Feature Articles

Feature article written by Capt Barry Thompson HONFIIMS

Although the following account refers to a cargo survey the lessons to be learnt from it by a surveyor apply just as much to a yacht or small craft condition survey — indeed to any ‘fit for purpose’ survey.

In 1985 a New Zealand company ordered just over 22,000 tonnes of compound fertiliser at a C & F cost of US$4.2 million. It was part loaded into the geared bulk-carrier Adelina (26,687 dw, built 1977) in Sweden with the balance in Tampa, Florida. SGS, of worldwide reputation, were the appointed surveyors to certify the holds as clean, dry and fit to receive the fertilizer.

Continue reading “Report only what you know”

The world of marine surveying is no different to any other industry sector or profession when it comes to the onslaught and proliferation of new technologies. The aim always is to make the task easier to carry out and arguably just as accurate, but in a shorter time frame and all down-loadable digitally. For some, this new technology is frightening. Dr Risto Talas sets out to prove the doubters wrong by explaining how iassessor™, a software app, can be deployed to good effect.

Continue reading “The application of technology in marine surveying”

Fuel saving devices for ships, sometimes called energy saving devices, are considered as something new, but some of them have been around for quite a while. Perhaps the most wide-spread and well-known fuel saving device is the bulbous bow made by Hull Vane ®.

The protruding bulb on the bow was first applied in the late nineteenth century, and gathered wider acceptance in the 1920’s. On ships sailing at an appropriate draught and speed-to-length ratio, the bulbous bow is said to reduce resistance by 10 to 12 percent. These days, it’s hard to find a containership, large ferry or cruise ship without a bulbous bow.

Continue reading “Hull Vane ®: Enhancing performance and efficiency through technology”