CAP Hull is a voluntary, thorough verification of the actual condition of the hull

Purpose

CAP has been created out of a wish from ship owners to document the quality of their vessels beyond the scope of classification. CAP is an independent and thorough verification of the actual condition of a vessel at the time of inspection.

Benefits

The main benefits of CAP are:

• to have the vessel judged based on the actual condition on board rather than age.
• to contribute to protecting life, property and the environment and to ensure safest possible transportation of cargo.
• to establish a sound basis for decisions on repair or investments in order to extend the lifetime of the vessel.
• to document a vessel’s technical condition towards/in connection with: Charterers, cargo owners/or authorities in connection with entry into new charters or extension of existing charters, refinancing of the vessel, sale or termination of management agreements etc and ports and terminals.

Features

CAP is a quality tool for assessing the technical and functional condition of a vessel. While Class implies that the vessel has a technical standard equal to or better than a minimum standard, CAP describes and specifies the actual condition on board at the time of inspection and rates the vessel in accordance with a rating scale from 1 (best) to 4 (lowest). It is based upon detailed inspection and function testing, thickness and vibration measurements, analysis and calculations.

The programme is designed for tankers and bulk carriers older than 15 years, but may well be used for other types of tonnage and at any age. CAP is a consultancy service and is independent, yet complementary, to the classification process.

The CAP service provides:

• a sound basis for decisions on repair or investments in order to extend the lifetime of the vessel
• an assessment of the vessel according to actual condition on board rather than age
• documentation of the ship's technical condition towards/in connection with
  • underwriters
  • cargo owners and or authorities
  • refinancing or sale

The CAP deliverables contains:

• Fatigue Analysis report (optional for CAP Hull)
• statements of facts including particulars of the shipExecutive Summary of findings from inspection and analyses
• technical reports containing descriptions, observations, analysis and ratings
• photographic evidence where the average condition is reflected together with the extreme findings (best and worst) to verify the basis of the findings, detailed report on indicator diagrams, oil analysis and vibration measurement analysis.

Testimonials

Oil majors have recognised the DNV CAP services as one of the leading in the market.

Process

Input to CAP include the following:

• close-up inspection of hull structure
• inspection of cargo systems and machinery, including sampling of hydraulic- and lubricating oils from dedicated systems
• Ultrasonic Thickness Measurements (UTM) of hull structure and piping
• measurements of machinery performance and tests of systems
• vibration measurements

Normal duration for conducting a CAP is 8-12 weeks not including waiting time for access to ship, confirmation of cleared findings, receipt of final data etc. It is dependant on the availability of the vessel for inspections, etc.