PSC deficiency code 02106: Hull damage impairing seaworthiness
Code 02106 is written when damage to the hull is serious enough to affect the ship's seaworthiness: cracks, holes, buckled plating or frames, or damage from contact, grounding or heavy weather. It's a structural finding, and the ship's class society is almost always part of how it gets closed.
What the inspector looks at
The inspector sees the hull from the quay, from the deck and sometimes from inside tanks and holds when access is given.
- shell plating above the waterline: indents, cracks, holes, especially near contact areas
- frames, stiffeners and brackets in holds and accessible tanks
- deck plating, hatch coamings and deck fittings showing cracks
- recent damage, and whether it was reported to class and flag
- temporary repairs: doubler plates, cement boxes, and whether class has accepted them
Common findings
- Side shell plating holed above waterline in way of No. 3 hold
- Crack in side shell / deck plating
- Indent with fracture after berthing contact, not reported to class
- Frames detached / buckled in cargo hold
- Temporary repair (doubler / cement box) without class approval
- Wastage of shell plating resulting in perforation
The rule behind it
Hull structure requirements come from SOLAS chapter II-1 and the class rules the ship is built and maintained to. The International Convention on Load Lines requires the structure to be kept in a condition that supports the assigned freeboard. SOLAS chapter I, regulation 11 requires the ship to be maintained after survey and any accident or defect affecting safety to be reported to the Administration or the RO.
Action codes you are likely to see
Damage that really impairs seaworthiness can be a ground for detention (30), and the inspector will normally want class involved before the ship sails. Where the damage relates to something class should have found at a recent survey, the MoU may mark the deficiency as RO-related. Lesser damage may be written with 17 or 18 and a condition from class. See action taken codes and after a PSC detention.
How to close it
Notify class and flag right away and ask for a surveyor to attend. The surveyor will either require a permanent repair before sailing or accept a temporary repair with a condition of class and a deadline for permanent repair. If the ship must move to a repair yard, the flag and port State may agree a single voyage with conditions. Keep the class survey report, the condition of class, the repair yard report with thickness measurements where relevant, and any flag letters together with the Form B.