Ship Thickness Surveys in Alicante: Ferries, Cruise Ships and Bulk Cargo

Inspection services for ships at Alicante

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

Where gauging happens in Alicante

Most thickness work in Alicante is done at the berth. Ferries on the Algerian route have a few hours between arrival and departure, and between those the ramp, car deck and tank tops are accessible once the vehicles are gone. Cruise ships have their turnaround time, and the technical department can have selected spaces ventilated and tested. Cargo ships at the outer quays give longer stays and easier access to holds, decks and hatch covers, as long as the terminal agrees and the cargo plan leaves space clear.

There is no drydock for ocean-going ships in the harbour. Small craft, tugs and yachts are handled by local boatyards, but merchant ships needing steel renewal usually dock at Cartagena, Valencia or a yard further afield. This makes Alicante a good place to prepare the docking: readings taken here give the superintendent a measured scope to take to the yard, and the technicians can continue the work at the docking port if required. Anchorage jobs are possible for short sampling work when a launch and calm water are available.

• Ferry berths for Algeria and the islands — ramp, car-deck, ballast tank and fire main gauging between departures
• Cruise quays — voids, sea-water cooling lines and scrubber piping on turnaround days, as prepared by the technical department
• Outer cargo quays — hold frame, hatch coaming and deck readings on bulk carriers and general cargo ships
• Boatyards for tugs and small craft — hull plating readings before a haul-out or repair
• Alicante anchorage — short sampling jobs on coasters and bulkers waiting for a berth or orders
• Docking yards at Cartagena and Valencia — gauging started here continues alongside the docking survey

Port state control and shipping context for Alicante

Port state control is exercised in Alicante under the Paris MoU by the Capitanía Marítima, part of Spain's Dirección General de la Marina Mercante. Ferries on international routes to Algeria receive attention to structure, watertight integrity and fire safety, and corrosion of ballast tanks and piping can be recorded as a deficiency if a master cannot show measurements. Cruise ships and cargo vessels face the same checks, and recent thickness readings are a practical response when an inspector asks about condition.

EU measures add context for owners operating from Spanish waters. Ships calling at EU ports need an Inventory of Hazardous Materials under the Ship Recycling Regulation, and EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime shape decisions on energy and retrofits for ferry and cruise operators. The Algerian service is run with fairly mature tonnage, and operators look at how much steel will need to be renewed before committing to another season. Where a retrofit exposes structure that is normally closed up, taking readings at that moment can prevent a repeat visit to the same space later.

Since 1 May 2025 the whole Mediterranean has been a sulphur emission control area, so ships calling at Alicante 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 Alicante

A gauging job at Alicante runs the same way whatever the ship type. The sequence below is what the superintendent, the attending surveyor and the yard can expect from us.

Alicante-Elche Airport is a short road journey from the port and has wide European connections, plus routes through Gulf and other hubs that suit travel from India. The ship's agent arranges port passes for the ferry and cargo areas and a launch for any anchorage work. Schengen visas are required for the technicians, so send the vessel's dates as early as you can; once visas are issued we confirm mobilisation against the ship's timetable.

• 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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