Our hold inspections guarantee that the cargo will not be affected by the condition of the holds or contaminated by residues already present in the holds. Albers Hansen Denmark A/S also complete hatch inspections to provide an added level of reassurance to our customers.
Hold Inspections
We ensure that vessel holds are ready to receive your valuable cargo by inspecting and verifying the load compartment prior to loading. We will check if the hold is dry, clean, free from rust or rust flakes and paint that could harm or discolour your cargo.
We can, if applicable, chemically test if the hold is free of previous cargo remnants and residues. The ship’s log is checked, as part of our contamination testing, to verify whether there were harmful materials among previous cargoes and we pay special attention to other carried products that may cause problems due to quarantine requirements. The hold is also checked for any damage and repainted areas are reviewed.
Water tightness testing.
For extra safety and assurance of your valuable cargo, we can perform a water tightness test of the hatches, by conducting a “hose test” or ultrasonic test.
A hose test or water test is conducted by directing a strong jet of pressurised water at the seams and joints of the hatchcovers. Hatchcovers are battened down fully and a surveyor is stationed in the hold to check for any water ingress.
An ultrasonic Leak Detection (ULD) test is done by placing an ultrasonic emitter in the hold. The surveyor will use an ultrasonic receiver firstly do an open-hatch measurement on an open manhole as a reference point. Then the surveyor will test the hole of the hatch coamings with the receiver where the ultrasonic waves will leak through the smallest of apertures. Leaks can be precisely marked and evaluation of the extent of leakage can be established from a reading of the digital scale.
