Tanker inspection and a risk-based approach

Inspections of tankers and VLCCs are difficult and costly due to the size of the area to be inspected Still, many. inspectors rely on their own experience to perform inspection, instead of using a systematic approach. Trying to develop a more effective inspection strategy, this paper first reviews the current practice of tanker inspection Past experience with fatigue and corrosion is discussed. Particularly, three fatigue-cracking trend analyses are summarized. The framework of a risk-based inspection strategy is then developed. The risk-based approach used two parameters, criticality and susceptibility, to rate the inspection priority so that structural details with higher risk receive more attention. This approach named priority assessment, should provide the basis for developing inspection strategies which could enhance the current practice.