International classification society Bureau Veritas has slashed the reporting time for a Condition Assessment Program report from three months to one month, and at the same time improved the accessibility and usability of the report. Bureau Veritas cut the CAP reporting time by renewing the reporting software used by the surveyor and by the UTM (Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement) service provider. At the same time it has revised the report to make it deliverable by web to the client and if required the clients of the client, such as charterers, or banks and other stakeholders.
The new CAP Reporting Software was designed in consultation with clients and ship vetting entities. Using a web-based interface, the tool is installed on surveyors’ laptops. The database of the tanks and important machinery equipment is automatically down loaded from BV's class database Neptune if the unit is BV class or uploaded for next time use if the vessel is not BV class. Reporting time is vastly reduced by use of drop down menus and eliminating duplication of data. Drop down menus ensure that CAP survey reports use common language and common phraseology throughout the BV network. Automatic calculation of scores and award of ratings takes away the possibility of calculation errors. There is an easy interface for uploading and compressing photographs and easy integration of structural strength and Fatigue Assessment report findings, hot spots and areas critical for fatigue into the report.