UK-based global technical and scientific consultancy Brookes Bell on Friday (31 July) announced plans to develop a high-end laboratory to deliver comprehensive metallurgy, bunker fuel testing, paint analysis and non-destructive testing facilities.
Aimed at delivering a more comprehensive service to its maritime clients – and to support entry into new markets – the new 8,000 sq. ft facility will be commissioned in the northwest of the UK (near Liverpool) and will come on-line in October 202, it said.
The laboratory will house an inspection and testing facility, a light industrial/engineering space and offices. It will also house a new bunker fuel testing facility reflecting the increase Brookes Bell is seeing in fuel-related investigations and claims.
Poor quality fuel often leads to extensive and expensive machinery damage, it said, and the new facility will test fuel to ISO 8217 standards to highlight substandard samples and to help identify the causes and origins of fuel-related problems.
“As our new laboratory comes on-line, we will create a high-end metallurgical consultancy and technical unit which will include non-destructive testing as well as paint analysis and fuel testing,” said Ray Luukas, Chief Technical Officer at Brookes Bell.
“This type of facility is rare and we will use it to deliver value-added services to our clients as well as a driver to help us achieve our expansion ambitions.”
Paint analysis to investigate causes of tank and hull coating failures will also be conducted using state-of-the-art digital microscopes and software at the new facility, added the company.
Coating flakes can be inspected and analysed to determine causes for a range of faults including blistering, detachment, cracking, rust formation and inadequate antifouling protection.
Photo credit: Brookes Bell
Published: 3 August, 2020
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