Whether their job is in the international transport of goods, the extraction of oil or gas, or in the cruise business – ships operating at sea or on inland waterways are exposed to high stresses. Many factors work simultaneously toward the degradation of vessel and systems, factors such as extreme cold or heat, high mechanical loads, corrosion, rising and falling temperatures, micro-movement, and the contact with salty air and sea water, all make maintenance and repair a perpetual task.