Saving the Maritime Industry with Hatch Cover Ultrasonic Tightness Testing

The biggest industry of the planet, the sea transport industry is expanding at a rapid speed. Today every country which has a sea on its border has its own industry. But this is one industry which is not confined to a single country. Every country is involved in it because there are no boundaries when you are transporting goods. This growing industry has been a huge support for every country because due to it many jobs have been created. There is no way this industry would hit a dead end or stop working. But one thing is troubling this industry big time; it’s the huge amount of fines that are paid every year by the shipping companies.

The huge amount of fines is a serious blow to the profits of the shipping companies and the insurance companies as well. A huge chunk of their earnings are gone to the customers who file claims that their goods have been damaged during the transportation at sea. The leaking hatch covers are unmanageable a lot of different techniques have been applied to conquer this malice. The only satisfactory results were got by the testing of tightness of hatch with ultrasound. By this method the hatch covers revealed the holes which were never visible by the other methods.

In the past the ships were profusely doused by large amounts of water until the deck was almost flooded. The water was closely monitored to learn about the holes. This was somewhat a good way to find leaking areas but the time and money for the process was unaffordable for many ship owners. To save money on this procedure they took the risk to set sail without fixing the leaking hatch covers. But now with the ultrasonic tightness testing tool the testing before every voyage has become affordable to a huge extent. Now ship owners do manage to run a test before preparing for the next voyage.

Running the test with the tool provides another benefit which was never available before. The test can be run even if the ship is completely loaded with the goods. If the manager forgot to run the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing before loading everything in the cargo hatch, there is no problem with the tester. It can easily check even with the cargo hold completely filled. The damaged areas can be marked then and the repair staff can be called in to apply the repairs.

Checking Tightness of Hatch with Ultrasound Hatch Cover Tester Is a Routine on Navy Ships

One of the biggest prized possessions of the United States is its navy. It is one of the biggest among all the other countries and it comprises of the most advanced ships, submarines and staff. Comprising of hundreds of small and many gigantic ships, it houses thousands of troops who spend most of their careers out in the oceans protecting the boundaries from all unwanted menaces. On the governmental note, managing the huge fleet is not an easy task. The ships and all other transports used by the naval staff should be faultless. Because of their nature of work, every machine is at risk of corrosion because of the salty and humid air of the oceans.

The navy ships have hatch covers just like a normal commercial transport ship. The only difference between the two is that the transport ship carries consumable goods in its cargo holds while the navy ships carry missiles and bombs in its cargo holds. Like every other ship out in the ocean, the hatch covers of the navy ships also develop leaks which can be very dangerous especially when the cargo holds are filled with explosives. To stay ahead of any disturbance in their warfare activity, the Hatch Cover Ultrasonic Tightness Testing has been made a daily routine.

A special team has been assigned the task to run the test on every ship on a daily basis. This keeps the ships clean and free from corrosion at all times. Since a navy’s ship is equipped with much more things than a civilian ship, the testing procedure can take a lot more time than on a civilian’s ship. There are a thousand movable parts that need to be checked and oiled regularly to ward of corrosion. The different parts of the ship are tested for leaks, and the cabins are also checked for leaks on a regular basis.

Protecting the explosives is a very crucial task of the crew on board. No leak can be accepted in the cargo hold that comprises of explosives and the fighter planes. Any wetness can easily cause it to malfunction which would be a disaster in times of emergency. The checking of tightness of hatch with ultrasound is even done twice a day if there are any doubts of leaks emerging after the first test has been conducted. Usually leaks occur due to the humid air, water and the cracks that appear from the wear and tear caused by the moving of cargo or loading and unloading. If any cargo is moved from one hatch to another, the officers may ask for the test to be conducted again just to be sure that nothing has been damaged.