SHIPINSPECTOR – Detection of Safety Critical
Defects in Ships
Structural failure is a major cause of the wreckage of ships, vessels and tankers
and causes loss of life and pollution of the seas and coastal waters of Europe as
follows:
- In 2004, the total amount of oil and oil products transported by sea reached the
two billion-tonne/year mark (more than 40 % of total maritime traffic). The European
Union accounts for 27 % of this traffic, with 90 % of Europe’s oil arriving by sea.
- Over 2.5 billion tonnes of oil is used around the world every year, and 3 million
tonnes is discharged every year into the oceans as a result of oil carrying tanker
failures. Tanker accidents typically account for 12% of all oil pollution. In 1989
the Exxon Valdez released 40,000 tonnes of oil in Prince William Sound (Alaska)
and caused an oil slick that covered 2,600 square miles. The tanker Braer spilt
85,000 tonnes of oil off the coast of Shetlands (1993) with a clean up cost of €1.6
billion.
- Every year about 1,000 people die as a result of ship structural failures. It was
reported in 2006, that each year over 400 ocean going ships sink, many as a result
of weakened structures due to corrosion and inadequate/poor welding quality.
- On the basis that there are currently 89,000 ocean going vessels world-wide, many
of which trade to European ports or transit through European waters, and given that
the average life of such vessels is about 30 years, there is an approximate 1 in
8 statistical probability that a ship will sink before it is due to be withdrawn
from service.
 Restricted
access for welding and volumetric weld examination in Ships structure
The objective of this project is to develop new and novel ultrasonic phased array
techniques, sensors and systems for finding defects and corrosion in safety critical
areas of ships and tankers without taking the vessel out of the water. The Ship-Inspector
technology will help operators, classification societies and regulatory agencies
worldwide to manage risk more effectively. The Ship Inspector Consortium will disseminate
the technology and associated training to the SMEs represented by the participant
SME-AGs. There are 12,000 SMEs involved in the €50 billion inspection and maintenance
sector.
Furthermore, the Ship-Inspector technology will reduce the risk to which inspectors
are exposed whilst working on ships. Note that shipyard and marine work has an injury-accident
rate more than twice that of the construction and general industry. This project
will drastically reduce injuries and deaths to SME workers in the ship maintenance
and inspection industry.
 Diver operated UT wall
thickness measuring on ships hull is slow and only allows partial coverage
Specific Objectives
- Development of novel phased array techniques.
- New more powerful flaw detectors with the ability to drive sensors as phased arrays.
- New and novel dry contact sensor technology based on Macro-Fibre Composites (MFCs) that generate more power but that are also cheaper to manufacture.
- Methods of application for “one off” and continuous condition-monitoring.
- Sensor array designs that are capable of measuring motion in all three planes.
- Awareness programmes both for managers in SME inspection service providers and for large enterprise end-user companies.
- Guidelines for equipment specification, application, and operator training and certification (a basis for future standards).
- Training programmes in phased array techniques.
For further information please visit: www.shipinspector.eu
Partners:
 
TWI (Project coordinator);
DGZfP;
USNDT;
BG S NT;
AIPnD;
SMART Group;
I T Nardoni;
Isotest;
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Tecnitest;
Cereteth;
HSE;
ABS;
Lloyds register;
Class NK
Biomechanical Solutions;
EWF;
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