Fire, flooding, and system failure remain some of the most serious risks at sea. For ship owners, managers, and marine inspectors, you need to be able to detect problems early without disrupting your operations. With over 30 years of experience, Coltraco Ultrasonics supports maritime safety across commercial fleets, navies, and offshore platforms. Today, 17% of the global fleet relies on our technology to maintain watertight integrity and fire suppression systems, improving overall reliability and long-term structural integrity.
Coltraco Ultrasonics is also a prominent player in the oil and gas industry, offering specialised ultrasonic testing products for Offshore Oil and gas platforms, refineries, petrochemical plants, and pipelines. Our advanced solutions are designed to enhance safety and operational efficiency across various materials, including steel and composite structures, in these critical sectors.
We are proud winners of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, in both 2019 and 2022.
The integrity of a watertight structure is critical; bulkheads and cable transits must operate as intended to allow for compartmentalisation in the event of water ingress. The maritime environment is prone to corrosion and deterioration of seals in watertight hatches and cable transits. Therefore, watertightness monitoring should be conducted regularly using a reliable and simple means of inspection.
Ultrasonic watertightness verification remains the single best method to achieve this, and its ease-of-use allows ships’ crews to periodically test all watertight and weathertight structures to maximise safety and detect failures at the earliest possible opportunity using ultrasonic testing.
The Portascanner® WATERTIGHT PLUS is a global market leader in ultrasonic integrity testing. Its ease-of-use, requiring a single operator with no modification to the watertight or weathertight structure, allows it to be quickly and regularly utilised to prevent water ingress. It provides fast and reliable detection of leaks at the exact point of failure.
CO2 systems provide an automated or remotely-operated response to the outbreak of fire on a ship to ensure that fires are contained and controlled. They do, however, have several limitations; notably that gaseous suppression systems have a required cylinder fill level to ensure operability. Since cylinders are filled to very high pressures in excess of 50 bar, they inevitably experience leakage. Therefore, CO2 fill must be verified in one of several ways to validate a system’s operability. The conventional method of doing this, weighing the cylinders, requires a cylinder to be manoeuvred and usually detached from the manifold in order to detect agent weight. IMO SOLAS FSS Code Chapter 5, 2.1.1.3 states:
‘Means shall be provided for the crew to safely check the quantity of the fire-extinguishing medium in the containers. It shall not be necessary to move the containers completely from their fixing position for this purpose.’
Ultrasonic monitoring solutions, such as the Portalevel® MAX MARINE PLUS, by removing the need to uninstall and manoeuvre cylinders to weigh them, minimise the risks associated with these procedures by providing a non-invasive measurement process. A cylinder does not need to be detached during the measurement process, meaning the fire suppression system experiences no downtime and continuous fire safety is assured. Consequently, ultrasonic monitoring solutions allow for the safest possible operation of a fire suppression system, guaranteed by a handheld device which requires significantly less manpower and is much quicker than other agent verification methods.
Nearly 40 years ago, Coltraco Ultrasonics recognised that fire and flooding are the primary causes of loss of life, ships, and cargo at sea, risks that persist today. The company has secured the installation of its watertight integrity testers and liquid level indicators on approximately 20% of the world’s shipping fleet. We pioneer watertight integrity and monitoring of marine fire suppression systems, aiding predictive maintenance and ongoing inspection strategies.
Our technologies draw upon nearly four decades of collaboration with the Royal Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, US Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Indian Navy. Our ultrasonic testing solutions are trusted by ship owners, managers, marine surveyors, ports, shipyards, and classification societies worldwide. Our UK-made instruments serve 20% of global ships, which carry 90% of world trade.
Both CO2 fill and weathertight integrity can be easily verified more frequently than the minimum mandated requirements. This allows the safe operation of a vessel to be more easily ensured than ever before. These principles underpin our status as a Safeship™ company in the maritime sector.
Our technology saves maritime companies time, reduces risk, and cuts costs by offering an accurate, reliable, and easy-to-use package for any crew member. Our maritime range of equipment ensures the protection of hatch covers, watertight doors, MCTs, compartments, pipework, hulls, bulkheads, tanks, sprinkler systems, and marine CO2 system installations through efficient and repeatable inspection processes.
With extensive experience working with industry leaders such as V Ships, BP Shipping, Wallem Ship Management, P&O, Moller Maersk, Anglo-Eastern Shipmanagement, Hapag Lloyd, FML, Eagle Bulk, OSM Maritime Ship Management Pte Ltd, K Line Shipping, Seateam Management, Thome Shipmanagement, Synergy Maritime Pvt Ltd, and Carisbrooke Shipping Ltd, we have a proven track record in enhancing maritime safety through advanced ultrasonic testing and non destructive testing solutions.
Alongside the maritime sector, Coltraco has a strong presence across the Oil and gas market sector and works with industry giants such as Shell, Perenco, Exxon Mobil, BP, Odebrecht Oil & Gas, Conoco Phillips, ENI, Transocean, Brunei Shell Petroleum, Maersk Oil, and Vermilion Oil & Gas. Coltraco Ultrasonics continues to set the standard for safety, reliability, and innovation.
Maritime ultrasonic testing is a form of non destructive testing that uses high-frequency sound waves, or ultrasound, to assess the condition of materials and systems onboard ships without compromising their structural integrity.
It is widely used to:
Unlike destructive testing, this method allows inspectors to evaluate equipment safely while it remains fully operational, reducing risk while maintaining continuous system availability.
In addition to leak detection and system verification, ultrasonic testing can also be used to measure material thickness across critical ship structures.
Using ultrasound, inspectors can assess the remaining thickness of steel, coatings, and other materials without removing them or causing damage. This is particularly useful in areas where corrosion or wear may reduce structural performance over time.
Typical applications include:
By identifying reductions in material thickness early, crews can take action before structural integrity is compromised.
This approach supports safer operations by enabling fast, repeatable inspection without the need for invasive methods or system downtime.
Enhance the safety and efficiency of your maritime and offshore operations with Coltraco Ultrasonics’ ultrasonic testing solutions. Our technologies are designed to protect your vessels and offshore platforms from the critical risks of sinking and fire while improving long-term reliability.
With decades of experience, we provide accurate, reliable, and user-friendly products that support safe operations across global fleets.
Contact Coltraco Ultrasonics today to discuss your Maritime Ultrasonic Testing requirements.
