Alexandroupoli, Thrace: Hull Thickness Measurement for Energy and Cargo Ships

Inspection services for ships at Alexandroupoli

Each service has its own page with the method, the class requirements and what the report contains.

Where gauging can happen around Alexandroupoli

At the commercial quays, gauging is done alongside, subject to the port authority's ISPS arrangements and the agent. Bulk and general cargo ships offer open holds, hatch covers and coamings during discharge, while product tankers allow deck, deck piping and ballast tank readings within the terminal's rules. A ferry alongside for the day permits deck, ramp and accessible plating readings, and tank work is best done in lay-up.

Gas carriers are a special case. A carrier at an offshore LNG terminal is under tight operator rules and gauging there depends on operator permission, safe boarding and a defined window, so any work is arranged by the ship's manager well in advance and may not be possible during cargo operations. Ships at anchor off the port can be boarded by launch for pre-docking or condition work. There is no large drydock in the area, so heavy steel renewal is carried out elsewhere, and readings taken here help the owner plan that work.

• Commercial cargo quays — hold, hatch cover, coaming and deck gauging on bulk and general cargo ships during discharge
• Fuel and tanker berths — deck, deck piping and ballast tank readings on product tankers within terminal rules
• Ferry terminal — deck, ramp and ballast tank readings on island ferries, best during lay-up
• Anchorage off the port — pre-docking, pre-purchase and condition gauging, reached by launch
• Offshore LNG terminal — accessible structure on gas carriers only where operator rules and ship safety permit

Port state control, energy rules and regional trade

Port state control at Alexandroupoli is carried out by the Hellenic Coast Guard under the Paris MoU. The Mediterranean emission control area for sulphur, in force since 1 May 2025, covers the Aegean. EU ETS has applied to shipping since 2024 and FuelEU Maritime since 2025. Ships calling at EU ports should also carry an Inventory of Hazardous Materials. For LNG carriers, owners and charterers apply their own vetting and class requirements, and the terminal operator may set additional conditions for anyone boarding.

The regional mix also affects timing. The ports of Thrace serve landlocked and near-border markets, and ships often call at Alexandroupoli between Black Sea, Turkish and Greek ports, with short berth stays. Owners of those ships may have no superintendent attending, so the report needs to be clear enough to act on remotely: readings tied to frame numbers, photographs of the worst areas and a summary of what needs attention before the next survey or charter inspection.

Since 1 May 2025 the whole Mediterranean has been a sulphur emission control area, so ships calling at Alexandroupoli burn 0.10% sulphur fuel or run a scrubber. Scrubber wash-water piping, the overboard discharge and the hull penetration around it corrode quickly in service and are worth adding to the gauging scope at every docking.

How a thickness measurement job runs at Alexandroupoli

The sequence for a thickness measurement job at Alexandroupoli is short and written down, so the yard, the surveyor and the superintendent know who arranges what.

The team flies into Alexandroupoli's Dimokritos Airport, normally connecting through Athens, or into Thessaloniki and continues by road. Port passes, launch boarding and any terminal permits are organised by the ship's agent from crew lists and equipment details we send ahead. A Schengen visa issued in India is needed for every technician, since Greece follows the Schengen rules. Cargo and tanker calls here may be fixed at short notice, so telling us early about expected Alexandroupoli stops helps us keep a visa ready when the berth date is confirmed.

• Send the vessel name or IMO number, ship type, class society, the survey due (annual, intermediate, renewal survey number, CAP or owner's condition survey), the port and dates, and the scope you expect.
• We confirm the scope against the class rules for that survey, prepare the thickness measurement plan with frame and section references, and say whether the measurement will be credited to a class survey.
• Mobilisation is planned around visa lead times and the vessel's schedule; the ship's agent arranges port access, and the yard or ship arranges staging, lighting, ventilation and gas-free certificates.
• Gauging with calibrated ultrasonic thickness gauges: through sound coatings only where the gauge's through-coating mode has been verified on a coated reference, otherwise on cleaned bare steel, with every reading tied to its frame, strake and location on the sketch.
• Readings are compared with original thicknesses as work proceeds; substantial and excessive corrosion and any cracks are reported to the attending surveyor and the superintendent the same day.
• The final report is issued on the class thickness-measurement formats with sketches, a summary of locations exceeding the allowable margins, piping tables where piping was in scope, and the gauge calibration and technician certificates.

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