The shipping companies of today are in sheer pressure from their customers to provide safety of their goods during the voyages. Though many shipping companies have paid attention towards this demand and have restored their ships by checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound, many ships are still in run down conditions. They are simply like a black spot on the industry’s face and their low quality of services can ruin the image of the entire industry. There was a time when these complaints were not heard often in the news, websites and on blogs. This is because the ships were new at that time and they were in the best condition possible and there was no need to repair them. But today the complaints are increasing rapidly due to the old ships that are still being used without proper maintenance.

A ship usually received heavy damage during its lifetime due to the bulky and heavy loads that it carries. The goods often bump with the walls and the floor of the ship when being loaded or unloaded by the cane and heavy chains. Scraping, bumping and scratching of the goods tears off the paint making the ship’s body more vulnerable to rust. As the steel gets exposed by the non presence of paint, the humid air of the ocean starts reacting with it and builds a layer of rust. The rusting gets deeper and the thick steel starts thinning which ultimately results in a hole.

Holes and gashes in the body create an open space for the water to find a way inside the cargo holds. The ship encounters sea storms and rains during the voyage and the presence of holes make it easy for the water to find a way inside the ship’s body. The water entering the cargo holds starts dampening the goods and if the water level gets high, the risk of sinking also increases. Since hatch covers are installed to act as a lid for the cargo holds, they should be leak free and leak proof. Holes in them have simply unjustified their installation and hence they should be ensured to be leak free.

Although preventing them from happening is not an easy task and it cannot be guaranteed that a hole will never be formed, they can be repaired after finding them by the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing. As the testing is completed, all of the holes will be found and they can be marked for repairs. It is up to the management of the shipping company to pay attention towards the condition of the ships and when to send for repairs after the holes have been located.