23
SEPTEMBER 2026
S
even years of persistence—and one free web tool—are adding to how the passenger vessel 
industry evaluates hull pitting. Hull pitting is one of those maintenance realities that every 
commercial vessel operator knows well. The slow, relentless formation of small craters 
in metal plating—accelerated by salt water, galvanic action, and time—has long been a source 
of friction at drydocking inspections. For operators of small passenger vessels, the stakes are 
particularly high: if a U.S. Coast Guard inspector judges a pitted plate to be inadequate, the 
remedy has traditionally been “crop and renew”—a costly, time-consuming plate replacement 
that may or may not have been necessary in the first place.
Capt. Bob Bijur spoke to MariTrends 2026 attendees about the recently launched Pitted Plate Assessment Tool. 

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