The winter season is approaching fast, or let’s say, it has already arrived. Winters are bad news for the maritime industry because the transport ships are sure to find a sea storm in every voyage they make. As the coldness makes the clouds become heavy, they rain more often and the humidity of the oceans keep filling them to the extent that they rain every now and then. Even the dry areas receive more rain during the winter season.

This season is worst for the transport ships with leaking hatch covers because due to the bad weather and bad condition of their hatch covers, the goods on board them are likely to get water damage. The water (rain) that enters the cargo holds wets everything and can even enter into the sensitive areas of the ship such as the fuse boards. A ship can have a short circuit due to the water in the wires and it could even blow up the entire ship destroying not only the goods it is carrying, but also the precious lives that are onboard.

The hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing is a must in the winter season although most of the ship owners ignore its importance. There is no worthy profit if you are running a ship taking risks beyond your control with the every mile it runs. In the voracity to make profits, most of the ship owners think it a waste of time to check hatch covers and other areas of the ship and to even make repairs unless it becomes too necessary. Since a ship can take a lot more time to get repaired as compared to a car. But because of its shape, size and the type, a ship is entirely different from a car and it needs special care while being repaired.

Running a tightness test is mandatory if a ship is needed to be kept free from leaks. Without knowing about the leaks, how can they be repaired? Until and unless the test is run, the location and the condition of leaks can never be found out. After knowing the location of leaks, the ship can be sent for repairs and then it would be stable enough to carry on voyages in the future. For owning the best maintained ship in the industry, it is necessary to check tightness of hatch with ultrasound on a regular basis. When the leaks are in their infancy, it would take only minutes or just some hours to have them treated. Once they are left there without any treatment, they multiply in number. Ignoring the test would only increase the matter to a height where it would be no longer tolerable.