Ship Thickness Measurement at the Port of Vlorë, Albania

Inspection services for ships at Vlorë

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

Where gauging is practical at Vlorë

Most gauging at Vlorë happens alongside. Ships at the commercial quay can open their holds once discharged and let the technicians read hatch covers, coamings, frames and deck plating, with ballast tanks added when the crew has made them safe. Tankers discharging fuel products allow deck and deck piping gauging within the terminal's safety rules, and the ferry berth gives access between crossings. The ship's agent arranges port passes and coordinates with the berth operator, and the plan is adjusted around cargo operations and weather.

At the anchorage, a launch carries the team from the shore to the ship. This is how most pre-purchase, on-hire and off-hire checks are done when a ship waits for a berth or is between employments. When a ship needs a docking the owner will choose a yard abroad, and the technicians can follow the ship there if needed. Shipbuilding and repair capacity in Albania is concentrated elsewhere along the coast and is not suited to full class dockings of merchant ships of any size.

• Commercial quay at Vlorë: holds, hatch covers and ballast tanks on small cargo ships after discharge
• Liquid cargo berth: deck, deck piping and manifold area gauging on small tankers within terminal rules
• Ferry berth: vehicle deck, ramp and stern door gauging on the Brindisi service between crossings
• Vlorë Bay anchorage: launch-borne condition gauging for pre-purchase, charter and off-hire checks
• Follow-on yard dockings abroad: full docking programmes in Greece, Italy or Montenegro after a gauging record at Vlorë

Regulatory and EU context for ships at Vlorë

Albania is not among the Paris MoU's member states, so the regime a ship meets on its Albanian call is national, while the Italian and Greek ports at the end of its usual routes are covered by Paris MoU targeting. Ships on the Brindisi ferry service and cargo ships trading through the Strait of Otranto are therefore inspected at their next EU port under a regime that looks closely at structure, so owners of older tonnage tend to gauge known weak areas between dockings rather than leave them for an inspector to find.

Albania is a candidate for EU membership but not yet a member, which means voyages between Vlorë and EU ports carry part of their emissions under EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime. Owners of older general cargo ships and ferries weigh that alongside steel condition when deciding whether to renew or sell. Gauging records support the decision and the sales file. Entry rules for visiting technicians are Albanian, not Schengen, and we check what applies to Indian citizens at the start of each enquiry.

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

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

Tirana International Airport is the main gateway, with a road transfer south to Vlorë, and Corfu and Brindisi are alternatives for arrivals by sea or air. The ship's agent arranges port passes, quay access and a launch for ships at anchor. Albania applies its own visa rules, which are different from the Schengen system, so we check the current position for Indian technicians when an enquiry arrives and plan around the lead time instead of assuming the answer.

• 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.

Related