When caring for a ship, marine engineers ensure that everything is in tiptop shape. But the submerged areas of a ship aren’t as easy to check, especially when looking into signs of possible damage unless the ship itself is on dry dock! However, ship owners can’t always dry dock, as it’s a hassle and some ships are always submerged for work purposes.
Because it isn’t possible to dry dock your ship frequently for ship inspection, underwater ship surveys are done. However, what exactly do these kinds of surveys do and who needs them?
Read on as I talk about what an underwater ship survey is and who needs them the most.
What Is An Underwater Ship Survey?
Underwater surveys are done by professional divers, who will assess, report, and recommend any solutions required on commercial ships. Also known as surveyors, these divers will inspect the ship’s parts and overall condition underwater, where most engineers aren’t able to.
Such surveyors offer a number of services and surveys under the underwater ship survey, which ensure that they check for any issues or signs of damage thoroughly. They will take any photos or videos to send to those in charge, then creating a report with their findings and solutions to whatever problems they have found.
There are many benefits when hiring professional surveyors for underwater ship surveys, such as:
- These surveys speed up the inspection times, also saving a lot of money to hauling out your ship for dry docking. That way, you can focus more on the job that needs to be done without worry of wasting time and extra costs of keeping the ship out of waters.
- Surveyors are able to remove any dangerous obstructions that come trough the ship’s way. Regardless of manmade or natural obstruction, it will be reported and/or removed for safer maneuvering.
- You get to find out the structural integrity of the entire ship, from the damages to hull plates and blades, or ay cracks, bends, or chafing. This keeps your ship free from any problems that affect safety and performance.
Do You Need The Underwater Ship Survey?
Now that you’re familiar with the underwater ship survey, who needs such services?
For ship owners whose ships are always on waters with the inability to dry dock, then such surveys are a must. This especially goes for ships that are used frequently for various purposes, from cruises to industrial work.
It’s actually more beneficial for such owners to undergo these surveys, as they won’t need to dry dock ships. This lessens the hassle of dry docking, saving time to continue any work the ship needs to get done.
Those whose ships are usually dry docked or not used as frequently won’t need these services as much, though inspections are required before taking their ship to the waters.
But before you get an underwater ship survey, take note that there are a few requirements to submit, depending on where your ship is.
You’ll ned to request to Ship Safety offices and indicate necessary information, such as the date and location the survey will be done, some info on the diving company, and the set schedule for the survey. There are also other requirements, such as getting the Mater’s Statement, finding the survey site, the hull’s condition, as well as the reports based on divers’ findings after the examination took place.
While it may seem like a lot, it’s actually pretty similar to other types of ship inspections, though you won’t have to dry dock!
Wrapping It Up
Underwater ship surveys are just as crucial as other inspections made around the ship. Through learning about what’s happening underneath the ship while submerged, you can find out anything going wrong to fix, preventing any problems that can damage the ship or affect your safety. Every ship owner will require this at least once!
I hope this article on underwater ship surveys helped you out! So if you’re looking for someone to do the survey for a ship, there are companies like the Commercial Diver Southern Divers Melbourne to help you out.
If you have any questions or want to share your experiences and knowledge on underwater ship surveys, then comment below. Your thoughts are much appreciated!
ay to go.
