Integrity Testing Has Always Been Important For Ships

The sea has always been fascinating for the human being and it is the very first route adopted by the humans for travelling long distances and to discover new islands and continents. The sea connects the entire world and we wouldn’t have America today if Columbus hadn’t messed up his map and further more if he had never boarded a ship. Since the early days, the ships have been used for transporting goods and it was the first ever import and export trade known to man. The people from the warm climate regions would take spices and other forms of eatables on the ship and would trade them for the things which were available in the colder climatic regions. This was the very first type of the trade which took between countries and most probably tribes and as time advanced things became organized and today we have a complete mechanism of the import and export trade.

Since the beginning Hatch cover maintenance and watertight integrity testing has played a very important role in the shipping industry. The hatch covers are the only way cargo can be saved from the humid air and the water during the voyage. While the ship is sailing the ship encounters heavy rain and also high tide which causes the ship to rock vehemently and a great amount of water gets onboard. During this phase the deck gets completely doused with water and the cargo faces a great threat of getting damaged with water. If the hatch covers are leaking the water gets inside and the cargo gets damaged from water. There can be anything inside the cargo holds from a large amount of wheat to electronic items. If the water touches these things they are immediately destroyed and they become useless.

Apart from facing threat of the goods to get destroyed, there is another greater threat to the ship itself regarding its electric cables. When the ship has been damaged by rust the cable transit areas develop holes and leaks in them. At the time when water is gushing inside like crazy it reaches the cables transit areas and then there is a great chance about the cables to short circuit. If the cable transit areas watertight testing has been done properly and the holes and leaks in it have been repaired the short circuit won’t happen. But if the holes have not been treated and the short circuit happens then there is a great chance that the disaster may strike and the ship would not only catch fire in the area of the sparking, it may even blow up a good part of the ship. The disaster would be greater than acceptable and the shipping company would not only have to pay for the loss occurred to the cargo because of the negligence of testing, but it will also have to bear the loss of a ship and they would be lucky if the ship does not sink.