Thickness Measurement News

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has introduced significant enhancements to its Condition Assessment Program (CAP) Thickness Measurement Analysis process, designed to improve consistency, transparency and predictability in the assessment of tankers built to Common Structural Rules (CSR).The updated methodology addresses concerns regarding variability in CAP outcomes for CSR vessels. By aligning thickness measurement analysis directly with the vessel’s original CSR design requirements, LR has moved away from percentage-based acceptance criteria and adopted fixed, clearly defined thickness values.

The currents in Singapore can be so strong that divers cleaning fouling from a ship’s hull can feel like they are swimming in a river. There’s times when it’s just not safe for them to be there.The currents can be a problem for robotic cleaners as well, but for ship operators, the bigger problem is having to wait long after cargo operations have concluded while the hull is cleaned by either method.And yet, many of the pressures they face for keeping the hull clean – invasive species…

The Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO met for its 108th session at IMO Headquarters in London from May 15 to 24, and its outcomes included revising the roadmap for the development of a code to regulate autonomous ships (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships - MASS).The Committee approved the report of the third session of the Joint MSC-LEG-FAL Working Group on MASS (MASS-JWG 3) and noted the significant progress made to date to develop the draft MASS Code, including the restructuring of chapters and refining the draft provisions.

The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) will meet in person for its 108th session at IMO Headquarters in London from May 15 to 24, 2024. The Committee will address the urgent issue of maritime security in the Red Sea area. Since the hijacking of the MV Galaxy Leader in November 2023, which is still detained, there have been over 40 incidents where ships have been threatened or attacked in the Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These attacks have targeted seafarers, several of whom have been killed or suffered life-changing injuries.

KR has released two digital platforms, KR-DAON (Digital Application Online Network) and Nexawave, alongside the launch of its enhanced fleet management system, KR e-Fleet V3.The KR e-Fleet V3, an upgraded version of the existing fleet management system, focuses on enhancing operational efficiency through increased speed and simplification. It features an integrated vessel status display with survey and audit information, a new Thickness Measurement (TM) menu for tracking hull corrosion, and PSC Guidance with VR technology (KR-Real360) to assist in customer responses.

ClassNK has released the latest "ClassNK Technical Journal", which has been published for contributing to the development of the maritime industry through the outcome of R&D and technical activities.The latest issue "ClassNK Technical Journal No.5 2022 (I)" focuses on “Zero-Emission Ships”, including efforts of the planning and design of next-generation greener ships, development of onboard CO2 capture system, prospects for widespread adoption of next-generation standard EV vessel and efforts to reduce GHG emissions from ships.In addition…

The Korean Register (KR) said it has completed its first hull inspection survey using both aerial and crawler drones for the intermediate survey of bulk carrier Pan Global.The survey, which was completed Tuesday with the assistance of POSSM Co, Korea’s largest ship management company, and HST Technology, who provided the remote inspection technology.KR’s surveyors have been using remote inspection technology such as drones for surveys since 2017. The equipment allows the surveyor to inspect the vessel without requiring direct access.

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) reports it has completed its first ever survey by drone, carried out in the holds of a bulk carrier in an Italian port.The scope was an intermediate survey on a bulk carrier and consisted of close-up inspections and ultrasonic thickness measurements (UTM) conducted by the drone in two cargo hold spaces. The required prior agreement from the flag authority was confirmed – all the more necessary as the ship is subject to the IMO Code for the Enhanced Survey Program (ESP).Remote Inspection Techniques (RIT) were reflected in BV’s rules in 2019.

The potential for drones to be used for inspections is not new, notes Bureau Veritas, but to date trials have not focused on specific survey requirements for ship structures in enclosed spaces; the RECOMMS project will do just that. Bureau Veritas has joined RECOMMS (Remote Evaluation of Coatings / Corrosion on Offshore Machinery and Marine Structures / Ships), a joint investment project (JIP), to develop drones with the capability to inspect steel structures in enclosed spaces.

Oxford Instruments has introduced a new tool for coating thickness measurement and materials analysis.This new model, the MAXXI 6, is based on X-ray fluorescence technology.It encompasses a high resolution silicon drift detector (SDD), measuring thinnest coatings down to thenanoscale and element composition at trace level to ensure high quality control for up to date industrial standards. The MAXXI 6 is made in Taunusstein, Germany and approved by the PTB (Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt) for the highest level of radiation safety. Coating thickness measurement based on X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a widely accepted and industry-proven analytical technique, offering easy to use, fast and non-destructive analysis requiring little to no sample preparation.

SYM announced it has reorganized its technical services in three lines: Technical Services, Wet Docking Services and Electrical and Electronic Maintenance. Technical Services, which includes through SYM Engineering Technical Office ship design, naval architecture and marine projects, surveys and certification, now incorporates load test by water bags for cranes, davit, derricks or life boats and ultrasonic thickness measurement by means of multi-echo equipment. Wet Docking Services groups management of afloat and emergency repairs, inspection and underwater surveys (IACS approved) to steel repairs, mechanical and electrical jobs or maintenance, with outfitting piers and workshops in Barcelona and Dominican Republic.

Hapag-Lloyd will implement GL HullManager as their central monitoring and reporting tool for hull maintenance activities. GL HullManager is a part of DNV GL’s fleet management software portfolio and provides ship owners, managers and operators hull inspection and thickness measurement support. Ship owners can use the system to plan, track and implement the inspection strategies for their fleet. It provides significant benefits by reducing repair costs, demonstrating regulatory compliance and streamlining internal processes.

The latest version of classification society Germanischer Lloyd's (GL) thickness measurement software Pegasus, was recently released. To verify the structural integrity of a vessel, hull thickness measurements must be periodically take, with each measurement point documented. The number of required measurement points can number up to 20,000 - all repeatedly measured over the life of the vessel, creating a vast amount of essential data which must be effectively managed and assessed.

Seaspan Ship Management Ltd. (Vancouver) one of the leading container vessel managers, has chosen Germanischer Lloyd's (GL) GL HullManager system to upgrade its in-house hull integrity management system. The condition-based monitoring software will be implemented across Seaspan's entire fleet of 76 vessels over the next several years. explained Peter Jackson, Director of the Projects and Technology Department at Seaspan Ship Management Ltd. GL HullManager is a part of GL's fleet management software portfolio and provides ship owners…

Shipping is highly underinvested in modern software technologies. Only 0.7% of the investments that go into new vessels go into software technologies. With rising fuel prices and operating costs leaving the industry facing ever slimmer profit margins, Germanischer Lloyd (GL) experts showed how the increased deployment of the latest maritime software systems could help to fight this trend. “Looking at ship operating costs we see a steady, rising trend,” said Dr Torsten Buessow, Vice President of GL Maritime Software, at a GL Exchange Forum held late April in Singapore. His calculations, based on an analysis of the development in operating costs of three typical ship types…

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has published an information note on non-destructive evaluation (NDE) testing of gas cylinders. Advancements in NDE testing techniques for gas cylinders have been the subject of extensive discussion by members of the IMCA Diving Division Safety, Medical, Technical & Training Committee (SMTT). A dedicated workgroup of industry experts was established to take the issue forward and to develop an update of detail sheet 9.1 of IMCA D 018 – Code of practice on the initial and periodic examination…

AVEVA, a leader in engineering design and information management solutions for the plant, power and marine industries, today announced it has joined the OpenHCM (Hull Conditioning Monitoring) Consortium, an initiative to increase ship safety though transparent electronic processing of assessment data for the in-service operation of ships and offshore platforms. The OpenHCM Consortium was formed to carry on the work started under the EC’s CAS projects to develop a neutral exchange standard.

Fischer Technology’s has released the new DUALSCOPE® FMP100 touchscreen coating thickness measurement instrument, designed to harmonize the flexibility and capabilities of PC-based lab instruments with the manageability of compact portable units. The unit has a Windows™ CE operating system with a graphical user interface and a user-definable file and folder structure. The bright LC touchscreen display simplifies settings, measurements and data evaluations. It offers numerous configuration options for a clear presentation of results…

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.

Spanish ship design and engineering consultant SENER is participating in the management of the OpenHCM (Hull Condition Monitoring) Consortium, an initiative to increase ship safety through the transparent electronic processing of condition assessment data for the in-service operation of ships and offshore platforms. The consortium has been formed to carry on the work started under the EC’s CAS project, which focused on improving the efficiency of the thickness measurement process on board ships in service, making it fully electronic. CAS created a neutral exchange standard to support both this process and the exchange of thickness measurement data.

The role of vessel classification societies continues to change dramatically. As the role and relevance of class is hotly debated, MR/EN picked the brains of the industry's major classification societies to analyze both their individual and collective future. If class is to remain relevant, it must remake itself for the modern world, says ABS president and CEO Robert D. Somerville. He recently told delegates to the World Maritime Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia that "self regulation will continue to provide an effective method for establishing and enforcing standards only if all elements of the industry recognize that substantive overhaul is needed." Somerville highlighted the remarkable…

In extending its adherence to delivering cost-efficient and safety driven technologies, DNV has introduced a new means of quickly and accurately determining steel thickness can speed ship surveys. It is especially valuable in inspecting old and corroded steelwork. Present-day methods, based on ultrasonic thickness measurements, are said to have dubious reliability on heavily corroded plates, and for large vessels are also considered too slow. The basic technological challenge was to transmit 100 percent of the signal energy through corroded steel plates, and receive and interpret the reflected signal to give an accurate thickness measurement. The basic principles of the new measuring method (half-wave resonance) have been known for 40 years.

The new software tool GL Pegasus to improve material thickness measurements for ships has been presented by Germanischer Lloyd today. GL Pegasus enables direct electronic measurement input. Through this, the software tool significantly reduces the reporting time and the occurrence of human error. Thickness measurement is typically performed by independent measurement firms. The results are a vital part of the assessment of the ship's condition such as corrosion monitoring - for both the ship-owner and the classification society. As the "traditional" thickness measurement process is basically manual it can take several weeks. Also the reporting can take as long as measurement.