Thickness Gauging in Almería: Hull Surveys for Ferries and Bulk Ships

Inspection services for ships at Almería

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

Where UTM happens in Almería

Gauging in Almería is nearly always done alongside. Passenger ferries sit at the passenger terminal between rotations, with their ramps lowered and car decks empty, and that is the most convenient time to read ramp plating, deck structure and the tank tops below. Bulk ships at the commercial quays discharge or load and then wait for documents, and during those gaps the cleaned holds can be opened for frame, bulkhead and coaming readings, provided the loading plan allows it and the terminal permits entry.

There is no drydock in the port for deep-sea tonnage. Smaller harbour craft and fishing boats are looked after by local workshops and slipways, but ships of any size that need steel renewal go elsewhere, usually to Cartagena, the Bay of Cádiz or Gibraltar. For these ships the Almería stop is the time to build a measured picture of the structure, so the owner knows what to expect before approaching a yard. Gauging ships at anchor is only realistic for short checks, and depends on launch access and sea state.

• Passenger terminal berths for the African ferries — ramp, car-deck, ballast tank and piping gauging between rotations
• Commercial quays handling stone, gypsum and cement — hold frame, hopper, coaming and deck readings on bulk carriers once holds are clean
• General cargo berths — hull, tween deck and hatch cover gauging on coasters during short cargo stops
• Bunkering and tanker berths — deck, pump room and ballast tank readings on small product tankers, under terminal permit rules
• Almería Bay anchorage — short sampling jobs on ships waiting for cargo orders, subject to sea state and launch access
• Nearest drydocks at Cartagena, Cádiz and Gibraltar — gauging started here can be completed beside the docking survey

Port state control and the trades around Almería

Port state control at Almería falls under the Paris MoU and is carried out by Spain's Capitanía Marítima, part of the Dirección General de la Marina Mercante. Inspectors give particular attention to ships on older tonnage and to ferries working busy short routes, and their questions often come back to structural wastage, hatch cover condition and the state of ballast and fire-fighting piping. Measured thickness readings are the answer when a master has to show that steel is within limits.

Several EU rules shape owner decisions. The Ship Recycling Regulation asks ships calling at EU ports to carry an Inventory of Hazardous Materials, EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime put a cost of carbon on voyages into and out of Spain, and old tonnage trading to Africa is under steady pressure to justify its steel. The Almería hinterland produces stone, horticultural goods and minerals, and the port's bulk and ro-ro business grows or shrinks with them. A ship on a frequent North Africa rotation can accumulate wear quickly in its ramps and decks, and regular gauging between dockings keeps surprises away from the survey.

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

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

The nearest international airport is Almería, with seasonal links to European cities; most technicians from India fly via Madrid or another European hub and reach the port by road or a domestic flight. Málaga and Alicante airports are alternatives with wider connections. The ship's agent arranges port passes and a launch for any anchorage job. Schengen visas are required, so please send the vessel's dates as early as possible; once visas are issued we confirm the mobilisation against the ship's schedule.

• 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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