There are many problems being faced by the business world and amongst them, leaks are in the top ten. Wherever they are, leaks are never welcomed and they cause the most terrible accidents and unfortunate incidents. Unfortunately the biggest victim of leaks is the shipping industry which spends a major amount of it profits in the fight against leaks and the after effects of it if they were not treated at the right time.

Leaking hatch covers are the industry’s biggest woes and there is no way it can be stopped completely. Another reason why we have leaking ships till running today is even though it is asked again and again by the ship owners to keep testing the tightness of hatch with ultrasound but when they ignore it, the problem of leaking hatch covers remains prevalent.

Leaks can be caused due to many reasons and when they do occur on the hatch covers, there is no limit to the damage that can be done by them. Some of the main reasons that cause leaks in the hatch covers is the scraping and scratching of the heavy chains that are used to lower and lift the cargo. As the bulky chains come in contact with the body, they rip apart the paint making the metal body come in exposure with the humid air of the oceans and seas.

As soon as the metal gets exposed to humidity, it starts catching rust which starts expanding to all the metal it can reach. No matter how thick or thin the metal sheet is, the rust starts gnawing at it layer by layer until it has nothing more to gnaw at which results in a clear hole. In case the metal sheet is thick, it will take a bit longer for the hole to be formed completely. And since the hatch covers are usually made up of a very thick metal sheet, it takes a while for them to develop holes. But once they do develop holes, it means there is nothing that can be done now except to apply the treatment.

Applying the treatment can be through various methods which are purely according to the size, build and design of the hatch covers. But applying the treatment also cannot be done unless the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing has been done to find the areas of where to apply the treatment. If the holes are within reach and there is nothing to be dismantled, the repair costs would obviously be lower and the ship’s maintenance staff would also be able to take care of it. But if there is a need to put apart some pieces, then the ship might have to be sent to a workshop where it can take some days to put the ship back in action again.