Maritime inspection · Italy
Hull Thickness Measurement in Livorno for Ro-Ro Ships, Ferries and Car Carriers
Livorno is the main Tuscan port and one of the busiest ro-ro harbours in the Mediterranean, with ferry lines to the islands and Spain, car carriers, containers, forest products and an oil terminal. Many of its ships are on regular loops, so work can be repeated and planned. Atlantis NDT sends technicians from India to the ship and arranges the readings around her turnaround.
Ro-ro decks and ramps on regular loops
Livorno handles a large flow of ro-ro and ro-pax ships. Vehicle decks, ramps, stern doors and ballast spaces can be gauged between loading cycles, and repeated on later calls to follow wastage.
Car carriers and project vessels
New vehicles and heavy rolling cargo pass over the quays. Car decks on pure car and truck carriers, with their lightweight steel and moving ramps, are a common gauging target.
Oil terminal and tanker calls
Tankers calling at the oil facilities can have deck structure, deck piping and released ballast tanks measured during the call, giving owners data ahead of a vetting inspection or a sale.
Inspection services for ships at Livorno
Each service has its own page with the method, the class requirements and what the report contains.
Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement (UTM)
Hull, tank, deck and bulkhead gauging recorded on the class thickness-measurement formats, with sketches and corrosion flagged against the allowable margins.
ExploreSpecial Survey Thickness Measurement
Gauging for the 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25-year special (renewal) surveys and intermediate surveys, plus pre-docking steel estimates.
ExploreCAS (Condition Assessment Scheme)
Thickness measurement and survey support for the IMO Condition Assessment Scheme, and what CAS asks of an older tanker today.
ExploreCAP Thickness Measurement
Gauging and close-up survey data for a Condition Assessment Programme, the voluntary class service charterers ask for on older tankers and bulk carriers.
ExploreESP Gauging
Thickness measurement and close-up survey support for oil tankers, chemical tankers and bulk carriers under the ESP Code.
ExploreHull Structural Integrity
Substantial and excessive corrosion, pitting, grooving, buckling and fatigue cracks, with magnetic particle and penetrant crack detection.
ExploreShip Piping Inspection
Wall-thickness gauging of cargo, ballast, fuel, sea-water and fire-main piping, with minimum-wall checks and isometric sketches.
ExploreScrubber Piping Inspection
EGCS wash-water and overboard discharge piping, the hull penetration area and scrubber welds, checked between dockings.
ExploreIHM (Inventory of Hazardous Materials)
IHM Part I surveys, sampling and maintenance for the EU Ship Recycling Regulation and the Hong Kong Convention.
ExploreMarine NDT Services
Every NDT method we use on ships, from visual inspection and MPI to PAUT and ACFM, chosen by the defect you are looking for.
ExploreThe Port of Livorno: ro-ro lines, vehicle trades and an old harbour
Livorno lies on the Ligurian Sea coast of Tuscany, a short distance south of Pisa, and is the lead port of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea port system, which also covers Piombino and the Elba ports. The harbour is large and layered: an old Medici port near the city, an outer harbour protected by long breakwaters, the Darsena Toscana container basin and a number of ro-ro and multipurpose berths. Livorno is Tuscany's gateway for cargo and a significant European port for ro-ro and vehicle traffic.
The traffic mix is broad. Ro-pax and ro-ro ships connect Livorno with Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily and Spain, often on overnight schedules. Pure car and truck carriers load and discharge large numbers of vehicles, and forest products, steel and general cargo move through the multipurpose berths. Container ships work the Darsena Toscana, and tankers call at the oil facilities serving the refinery and storage areas to the north of the port. Cruise ships use the passenger quays for visits to Pisa and Florence, and a yard sector in the old harbour supports repair work and yacht construction.
Livorno offers more planning room than most ro-ro ports, because ships on regular loops spend predictable hours alongside, and because the port has repair capacity of its own. That makes staged gauging realistic: one block of spaces on the first call, another on the next, with the readings merged into a single report. Open-coast weather is the main hazard. A strong libeccio can bring a swell into the outer harbour and the roadstead, and wind can slow cargo and launch operations. Large ships may wait offshore for a berth, and those waits can be used for condition gauging at the anchorage, subject to sea state.
Ro-ro berths, repair yards and anchorage for gauging at Livorno
Most gauging in Livorno is carried out alongside. On ro-ro ships, vehicle decks, ramps, internal ramps, stern and side doors and the voids below are the usual targets, with the crew agreeing which decks can be cleared for access. On car carriers, the lightweight decks and their supports are measured, and ballast tanks released by the officers can be done during the same call. Container ships at the Darsena Toscana allow a defined block of work in ballast tanks, hatch covers and piping while cargo handling continues.
The old harbour area has repair berths and graving docks used for mid-sized ships, as well as yards that build and refit yachts, and a ship planning a docking can be gauged afloat in advance, with a plan for the dock. Tankers at the oil berths are limited by cargo operations and permits, and cargo tank interiors need gas-free certification, so full cargo tank gauging is better in a yard stay. Ships waiting in the roadstead are reached by launch through the agent, and the technicians travel with their own gauges and crack detection kit, so no shore equipment is required.
- Ro-ro and ro-pax berths: vehicle deck, ramp, stern door and ballast tank gauging between loading cycles
- Car carrier quays: car deck plating, supports, ramps and ballast tank readings during vehicle handling
- Darsena Toscana container terminal: ballast tank, hatch cover and piping gauging within the cargo window
- Oil berths: deck, deck piping and released ballast tank gauging on tankers during discharge
- Repair berths and docks in the old harbour: afloat or in-dock gauging ahead of and during steel renewal
- Roadstead off Livorno: pre-purchase and charter condition gauging by launch, subject to swell
Thickness measurement through the survey cycle at Livorno
Class rules set the survey cycle, and the cycle sets how much gauging a ship needs. A superintendent planning a call at Livorno usually knows which survey is due; the table shows what the thickness measurement for each one typically involves. The exact extent comes from the class rules for the ship type and the surveyor attending, so the thickness measurement programme is agreed with the class before work starts.
| Survey | When it falls | What the thickness measurement usually covers |
|---|---|---|
| Annual survey | Every year, within three months of the anniversary date | General examination. Gauging where the surveyor finds suspect areas or where substantial corrosion was recorded at an earlier survey. |
| Intermediate survey | In place of the second or third annual survey | Suspect areas, and on older ships and ESP ships selected ballast and cargo spaces with close-up survey; the extent grows with age. |
| Renewal survey No. 1 | Around 5 years | The first full baseline: suspect areas and selected plating and stiffeners, usually with modest steel renewal. |
| Renewal survey No. 2 | Around 10 years | Wider gauging of deck, bottom and side plating, transverse sections across the cargo area on ESP ships, and more close-up survey. |
| Renewal survey No. 3 | Around 15 years | Extensive gauging of cargo and ballast tank structure and more transverse sections. The survey most likely to turn up steel renewal. |
| Renewal survey No. 4 and later | Around 20 and 25 years | Gauging extended to most structural members in cargo and ballast spaces. Charterers often add a Condition Assessment Programme. |
| Docking survey | Twice in each five-year period | Bottom and side shell, sea chests, rudder and stern area while the hull is dry; suspect bottom plating gauged. |
Tuscan trades, port state control and the ro-ro fleet
Italy is a Paris MoU state, and port state control at Livorno is carried out by the Guardia Costiera, the Italian Coast Guard, through the local Capitaneria di Porto. Ro-ro and ro-pax ships get close attention, and visible wastage on vehicle decks, ramps or door seatings is a common source of deficiencies. The Mediterranean SOx emission control area applies here, so ferries and larger ships run compliant fuel or scrubbers, and scrubber piping becomes an inspection item on regular loops.
The ro-ro and car carrier fleet includes many older ships, and owners weigh refits against replacement as EU carbon rules bite. Shipping has been inside the EU Emissions Trading System since 2024, and FuelEU Maritime has applied from 2025. A recent gauging record helps an owner decide, and helps a buyer see what steel work lies ahead. Ships calling at EU ports are also expected to carry an Inventory of Hazardous Materials under the Ship Recycling Regulation. We confirm with each client whether readings are intended for a surveyor, for an owner's own decision, for a charterer or for a sale, because the report format follows that purpose.
Since 1 May 2025 the whole Mediterranean has been a sulphur emission control area, so ships calling at Livorno 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.
Typical thickness gauging jobs in Livorno
Livorno requests tend to come from ferry and ro-ro operators, car carrier managers and tanker owners. Many ships return to the same berth, so staged programmes are common. We settle scope, spaces and report format with the superintendent before the team travels, and plan around the loading schedule. Typical requests include:
- Vehicle deck, ramp and stern door gauging on a ro-pax ferry between rotations, ahead of a winter docking.
- Car deck and ballast tank gauging on a pure car and truck carrier, mapped against the previous special survey.
- Scrubber overboard piping and sea-water line readings on a ferry across several consecutive calls to trend wall loss.
- Deck piping and released ballast tank gauging on a product tanker at the oil berths ahead of a vetting inspection.
- Pre-purchase condition gauging of a multipurpose ship in the roadstead, limited to spaces the crew can make safe.
How a thickness measurement job runs at Livorno
The sequence for a thickness measurement job at Livorno is short and written down, so the yard, the surveyor and the superintendent know who arranges what.
Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport is the nearest airport to Livorno and is linked to the city by road and rail, with Florence and Genoa as alternatives for longer-haul connections. Technicians travelling from India normally connect through a European or Gulf hub. Italy is part of the Schengen area, so Schengen visas are needed and dates are fixed once they are issued. The ship's agent arranges ISPS passes, quay access and any launch for ships waiting offshore.
- 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.
Who does the work, and when class approval applies
We send the team from India to the ship for each job rather than keeping staff at the port, and plan the mobilisation around visas and the vessel's itinerary. The work is planned and supervised by the founder, our Responsible NDT Level III (ASNT NDT Level III in UT, RT, MT, PT and VT, with more than eleven years of international field experience). Technicians hold certification under the company's written practice to ASNT SNT-TC-1A; Atlantis is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified.
Thickness measurement that a classification society credits to a class survey has to be carried out by a firm approved by that society under IACS UR Z17. Atlantis is in the process of obtaining UR Z17 approval from DNV, Lloyd's Register and ABS. Until a certificate is issued, the readings we take are for the owner's own decisions, not for credit to a class survey, so tell us the vessel's class and the survey due when you enquire and we set the scope for the right purpose. Owner's and charterer's condition gauging, pre-docking steel estimates, pre-purchase and on-hire or off-hire gauging, and scrubber and piping condition checks between surveys do not need class approval.
Governing codes and standards
- IACS UR Z7 hull classification surveys
- IACS UR Z10.1 to Z10.5 (oil tankers, bulk carriers, chemical tankers, double-hull and double-skin ships)
- IACS UR Z17 approval of service suppliers
- SOLAS chapter XI-1 regulation 2 and the 2011 ESP Code
- MARPOL Annex VI regulation 14 and the 2021 EGCS Guidelines (MEPC.340(77))
- The rules of the vessel's classification society
What you receive
- Thickness measurement report on the class formats, with sketches
- Summary of substantial and excessive corrosion against allowable margins
- Pitting and grooving records with depth and extent
- Piping wall-thickness tables with isometric sketches
- Magnetic particle or penetrant crack-detection reports
- Gauge calibration records and technician certificates
Industries served
- Ro-pax and ro-ro ferries
- Ro-ro cargo ships
- Pure car and truck carriers
- Container ships
- Product tankers
- Forest product and general cargo ships
- Cruise ships
- Tugs and workboats
Frequently asked questions
Can a ro-pax ferry be gauged between sailings at Livorno?
Yes. Between rotations we measure vehicle decks, ramps, doors and the tanks and voids the crew can open. Where a ferry returns to the same berth regularly, a larger scope is split across several calls and compiled into one report for the surveyor or the owner.
What is gauged on a car carrier?
The lightweight car decks and their supports, ramps, ballast tanks and deck piping. Moving ramps and salt-laden decks wear in specific ways, so we agree with the superintendent which decks can be cleared and take readings in a grid that can be compared at the next survey.
Is there a drydock in Livorno for a docking survey?
The old harbour has repair berths and docks that suit mid-sized ships, while larger ships often go to yards elsewhere on the Mediterranean. Whichever the owner chooses, afloat gauging beforehand gives the yard a steel estimate, and our technicians can join the docking to finish the survey.
Can gauging be done on a ship waiting offshore?
Yes, when the sea allows. A launch from the agent takes the technicians to the ship, and a libeccio swell can stop boarding. We plan a spare day, and if the ship is due to berth we may move the work alongside.
Does thickness measurement at Livorno need class approval?
Thickness measurement that a classification society credits to a class survey has to be carried out by a firm approved by that society under IACS UR Z17. Atlantis is in the process of obtaining UR Z17 approval from DNV, Lloyd's Register and ABS. Until a certificate is issued, the readings we take are for the owner's own decisions, not for credit to a class survey, so tell us the vessel's class and the survey due when you enquire and we set the scope for the right purpose. Owner's and charterer's condition gauging, pre-docking steel estimates, pre-purchase and on-hire or off-hire gauging, and scrubber and piping condition checks between surveys do not need class approval.
Planning a survey or a drydock?
Send the vessel name or IMO number, the class, the survey due and the port. We reply with the scope, the mobilisation plan and a quote for that vessel.
Request a QuoteRequest a ship gauging quote
Send the vessel name or IMO number, the class society, the survey due and the port. We reply with the scope, the mobilisation plan and a quote for that vessel.
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