Maritime inspection · Italy
Savona and Vado Ligure: Hull Thickness Measurement for Cruise, Container and Reefer Ships
Savona and Vado Ligure sit side by side on the Ligurian riviera and work as one port: a cruise terminal in the city, a container and reefer terminal at Vado, and ro-ro and tanker berths along the coast. Ships here are mostly on fixed rotations, so gauging can be planned and repeated. Atlantis NDT sends technicians from India to the ship and arranges the readings around her call.
Cruise ships on a weekly pattern
Lines that call at the Savona cruise terminal return on a regular rhythm. Scrubber piping, sea-water lines and void spaces can be measured on one turnaround and rechecked on the next, building a trend instead of a single snapshot.
Reefer and container calls at Vado
Fruit and refrigerated cargo ships work the Vado quays, as do container ships on regional services. Holds, tank tops, hatch covers and ballast tanks can be gauged within the cargo window.
Two ports, one mobilisation
Savona and Vado are minutes apart by road. A team arriving for one ship can usually serve another in the same system, and Genoa and La Spezia lie a short journey along the coast.
Inspection services for ships at Savona
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 Savona-Vado port system on the western Ligurian coast
Savona and Vado Ligure lie a short distance apart on the Riviera di Ponente, west of Genoa, and are managed together with Genoa and other nearby ports by the Western Ligurian Sea port authority. Savona, the older port, holds the passenger quays and a mix of general cargo berths below the city and its old fortress. Vado Ligure, a little to the south-west, has the newer deep-water terminals built outward from the shoreline, with a container terminal, a refrigerated cargo terminal and ro-ro berths. Oil and bulk berths lie along the same stretch of coast.
The traffic is varied but regular. Cruise ships use Savona as a calling and turnaround port for Mediterranean itineraries, and the terminal there has long been associated with large cruise operators. Container ships on feeder and short-sea services call at Vado, usually on liner schedules. Reefers bring bananas and other fruit to the refrigerated terminal, and ro-ro ships carry vehicles and trailers across the western Mediterranean. Some tanker and bulk calls complete the picture, along with small coastal craft. The mix means that a superintendent can find a ship of almost any type here, though in short calls rather than long stays.
The coast helps and hinders. Vado's deep water allows large container ships and reefers to berth without tide restrictions, and Savona's cruise berths are close to the city and the station, which simplifies access for people and equipment. The port lies open to southerly weather, and a strong sirocco or libeccio can bring swell to the outer areas and disrupt launch operations at the anchorage. In winter the cruise programme thins out, and berths at Savona free up for technical stops and lay-by periods, which are good windows for more systematic gauging of passenger ships with scrubber installations.
Cruise berths, Vado terminals and anchorage for gauging
Gauging at Savona is mostly done alongside the cruise terminal. A cruise ship in port for a turnaround day gives the technical department time to open pump rooms, sea chests and void spaces, and the scrubber system can be inspected from the engine room to the shell outlet. When a ship returns weekly, the programme is divided into daily blocks and results are gathered into one report. In the winter, longer stays can allow a deeper programme including tanks and structural voids.
At Vado, gauging fits around cargo handling. On a reefer, the usual targets are ballast tanks, deck structure, hatch coamings and piping, with insulated holds limiting access to the shell from inside. On a container ship, the scope depends on how many hours the ship will spend alongside, and ballast tanks, hatch covers, voids and scrubber lines are the usual candidates. Ro-ro ships can be gauged on vehicle decks and ramps between loads. Ships at the anchorage off the coast are reached by launch through the agent, subject to weather. The nearest drydocks for a full survey are in Genoa, so many ships use Savona or Vado to collect data ahead of a docking there.
- Savona cruise terminal: scrubber wash-water and overboard piping, sea-water lines and void spaces on passenger ships during turnaround days
- Vado container terminal: ballast tank, hatch cover and piping gauging within the cargo window
- Vado refrigerated cargo berths: deck structure, ballast tanks and piping on reefers, with agreed limits on insulated holds
- Ro-ro berths: vehicle deck, ramp and ballast tank gauging between loading cycles
- Offshore anchorage on the riviera coast: pre-purchase and charter condition gauging by launch
- Genoa drydocks, a short journey east: where readings from Savona and Vado feed into the docking scope
Thickness measurement through the survey cycle at Savona
Every renewal survey asks for more thickness measurement than the last, and for oil tankers, chemical tankers and bulk carriers the ESP Code adds close-up survey on top. The table is the usual shape of the work; the class rules and the surveyor set the exact extent, which is why the measurement plan for a job at Savona is agreed in writing before mobilisation.
| 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. |
Italian port state control and the Ligurian trades
Italy is a member of the Paris MoU, and port state control on foreign ships at Savona and Vado is carried out by the Guardia Costiera, the Italian Coast Guard, through the local Capitaneria di Porto. Passenger ships and older ro-ro tonnage are examined with care, and a recent thickness record on vehicle decks, voids and ballast spaces helps an owner show that wastage is monitored. The Mediterranean SOx emission control area has applied since 1 May 2025, which is why cruise ships with scrubbers run their systems here and why the wash-water pipework is a regular subject of gauging.
The Ligurian ports have an unusually concentrated shipping community. Cruise lines, ship managers and insurers are based in the region, and decisions about dockings and refits are often made within a short distance of the ship. EU carbon rules add to the pressure: the Emissions Trading System has included shipping since 2024, and FuelEU Maritime applies from 2025. An owner weighing a refit against a replacement benefits from an accurate record of steel condition. For ships that trade into EU ports, the Ship Recycling Regulation also requires an Inventory of Hazardous Materials, which sits alongside gauging in the technical file. We confirm with each owner what the readings are for, whether a surveyor's report, an owner's decision or a sale.
Since 1 May 2025 the whole Mediterranean has been a sulphur emission control area, so ships calling at Savona 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 at Savona and Vado
Most requests come from cruise operators and managers of container and reefer ships who need defined readings during a regular call. Because the same ships return, we often plan a programme across several visits and deliver a single combined report. Scope, spaces and permits are agreed with the superintendent before the team travels. Typical requests include:
- Scrubber wash-water, overboard and sea-water piping gauging on a cruise ship across consecutive Savona turnarounds, with a trend of wall loss between calls.
- Ballast tank and hatch cover gauging on a container ship at Vado, closing out a surveyor's note from the last annual survey.
- Deck structure and ballast tank readings on a reefer at the refrigerated terminal, agreed around the limits of insulated holds.
- Vehicle deck and ramp gauging on a ro-ro ship between loading cycles, ahead of a docking at Genoa.
- Pre-purchase condition gauging of a multipurpose ship at the anchorage, limited to spaces the crew can make safe.
How a thickness measurement job runs at Savona
A gauging job at Savona 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.
Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport is the closest major airport to Savona and Vado, and Nice or Milan are alternatives for longer-haul connections. Technicians from India usually connect through a European hub and complete the journey by road or rail along the coast. Italy is in the Schengen area, so Schengen visas are required, and dates are fixed once they are issued. Terminal passes and launch bookings are arranged through the ship's agent.
- 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
Atlantis mobilises its inspection team from India to the vessel, for each job. There is no office or agent at the port; the team travels to the ship, which is why the planning step comes first. Work is planned and supervised by our Responsible NDT Level III, the founder, who holds ASNT NDT Level III in UT, RT, MT, PT and VT and has more than eleven years of international field experience. Technicians are qualified and certified under the company's written practice to ASNT SNT-TC-1A, and Atlantis is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
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
- Cruise ships
- Container ships on feeder and short-sea services
- Reefer ships carrying fruit
- Ro-ro cargo ships and car carriers
- Product tankers
- Bulk carriers
- General cargo and multipurpose ships
Frequently asked questions
Can scrubber piping on a cruise ship be gauged during a Savona turnaround?
Yes. A turnaround day usually gives enough time to measure wash-water, overboard and sea-water lines, with access arranged through the engine department. For a ship that returns weekly, we split a larger programme across several visits and combine the readings into one report.
What can be gauged on a reefer at Vado?
Ballast tanks, deck structure, hatch coamings and piping are accessible during the cargo window. Insulated holds limit inside access to the shell, so we agree with the owner which areas can be reached and whether readings from outside during a docking will be needed.
Is there a drydock at Savona or Vado for a renewal survey?
Large dockings are normally done at yards in Genoa or elsewhere in the Mediterranean. Gauging at Savona or Vado is useful beforehand because it gives the chosen yard a steel estimate, and our technicians can travel on to the yard to complete the survey.
How does weather affect anchorage work off Savona?
A southerly blow can build swell along the riviera and stop launch boarding. We include a spare day for anchorage jobs, and where the ship is about to berth we may suggest doing the gauging alongside instead.
Does thickness measurement at Savona 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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