky items are shipped through the sea route because the airplanes can only carry up to a limit. Also the air fares are comparatively too high to be affordable so it is best to send huge amounts of goods through the ships. Transport ships have a huge hall like open space inside where the goods are stacked. These hall like open spaces are known as cargo holds and are covered by hatch covers which are closed once the cargo holds are completely filled. They act as a protective lid against the highly humid ocean air and also become a protective against the water that could enter due to the high tide or storms.

Since everything has a limit to withstand external pressure, the hatch covers get damaged due to extensive usage. The wear and tear creates holes of various sizes which then allow the water to seep inside unexpectedly. Water seeping inside can cause the goods to get wet and become damaged. To ensure that the hatch covers are alright and there are no holes present in them, the ship’s crew are advised to do a hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing. The result of the testing brings forth the actual condition of the hatch covers. If there are holes present, it means that there is a high risk of water to enter the cargo holds.

In such a scenario emergency measures are put into action. The holes are either covered by a thick plastic or if they are not in a position to be covered, the repair crew is called in. They wield new pieces of steel on the holes and then the repair work is confirmed by checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound. if the holes are now completely covered the cargo holds are loaded and the ship sets sail.