In shipbuilding, the surveyor is the final audience. Classification societies (ABS, Lloyd's Register, DNV, Bureau Veritas) demand a level of documentation rigor, material traceability, and welding procedure compliance that few industries match. A single undocumented weld can fail a survey and delay delivery by months. Qualitech delivers quality governance built around classification compliance from day one.
Shipbuilding and marine construction operates under a quality regime that is unlike any other sector. Classification society surveyors attend critical stages of construction, witness tests, and review records in ways that no private owner and few regulators match. The classification certificate, without which a commercial vessel cannot trade, depends on the surveyor accepting the construction quality evidence.
Every weld, every tank test, every material certificate, every NDE report must be captured, linked to its location on the hull or machinery, and presented in a format the classification society accepts without challenge. When that documentation is not assembled progressively during construction, shipyards face the most expensive problem in marine work: a delayed delivery because the survey cannot close.
Classification society rules are detailed and specific. ABS Part 2 Rules for Material and Welding. Lloyd's Register Rules for Classification of Ships. DNV GL rules. Each defines the materials, welding procedures, NDE coverage, pressure test protocols, and records formats that a surveyor will accept. Deviations from rule requirements demand pre-approval. Rework for non-compliant welds is expensive and schedule-disrupting.
Beyond classification, ships are built under owner specifications, flag state requirements, and (increasingly) environmental regulations. Quality systems must satisfy all of these simultaneously, on a schedule that typically compresses at the end of construction as vessels approach delivery. Disciplined quality planning from the first steel cut is the only reliable way to deliver on time.
Qualitech's shipbuilding quality systems are built around classification compliance from project start. WPS and PQR development aligned with ABS, AWS D1.1, and ASME IX. Visual and dimensional inspection of hull structures and critical welds. NDT program coordination across UT, RT, PT, and MT methods. Complete weld mapping, as-built documentation, and hull tank pressure testing records assembled progressively, so classification survey proceeds without last-minute reconstruction.
We also coordinate the interface between shipyard quality organizations and attending surveyors from the classification societies, ensuring that survey expectations are understood early and that evidence is presented in a format the surveyor accepts. For in-service vessels, we coordinate Lloyd's Register UTM inspections through our approved partner, integrating thickness measurement records with broader hull integrity management.
WPS and PQR development per ABS Part 2, AWS D1.1, and ASME IX. Welder qualification programs, electrode heat treatment verification, weld repair procedures.
ExploreCWI welding inspection on hull structures and critical welds. Visual, dimensional, and NDT coordination. Hull tank pressure testing witnessing.
ExploreUT, RT, PT, and MT coverage on hull welds, machinery, and critical structural joints. Coordinated with classification society survey requirements.
ExploreUltrasonic Thickness Measurement for classification surveys. Hull plate thickness verification for Intermediate, Special, and Continuous Hull Surveys.
ExploreSea trial readiness documentation. Full weld map, as-built records, and classification survey package delivered on schedule.
ExploreABS Part 2, AWS D1.1, ASME IX, and Lloyd's Register rule interpretation. Surveyor interface and technical position development.
Explore4 Vessels · $40-60 Million · Ceará, Brazil · 2014-2016 · INACE Shipyard
Qualitech's founder delivered CWI welding inspection leadership for the construction of four ocean-going SVITZER tugboats at INACE Shipyard. Scope covered hull and structural welding across all vessels, WPS/PQR preparation and full welder qualification programs, visual inspection of hull structures and critical welds, NDT monitoring across UT, RT, PT, and MT methods, and complete weld mapping with as-built documentation.
Additional scope included hull tank pressure testing, material receiving inspection for hull plates, structural members, and welding consumables, electrode heat treatment verification, weld repair procedure oversight, and destructive testing coordination at material receiving.
Our engineers deliver classification-grade quality across marine construction. Let's discuss your vessel program.