Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement for Ships in Portugal

Where ships are gauged in Portugal

Lisbon is the natural centre of Portuguese ship work. Ships work cargo on the river berths, anchor in the Tagus, or move across to the Setúbal peninsula, where the long-established Lisnave yard at Mitrena has handled large tankers and bulk carriers for decades. For a superintendent, gauging in the estuary before the move to the dock is the ordinary sequence: measure, agree the steel list, then dock.

Sines, further south, is the country's deep-water port. It takes crude and product tankers at its liquid terminals, a large container operation and bulk cargoes, and ships there are often waiting for a berth or passing along the coast, which suits an anchorage or alongside gauging slot. Leixões serves the Porto region from its protected harbour, with tankers, bulk carriers and container feeders. Aveiro, Figueira da Foz and Viana do Castelo are smaller coastal ports handling short-sea cargo and project work.

Funchal on Madeira and Ponta Delgada in the Azores sit far out in the Atlantic and see mostly cruise ships, ferries, cargo and fuel supply vessels. Gauging there is practical for ships that cannot wait for the next mainland call, but it depends on the ship's stay and the weather.

Port state control and the rules that apply

Portugal is a Paris MoU state, and port state control is carried out under the national maritime administration, the Direção-Geral de Recursos Naturais, Segurança e Serviços Marítimos, working through the port authorities. Older tankers and bulk carriers with visible structural wastage draw the inspector's attention first, and arriving with current gauging and a renewal plan changes the conversation at the gangway.

Because Portuguese waters are not inside a sulphur emission control area, fuel sulphur is governed by the global limit under MARPOL Annex VI, regulation 14. Ships that still run scrubbers do so for fuel economics, and ships bound for the North Sea or the Mediterranean often cross Portuguese waters on the way. As an EU state, Portugal applies the EU Ship Recycling Regulation to the ships that fly its flag or call under EU rules, so owners of ageing ships weighing a sale for recycling often want a recent steel assessment first.

Planning a Portuguese gauging job from India

The team travels from India for each job. Portugal is a Schengen state, so the technicians need Schengen visas, and the application timeline is set by the consulate, not by us. We ask for the ship's agent and the expected arrival and sailing dates early, and we plan the mobilisation to follow the ship's firm schedule once the visas are in hand. Work at Portuguese ports goes through the ship's agent, who arranges gangway access, port security passes and, where the berth demands it, hot work and safe entry permits.

For work in tanks, the ship supplies gas-free certificates and ventilation, and the team brings calibrated gauges and a thickness measurement plan marked against the ship's drawings. Readings, photographs and a steel renewal estimate are reported to the superintendent once the survey is finished, with preliminary readings shared during the job on request.

Port pages in Portugal

There are 9 Portugal port pages: Lisbon, Sines, Leixões, Aveiro, Figueira da Foz, Viana do Castelo, Funchal, Ponta Delgada, Setúbal. Each covers the ships that call, the yards and berths where gauging happens, the port state control picture and the jobs we see there; the links are under "In this section" below.

Frequently asked questions

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