Ship&Offshore | Issue 04/2011
Effective assessment of hull condition
FLAGSHIP The ability to accurately predict the deterioration of a ship’s hull, its structure, coating and components at a given point in time is a sophisticated challenge. In its Hull Condition Assessment (HCA) project, the partly EU-funded Flagship consortium has developed a system aimed at extending the life of the existing fleet of tankers and bulk carriers by up to five years, with a 10% to 20% reduction in service repair costs throughout their life cycle.