BEST PRACTISE FOR MAINTENANCE OF LPG SHIPS - HULL INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT

摘要

The shipping industry at large and the tanker segment in particular experience increased focus on hull integrity - for safety reasons and for cost efficiency. Requirements for CAP and TMSA compliance are important in order to obtain acceptance by charterers. Transparency and continuous control of a ship's hull condition may therefore create business advantages to ship operators and owners. DNV's Hull Integrity Management (HIM) is a practical concept developed for this purpose. It has been developed over a period of six years. It helps owners and operators to keep their ships' hull fit for purpose through continuous control of the hull condition, which both reduce the maintenance costs and may create business advantage. HIM empowers the ship officers to take a more active role in assessing the hull condition. It guides them where to look and what to look for during regular onboard inspections. HIM thus helps to detect defects early on and to deal with them while they are small. HIM is based on DNV's extensive hull expertise but is not a class requirement, and therefore applies to vessels classed by any class society.