Renewal Survey Gauging in Marseille, Fos and Lavéra

Where is renewal gauging done at Marseille, Fos and Lavéra?

In the city, the Chantier Naval de Marseille runs the repair docks, and Forme 10 takes the largest cruise ships and ferries. A docking there means the hull is dry from keel to waterline, tanks are open and the yard has staging up for its own work. The ferry and cruise berths in the eastern basins serve repairs afloat between voyages, but turnarounds are short and passenger operations come first, so gauging there is limited to spaces the chief engineer can release.

At Fos and Lavéra, the picture changes. Terminal safety rules govern ballast-tank entry during cargo operations, so owners prefer to gauge at the anchorage while the ship waits. LNG carriers at the Fos terminals follow the terminal's gas-safety rules, and container and dry-bulk terminals allow short, defined jobs. For ships needing the dock, the yard in the city is the natural next step, so a plan often spans both sides of the port.

• Forme 10, Chantier Naval de Marseille: full docking gauging on cruise ships, ferries and large merchant ships
• Other repair docks and quays in the city basins: ro-pax ferries and smaller ships, afloat or in dock
• Fos anchorage: launch-served gauging on tankers and bulk carriers waiting for a berth
• Lavéra and Fos oil berths: ballast tanks and deck on tankers, under the terminal's permit rules
• Fos LNG terminals: ballast tanks and hull structure on LNG carriers, within gas-safety rules

How is gauging scoped for a ship waiting at Fos or docking at Forme 10?

For a Forme 10 docking the scope follows the class programme plus the yard's schedule. We ask for tank cleaning and gas-freeing dates, staging erection plans and the order in which tanks will be opened, then arrange gauging so each space is measured as soon as it is released, before blasting or steel crews take over. Bottom shell and sea chests are done early, while the dock is dry and lit.

For an anchored tanker, the scope is the set of spaces already prepared: empty ballast tanks, deck plating and deck piping. Cargo tanks wait for the docking. Because a ship may be called to berth at short notice, the plan has an order of priority, so the most important tanks are done first. LNG carriers are measured only in spaces released under the terminal's gas rules, and the plan states which areas are not accessible.

Safety rules shape the day. In Forme 10 the yard runs blasting, painting, hot work and staging erection at once, so we agree each day's gauging areas with the foreman and the ship's officer, and keep clear of any space under blasting. At Fos, terminal permits, gas test results and the master's agreement are checked before every entry, and a second person always stays at the tank access.

How to plan the job around a Forme 10 slot or a Fos berth line-up?

Forme 10 slots are fixed well ahead, so contact us when the yard confirms. We then apply for Schengen visas and arrange travel to Marseille Provence Airport, from where both the city docks and Fos are reachable by road. For anchored ships the planning is looser: we follow the ETA, the berth line-up and the weather forecast, and keep flights flexible.

Send the ship's name, class, age, survey type, the docking yard and dates, last thickness reports and the spaces that will be ready. Tell us who will attend for the owner and class. The ship's agent arranges gate passes and, at Fos, launch boats, and we agree who confirms each morning's weather decision. For a ship that will anchor first and dock afterwards, one mobilisation can cover both.

How the job runs at Marseille

Most of the work on a Marseille job happens before the team boards: scope, plan and access are settled first, so the time on board goes on measurement.

• 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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