HATCH COVER INSPECTIONS

Hatch cover inspection is done to ensure that

Hatch covers are watertight, also if they are
suitable for certain cargo transportation. Usually
testing is done by Ultrasonic leak detection
 Cargo hatch covers are important for the safety of
the vessel, crew and cargo. A number of reported
casualties are related to the loss of weather tight
integrity due to failure of securing and locking
devices. In addition, cargo hatch covers are to
protect the stowed cargo in the holds from damage
due to water ingress, particularly if the cargo is
sensitive to water damage. It must be noted that a
significant portion of all cargo related claims are
caused by water damage and many of these are
related to sea water ingress through cargo hatch
covers.
Hatch Covers and their Function
 The purpose and function of a hatch cover and its coaming is
to prevent ingress of water into a cargo hold after a large
opening has been cut in the deck for cargo access. Hatch
covers are a movable structure designed to a weathertight
standard.
 Hatch Cover Function
 Hatch covers provide a primary structural and
watertight barrier to prevent water ingress into
cargo hold. Rigorous inspection, regular
maintenance and prompt repair of damaged covers,
securings and support are essential to maintain
fitness for purpose and, in particular:

 To maintain sufficient strength to resist green seas

landing on hatches in extreme weather
 To maintain a barrier against ingress of water during
normal seagoing weather conditions
 Failure to maintain hatch covers correctly can lead to
physical loss of a cover in extreme weather and hold
flooding and possible foundering. Minor leakage can
cause cargo damage and, if over a prolonged period ,
damage to the ship ‘s internal structure . Long-term
structural decline can lead to structural collapse and
total loss.
 It is generally accepted that leaking hatch covers
are a principal cause of dry cargo
wetting. Hatches leak for a variety of reasons, but
mainly because of poor maintenance or failure to
close them properly. Leaking or badly maintained
hatch covers can lead to more serious
consequences than wet cargo- flooding
accelerated corrosion or even loss of the ship.
 WATERTIGHT HATCH COVER is a cover
designed to prevent the passage of water in either
direction under a head of water for which the
surrounding structure is designed.
A weathertight cover is a cover designed to prevent the
passage of water into the ship in any sea condition. Hatch
covers are constructed to be weathertight, which means
that, in any transient condition, water will not penetrate
into the ship through the covers.
Weather tightness mistakes

 Ignoring discard/replacement criteria

(overcompression)
 Replace rubber and not fix the pads
 Install backstrip rubber everywhere
 Mix new and old rubber
 Using old rubber (from shipboard stock, ignoring
shelf life)
 Use small pieces and fill in gaps
 Not (or lightly) painting rubber channel
Contributing factors to Lack of weather-
tightness

 Deformation of the hatch coaming or hatch cover

due to impact.
 Normal wear-and-tear of the cleating
arrangement
 Lack of proper maintenance
Hatch Packing
Weather Tightness: Solid Type Packing [NBR]
 The rubber packing’s are installed in retaining channels
made from hot rolled flat bar.
 In a weathertight hatch cover system, various key parts need
to work in unison in order to ensure that weathertightness is
achieved and can be maintained throughout the voyage.
These are:
1. Packing rubbers: Developing packing rubbers that are fit
for duty and retain their flexibility throughout their in-
service life is not easy. Such rubbers also require proper and
correct maintenance in line with manufacturer’s guidelines.
Packing rubbers are designed to be compressed to a certain
depth.
2. Bearing pads: Bearing pads provide steel to steel contact
between the panels and the coaming, and, as such, prevent
the panels from sitting too low on the coaming, which would
cause overcompression of the packing rubber, or panels from
being pushed down under weather loads causing the cleats to
be come disengaged.
3. Locators: Locators guide the panel in its correct closing
position and ensure that panels are kept properly positioned
during the voyage
4. Stoppers: The role of stoppers (restraints) is to prevent
failing to control hatch cover movements, which would lead
to excessive loads acting on component parts of the hatch
covers with accelerated wear and damage as a result.
5. Draining system: The drain system is the last safety
barrier to water entry through the sealing system in a
weathertight hatch cover system. If water enters the
hatches it will be collected in the drain channel and
expelled via the drain pipe.
6. Securing mechanism: Another requirement under
the ICLL is that the hatch cover panels should
remain in place during the voyage to prevent he
holds being left open at sea.
7. Compression bars: In order to achieve a tight seal,
packing rubbers need to be compressed up to their
design compression and as such they need to act
against a compression surface.
8.Operating mechanisms: Depending on the
hatch cover design, different types of
opening/closing mechanisms are available, apart
from the lift away type hatch covers.
9. Hatch panels: the importance of the hatch
panels should not be overlooked as it is still the
steel top Improperly maintained or wrongly
operated hatch covers can result in serious
damages or accidents plate of the hatch panels
that covers up the hatch opening.
 Basic Procedures
 Always Do
1. Carry out regular inspections of the hatch
covers, beams and coamings to identify

 General levels of corrosion

 Localized corrosion at welds
 Cracks in joints and weld metal
 Any permanent distortion of plating and
stiffeners.
2. Ifany cracks detected in main structural joints or
local heavy buckling then inform office
immediately
3. Be particularly vigilant after heavy weather.
4. Always rectify any steel to steel faults before
renewal of rubber packing, else rubber packing
will be ruined very shortly thereafter
5. Always replace missing or damaged rubber
packing’s immediately. [ the minimum length of
replaced packing should be one metre ]
6. Keep cleats in good serviceable condition and
correctly adjusted.
7. Keep cleats, and wheels well greased
8. Test hydraulic oil quarterly
9. Ensure oil levels are correct
10. Remember that continuing and regular
maintenance of hatch covers and packing’s is
more effective and hence less expensive than
sporadic inspection and major repairs.
 Always
 Never treat temporary repairs as if these were permanent.
The strength of the hatch cover and ultimately the ship will
depend on the quality of repairs . REMEMBER YOUR SHIP
WILL ALSO CARRY OIL HENCE TAKE GREAT CARE OVER
REPAIRS.
 Never ignore serious corrosion, cracks or distortions in the
covers and supports/coamings.
 Never APPLY PETROLEUM BASED GREASE OR PAINT ON
RUBBER PACKING
 leave cleats unfastened when proceeding to sea
 Never open hatch covers at sea unless absolutely essential
or keep them unattended if opened. Ensure the gains
outweigh the risks. [ Hatch covers weigh about 78 mt each]
 Hatch covers are to be inspected prior to loading.

Undersides of Hatches

Whilst it is fully appreciated that access to the underside of

hatch covers for maintenance purposes is difficult, you are
requested to carry out such maintenance to the best of your
abilities, with consideration to the type of hatch covers fitted
to your vessel. Any scale or flaking paint on the undersides
will inevitably end up on top of the cargo, especially during
opening and closing operations when such scale and paint
flakes are liable to be vibrated free of the hatch cover.
 Sealing Rubbers

Sealing rubbers are to be inspected for damage,

distortion, cracking and over compression, which
can result in deterioration of elasticity and poor
sealing. At the points where the rubber sections are
joined, gaps may begin to appear. If this occurs it is
to be remedied as soon as it is discovered.
 Compression Bars

Compression bars must always be kept smooth, free

from rust and paint, and any damages must be
repaired immediately. The areas immediately
surrounding the compression bars are to be swept
clean of any cargo residues after loading/discharging
operations, to ensure that no distortion of rubbers,
and retainer channels takes place when the hatch
cover is closed.
Securing Dogs
ring dogs must always be used while the vessel is at
sea. They must be well maintained and greased, and
are to be checked on a regular basis.

Drain Channels
Drain Channels are normally inaccessible after the
hatch cover has been closed, and are therefore to be
attended and checked immediately after
loading/discharging operations have been
completed.
 Coaming Drains

The non-return drain facilities on the hatch

coamings must always be kept clear. They are most
susceptible to blockage during loading/discharging
operations, and must be checked and cleared after
completion of such operations. The condition of the
non-return facility must be checked frequently to
ensure optimum operation and prevention of water
ingress during heavy weather.
 • HATCH INSPECTIONS
 Improper ship’s hatch cover seals and securing
arrangements account for a high percentage of cargo
defects and rejections. SGS hatch inspections provide
evidence that the condition of the hatch covers does not
pose a threat to the cargo. Our inspectors:
 Visually inspect hatch covers at departure and arrival for
water tightness and proper operation
 Look for obvious damage, holes and leak points that may
jeopardize the quality of the cargo
 Conduct Chalk, Hose and Ultrasonic Leak
Detection (ULD) tests for objective assessment and
verification
Testing of Hatch Covers
After maintenance procedure it is advised to test the water
tight integrity of the hatch cover by different methods. The
three methods to check water tightness of hold covers are:

1. Hose Water Test:

 In this test a water spray from a nozzle of 12mm diameter is
sprayed over the joint of hold and cover from a distance of
1m to 1.5 m with a pressure of 0.5 m/ second water jet.
 The limitation or drawbacks of this test is that it requires
two persons and hatch cover to be tested must be empty.
 The leakage if very minimal cannot be identified by naked
eye and cannot be performed in sub zero or cold weather.
2. Ultrasonic Test:
 The Ultrasonic testing is a more accurate method
of testing water tightness of hold and its cover. In
this system an ultrasonic generator is kept inside
a closed and intact cargo hold.
 A sensor of that unit is passed all over the
compression joint and any low pressure area or
point detected by the instrument can be a leakage
point.
 Few drawbacks of this instrument is it is not
normally kept onboard and qualified person is
required to perform this test.
3. Chalk Test:

 This is the oldest or most traditional method for

testing hold cover compression, but it cannot test
the water tight integrity of the hold.
 A layer of chalk powder is applied all over the
steel back of the hatch and then the hatch cover
is closed and tightened to its normal values.
 The impression of chalk on the rubber packing is
then studied to check lack of compression point
shown by gap in the chalk marks.

 Monitoring and Inspection
 Hatch covers and their fittings should be inspected at the
end of every cargo voyage and all findings recorded. The
appended checklist must be used.
 Inspections should be planned and held in time for repairs to
be completed before the next cargo voyage Hatch covers and
their fittings should be inspected at the end of every cargo
voyage and all findings recorded. The appended checklist
no.2 must be used.
 Inspections should be planned and held in time for repairs to
be completed before the next cargo voyage

 Inspect and Check
1. Covers and coamings should be well painted and free from
significant corrosion, cracks and distortion.
2. During an inspection look for:
 Holes and permanent distortion in the plating
 Distortion of beams and/or stiffeners on the underside of the
top plate.
 Corrosion around welded connections of beams or stiffeners
 Cracking of connecting joints and welds
3. Hatch movement . This should be smooth . If violent
movement is observed, investigate and remove the cause.
4. Hydraulic system for leakage
5. Check for physical damage, corrosion and tension when
locked.
 https://cultofsea.com/cargo-work/hatch-covers-function-inspection-tests-
precautions-operation-maintenance/


 https://www.marinesurveyordubai.com/hatch-cover-inspections-2/


 http://aimcontrolgroup.com/en/ship-cargo-hatch-covers-inspection.html


 https://safety4sea.com/securing-weathertight-efficiency-of-hatch-covers/


 https://cultofsea.com/cargo-work/hatch-covers-function-inspection-tests-
precautions-operation-maintenance/


 http://bulkcarrierguide.com/hatch-cover-maintenance.html