Avoid Damaging Goods with Timely Hatch Cover Checks and Maintenance

One of the greatest challenges faced by the companies involved in the sea route transportation business is to deliver the goods in their cargo holds with getting them damaged in any way. When the goods are being transported through transport ships, they are at a huge risk of not only being damaged, but they can even be lost in the depths of the oceans if the ship sinks. When travelling on water, there is always the risk of sinking if the ship isn’t well maintained. A well maintained ship will never get caught in trouble and the goods present on it will always remain safe.

Some common troubles faced by the transport ships during voyages are the short circuit or fire breaking in the circuit boards. The high humidity levels create a medium for the electricity to get out of hand and cause sparking which can even result in huge flames of fire. To ensure that the cables are well insulated and there is no water inside the cable areas, the cable transit areas watertight testingneeds to be performed regularly. Running the test will bring to light all the areas of damage and the cables can be insulated in time without experiencing any huge loss.

Every transport ship is equipped with the most powerfully built hatch covers. The purpose of these covers is to protect the cargo inside the cargo holds from the outer atmosphere i.e. humidity, rain and water lashing the ship’s sides and even wetting the deck. These hatch covers are made of the thickest metal sheets. The sides are covered with rubber pads to seal every inch of the hatch covers and prevent even a single molecule of air or water get inside once they are closed. But with the passage of time and from being used again and again, these covers lose their tightness and can develop cracks and leaks which result in the cargo to get damaged.

Hatch cover maintenance and watertight integrity testing is very important to ensure that the ship’s cargo holds are completely tight and they do not let the goods inside to be damaged. Running these tests is the only way to learn about the level of damage that has happened to these protective covers and if they require immediate maintenance or if it would be okay to let them run about a bit more. If goods are damaged on a ship, it becomes the responsibility of the ship’s owner or the owning company to pay for the damages to its customers. The accumulated amount can be huge and can even result in the company to go bankrupt. Hence it is important to keep the hatch covers in their best condition and avoid water damage to the goods at all costs.