HATCH COVER MAINTENANCE
The lack of hatch cover maintenance and/or improper repairs to hatch covers
has been shown to be the primary cause of water ingress into the cargo holds
which can lead to cargo damage. In addition to the financial and insurance
claims, there are other potentially more serious consequences that need to be
considered:
Fire – is the cargo being carried likely to self heat or combust when wet?
Accelerated corrosion – is the cargo being carried reactive to moisture
(e.g. sulphur)?
Loss of stability – is the cargo being carried prone to liquefaction when
wet?
Any one of the above could potentially lead to the loss of the vessel and
possible loss of life.
Through the Club’s condition programme and data taken from claims histories,
certain trends have been noted with regard to hatch cover maintenance or
rather the lack of maintenance and also the lack of awareness of ship staff to
the maintenance requirements. Unfortunately, there seems to be an ever-
increasing number of claims due to water ingress and the costs of such claims
are increasing. The aim of this guidance is to highlight the most common
defects and to emphasise the importance of proper maintenance routines. In
addition, it will discuss the safety considerations to be taken into account
when working on or operating ships hatch covers.
THE BASIC PROCEDURES
Hatch cover maintenance routines should be drawn up following the
manufacturer’s recommendations as well as taking into consideration
Classification Society requirements and the ship’s trading patterns. Ship staff
should be familiar with these requirements and checklists should be
developed to cover all the items to be checked/inspected at each stage and
these records need to be maintained.
Before the ship leaves port, all the weather deck hatch covers should be
closed properly and all locking devices secured. Regular checks should be
carried out on the security of the hatch covers whilst at sea and this is even
more important when heavy weather is expected, as it may not be possible
once the weather has deteriorated.
Only qualified personnel should operate the hatch covers. They should be
well-trained and be fully aware of the manufacturer’s procedures for the safe
operation of the hatch covers that have been fitted to their particular ship. A
proper risk assessment needs to be carried out and this needs to be reviewed
regularly and ship staff briefed and trained as to its contents.
Once opened, hatch covers should be secured properly, using the chain
stoppers, chocks or other devices recommended by the manufacturers. Hatch
openings should be well-illuminated and if there are guard rails and
stanchions fitted, these need to be fixed into place.
Special care and attention should be paid to opening and closing of the hatch
covers when the ship has an excessive trim or list. This is due to the
possibility of the covers “running away” when in motion.
It is not recommended to open the hatch covers whilst at sea to carry out
maintenance and repairs but there will be times when it is necessary. In such
cases, it must be carefully considered, taking into account crew safety and the
anticipated weather and sea conditions. It may be necessary to take additional
measures to secure the hatch covers in the open position to prevent them
moving when the ship is moving.
GENERAL MAINTENANCE AND ROUTINES
Continuous monitoring of the condition of the hatch covers and their sealing
arrangements is best done when the covers are being opened and closed
during operations. This continuous monitoring serves as an early warning and
hopefully will prevent the development of more serious problems.
There following is a list of the common defects found during ship inspections
and cargo damage investigations. This list is by no means exhaustive, it is a
list of inspection and maintenance items that should form part of the ship’s
regular routine.
1. Before closing the hatch covers, ensure that the hatch coamings and
double drainage channels are swept clean of any cargo debris. This will
ensure that the coaming drain non-return valve remains clear and free as
well as ensuring that no damage occurs to either the hatch cover rubber
packing or the compression bar. It will also ensure that there is no
obstruction to the correct and proper sealing of the hatch cover.
Hatch coaming not swept, cargo debris and
Hatch coaming drain completely blocked
rust still evident. Centreline joint closing
with debris and rust.
wedge showing severe wear.
2. Whilst cleaning, check for any damage to the coaming area, paying
particular attention to the compression bars, wheels, wheel tracks and
landing pads. Record details of any damages found for urgent or future
remedial repairs as required. If temporary repairs are required, it must be
ensured that these temporary measures are such that the ship’s cargo
worthiness will not be effected for the entirety of the voyage. Ensure that
the moving parts (wheels, cross joint hinges, hydraulic ram bearings etc.)
are greased at regular intervals.
Hatch cover guide wheel bearing failed – Mechanical damage to the compression bar
hatch cover will not close evenly and inner drain channel.
3. If the hatch cover design is such that the cover side panels and end plates
are in ‘steel to steel’ contact with the hatch coaming tops when in the
closed position, check whether the coaming tops are free from grooving or
wear. This would indicate worn hatch sealing rubbers.
4. Hatch cover landing pads should be maintained in a good condition at all
times, ensuring that any corrosion is dealt with in a timely manner and
that the pads are greased regularly.
5. Grooved, corroded or worn down landing pads are to be either built up
with welding and ground back to original dimensions or cropped off and
replaced in their entirety.
Corroded and wasted hatch cover landing pads.
6. Check for any rust streaks on the inside of the coaming which would
indicate water ingress from leaking hatch cover seals. Take remedial
action and repair the seal and clean off the rust streaks.
Evidence of water ingress at the cargo hold entrance hatch and the hatch coaming.
7. Check and clean the surface of the seals. This is particularly important if
the cargo being carried is gritty or dusty.
Hatch cover sealing rubbers
damaged and showing permanent
deformation beyond the
recommended limits. Rubber seal
channels severely corroded.
8. When cleaning the seals, check for signs of permanent deformation (a
useful general rule is 30% of the seal thickness). If sections of sealing
rubber are required to be replaced, the minimum length is 1m. However, it
is often better to replace a full length of sealing rubber to ensure effective
and even compression.
Silicone applied in an attempt
to effect proper sealing.
9. Hold access hatches and ventilation covers need to be carefully
scrutinised in the same manner as the hatch covers themselves, for signs
of damage to the sealing areas, securing arrangements etc.
10. The function of the cleats is to keep the hatch covers in position and
maintain the seal’s design compression. The excessive tightening of
cleats will not improve weather tightness but will lead to the accelerated
wear of the seals and the landing pads and could even distort the hatch
cover. Cleats and their snugs should be inspected for any damage,
ensure the rubber washer is intact and not perished and the tightening nut
is free to move.
Hatch securing cleat, seized and painted Cross joint cleat renewed but old perished
over. rubber still in use.
11. Standard adjustment of the hatch cleats is to tighten the nut hand tight
against the steel washer and then to further tighten by 360 degrees.
12. Hauling wires/chains need to be inspected for correct adjustment and
tension to avoid uneven seating and hatch cover distortion when closed.
Same class of vessel, same age, two different Owners, can you spot the difference?
CONCLUSION
It is evident from the results of the Club’s claims and survey programme that
hatch cover problems affect young and old ships. It is also important to
recognise that effective maintenance can be achieved at minimum cost by
both ship and shore staff implementing sound procedures and remaining alert
to maintenance issues while on board the ship.
