Inspection, Repair and Maintenance of Ship Structures, 2nd Edition

This book is a guide to the regulation and international legislation that govern the inspection, repair and maintenance of ship structures, as well as the principles and practices behind these documents. It covers key topics such as ship structures and common damage (corrosion, fatigue, fracturing, buckling), the survey and inspection of hull and bulk carrier structures, maintenance and planning and evaluation and repair.

In recent years, anyone who has in any way been involved in ship operations, and in particular in repairs, maintenance and surveying, is aware of the precipitous increase in the volume of regulations and international requirements that ship operators are called upon to comply with. Regulations cover all aspects of maritime operations and affect the conventional methods of managing fleets in profound ways. The maritime world is deeply traditional and has evolved steadily through time, with past experience acting as a valuable guide to prospective ventures, whether these are of a technical or of an economic nature. However, recent developments have forced changes in thinking and in the approach to activities such as ship management and the operation of shipping companies themselves.

Recent advances, not least the revolution in information technology, have facilitated progress in ship design and enabled operators to use computer-based tools as an aid to economic decisions. The ability to store and rapidly manipulate large quantities of information has meant that calculations that formerly were prohibitively time-consuming have now become commonplace and are carried out on a routine basis. In the case of ship operations this has had a profound effect The form, size and complexity of modern ships means that huge quantities of data are required to describe their technical characteristics and their various operations. The study of ship-related problems has therefore proved to be a prime candidate for computer-based procedures from the very beginning; during the past two or three decades, procedures have been developed that enable engineers to analyse complex situations rapidly and accurately.

From an early stage computer-based tools were orientated at solving problems related to design or at analysing the response of ships under realistic operating conditions. It is only recently that efforts have been targeted at developing tools that can be of assistance in the repair and maintenance phase of a ship’s life, which after all comprises a significant proportion of the total financial outlay involved.

The recent implementation of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code has made ship operators more aware of the need to rationalise resources and plan the technical management of their fleets in more efficient ways. Of the expenses that relate to repairs and maintenance, the most important are hull structure repairs. Enormous sums of money are spent in hull repairs with very little effort made in planning these expenditures over time in a rational manner. Techniques such as those described in the later chapters of this book can assist in this effort. It is hoped that the economies that can be achieved will assist operators in making ships and the sea a safer and cleaner place as well as ensuring their desired return on investment.

This book is aimed at people involved in the repair, maintenance and classification of ocean-going merchant ships. Shipyard project managers, marine superintendents and Classification Society surveyors ought to find useful background information on this subject. Younger engineers who are embarking on a career in ship surveying will be provided with an understanding of the phenomena that cause deterioration in the condition of ship structures through time. Finally, students of naval architecture and related disciplines with an interest in ship operations will get a glimpse of the spectrum of problems that may lie in store for them in the future.

It ought to be added at this point that, as far as I am aware, there are at present no university courses offered in this subject anywhere. Naval architecture is taught with the design of new ships and marine structures in mind, as well as the fundamental scientific disciplines that provide the basis for design, structural analysis and hydrodynamics. The addition of this text to the literature could provide an impetus for the introduction of courses in ship structural repair and maintenance.

The material included in this book is concerned with the following topics:

1. Failure modes in ship structures and the effect of the marine environment.

2. Damages to the hull structure of bulk carriers and oil tankers.

3. Surveys of ship structures.

4. Condition evaluation and repair/maintenance planning of ship structures.

CHAPTER 1 Corrosion of Metal Structures

CHAPTER 2 Fatigue; A Hidden Enemy of Ship Structures

CHAPTER 3: Buckling of Ship Structure

CHAPTER 4: Fractures in Ship Structures

CHAPTER 5: Damage to the Hull Structure of Bulk Carriers

CHAPTER 6: Damage to the Hull Structure of Oil Tankers

CHAPTER 7: Surveys and Inspections of the Hull Structure

CHAPTER 8: Surveys and Maintenance of Bulk Carrier Structures

CHAPTER 9: Surveys of the Hull Structure of Oil Tankers

CHAPTER 10: Maintenance Planning. The Use of Protective Coating sand Cathodic Protection

CHAPTER 11: Condition Evaluation and Repair Planning Using a Database Approach

Piero Caridis (BSc MSc PhD MRINA CEng) is an Associate Professor at the National Technical University of Athens, where he teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses on ship structural analysis and design. His research interests include structural analysis, repair and maintenance of ship structures, marine accidents and ancient ship technology.