As a vessel owner or manager regular maintenance and repair forms a major part of your work profile. When the ship is optimally functional, you save a whole lot of time and money in the long run. An important aspect of regular maintenance is underwater hull inspection. It has been around for centuries. In earlier times, divers were sent underwater equipped with primitive tools to collect data and undertake minor repairs.
With time, ships got bigger and sophisticated, bringing about the demand for technological intervention in the form of underwater ROV Inspection. Asset managers have started choosing ROVs over human divers as they are faster, thorough and offer detailed data.
There are many vessel owners out there who believe that getting a ship inspected once in two years is good enough, but we beg to differ! Planys brings to you some pivotal reasons to get your ship hulls inspected annually:
Safe to Sail:
Annual underwater hull inspections will provide you with the peace of mind that the ship is completely safe. Maritime stakeholders know well that it only takes one or two minor structural issues below the hull to cause a huge impact on the entire ship’s safety and operational capacity. Irregularities, dents, cracks or leaks, in the long run, can put the lives of people on board in jeopardy and cause massive financial losses. Planys ROVs are perfect to identify these defects and can help you make the right decision at the right time.
To keep uninvited species at bay:
Invasive alien species (AIS) or non-native species get accumulated on vessel hulls as they travel from port to port awaiting their natural release into local waters. If AIS successfully migrates to a new territory they can have devastating economic and environmental effects on the ecosystems of their new hosts. Hence such uninvited species can be kept at bay through proactive monitoring.
To avoid marine biofouling:
A fouled hull can utilize as much as 85% more fuel than normal. The worst the case, the slower your ship will sail at a given RPM. When your ship consumes a greater volume of fuel it emits harmful greenhouse gases which in turn pollute the earth’s environment. To avoid such a situation, get your ship hulls inspected at least once a year to ensure that there are no depositions on the ship hull.
To check the paint coating on the hull:
As trivial as it might sound, the paint coating check is an aspect that cannot be overlooked in the ship hull maintenance checklist. If the paint chips off without your knowledge, it may cause rusting of the hull which might result in heavy losses. Whether it is a cruise vessel, sailboat, freight ship or a naval ship, making sure that the paint job is intact will help in saving a lot of maintenance costs in the future.
Now that you know why you need to get your ship hulls inspected annually; the next step is to book a service provider. At Planys, we have indigenously built ROVs that have been specifically designed to undertake complex inspections. Our vehicles will help you in collecting essential data through novel marine robotic techniques. To know more about our services write to us at sales@planystech.com or give us call on +91-8448188507