Ship maintenance

Regular maintenance and repair of ships

Regular maintenance and repairs carried out during the service life of a ship to maintain good technical condition. Ships with a classification (see classification society) must also be regularly inspected by a survey agency to maintain their classification. Annual repairs are generally carried out in conjunction with annual inspections (see ship inspections), where surveyors conduct general exterior inspections of the hull, safety, life-saving, firefighting, lifting and other equipment, as well as more than 20 items such as power plants, electrical and communication navigation equipment. Defects are discovered and repairs are carried out to ensure that the ship can maintain safe sailing technical conditions before the next annual repair. Voyage repairs, also known as voyage repairs, are carried out by shipyards who send personnel to ships docked at docks, anchorages, or during navigation before annual repairs or repairs, to assist crew members in troubleshooting temporary faults and ensure the continuous operation of the ship.