The Leak You Can't See Is Cargo Going Over the Side.
On an LNG or LPG carrier the most expensive faults are the ones nobody can see: methane and LPG vapour escaping under pressure, in classified zones a crew can't freely enter. Acoustic imaging makes them visible. SepcoTech supplies the Hertzinno range so a crew can locate the leak by sound from a safe distance, measure its rate live on screen, put a cost and a carbon figure on it, and walk away with the inspection report already written.
Invisible, Silent, Under Pressure, and in the One Place You Can't Walk Into
A gas carrier moves cargo that is colourless and odourless. When methane or LPG vapour escapes through a flange, dome seal or valve gland, there is nothing to see and nothing the ear can hear, yet the leak is both a safety hazard and a continuous loss of cargo. Boil-off gas (BOG) and fugitive emissions are not just an environmental issue; methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and every litre that leaves the ship is product the operator paid for.
The places these faults occur, cargo decks, domes and manifolds, are classified hazardous (ATEX) zones a crew cannot freely enter with ordinary equipment. And it isn't only the cargo system: partial discharge builds in high-voltage switchboards, and bearings wear in the engine room. All of it is invisible on a walk-round until it is already serious. A modern leak detection and repair (LDAR) regime needs a tool that surfaces every one of these from a safe distance. See how this connects to the EU Methane Regulation & LDAR.
- Methane & LPG leaks are invisible, silent and under pressure
- Cargo decks & manifolds are classified hazardous zones with limited access
- Boil-off & fugitive emissions are a safety, cost and environmental issue
- Partial discharge in HV switchboards trips ships before it's seen
- Engine-room mechanical wear stays hidden in the noise until failure
Measure the Leak. Cost the Leak. Report It Before You Leave the Deck.
Finding a leak is half the job. The crew also has to say how big it is and prove they checked. The Hertzinno HA3LX does both, on the spot, without entering the hazard.
From a sound on the screen to litres per minute
The HA3LX first locates the leak by sound: its 144-MEMS array draws the ultrasound onto the live image so the source is obvious from across the deck. The integrated TDLAS laser methane sensor then quantifies methane at that point in ppm·m. The software turns that into the numbers the buyer actually needs: leak rate in L/min, an estimated annual cost in USD, and the carbon mass in tCO₂e, all live on screen, in the field, as published by Hertzinno.
- Laser methane to 5 ppm·m, range 0–50,000 ppm·m, 0.2 s response
- Detecting distance up to 30 m (80% reflectance, 3000 ppm·m)
- Gas-leak sensitivity >0.0032 L/min at 2.5 m
- Leak rate → estimated annual cost → carbon mass, on screen
The on-screen cost and CO₂ figures are indicative estimates the camera derives from user-set inputs (gas price, run-time and emission factor); they are not a guaranteed or independently verified figure.
Methane & gas-leak cameras →
Walk off the deck with the evidence already written
No bringing footage back to an office and writing it up days later. The operator takes the photo, runs one-click on-device analysis, and the camera builds the inspection report on the device, complete with voice, text and tag notes against each finding. It exports straight away by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB-C, with PC and cloud analysis to follow. The crew leaves the inspection holding the record that proves it was done.
- One-click on-device analysis builds the report in the field
- Voice, text & tag annotation on every finding
- Export by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB-C, plus PC & cloud analysis
- Evidence in hand before the inspection is over
One Handheld, Three Inspections You Already Have to Do
From the cargo deck to the switchboard to the engine room, each job has the right Hertzinno mode, and each links through to the cameras that do it.
Cargo Containment & Manifolds
Image the deck, dome seals, valves and the manifold for methane or LPG vapour escaping under pressure. Quantify it, cost it and log it from outside the hazard, with an ATEX intrinsically-safe camera.
HA3LX · HZ-HA-270P: ATEX Gas-leak cameras →
Engine Room & Compressors
In a room full of noise, mechanical mode isolates the one sound that has changed: the failing bearing, the misalignment, the poor lubrication, and reports condition parameters so it's caught while it's still cheap to fix.
HA3 · HA3T · 171P / 271P Acoustic cameras →
Switchboards & HV Systems
Scan energised switchgear and cable terminations for partial discharge, classify the type with PRPD AI, and add a thermal hot-spot check with the 640×512 infrared in the same pass, with the ATEX HA3TX for classified zones.
HA3TX (ATEX) · HA3T · HZ-HA-271P Acoustic + thermal cameras →The Cameras That Fit a Gas Carrier
Specify by the zone and the job. Each links through to the full models, specifications and datasheets, ready to drop into your quote.
HA3LX: Acoustic + Laser Methane
The cargo-deck tool. ATEX intrinsically-safe (Ex ib IIC T4 Gb & Ex ib IIIC T130 °C Db), 144 MEMS, TDLAS laser methane to 5 ppm·m, and on-screen leak rate, cost and CO₂.
View gas-leak cameras →
HZ-HA-270P: ATEX Acoustic + Thermal
Rugged, ATEX (Ex ib IIC T4 Gb / Ex ib IIIC T80 °C Db), 138 MEMS with a 640×512 thermal sensor: leak detection plus infrared in hazardous areas.
View gas-leak cameras →
HA3T: Acoustic + Thermal
For switchboards and HV. 144 MEMS plus 640×512 IR (NETD ≤40 mK), PRPD AI discharge typing (corona / surface / floating / noise) and hot-spot thermography in one shot.
View acoustic + thermal →
HA3: Acoustic Imaging
The all-rounder for engine-room mechanical diagnostics: locates failing bearings, misalignment and poor lubrication via acoustic signature and condition parameters.
View acoustic cameras →Guide: How Acoustic Imaging Works
Beamforming, the three detection modes, where to use each one, a glossary and FAQ: the background to specify the right camera with confidence.
Read the guide →Not sure which model?
Tell us the vessel, the cargo system and the zones you work in, and we'll spec the right Hertzinno configuration for your gas carrier and quote it.
Ask a specialist →Add a recommended model straight to your quote
Added items appear in your quote list; build the full RFQ and send it in one request.
From Gas Carriers to the Wider Fleet
Built for LNG and LPG carriers first, and equally at home on offshore assets and across general shipping, wherever pressurised gas, high-voltage power and hard-worked machinery share a steel hull.
LNG Carriers
Methane and boil-off gas around cargo containment, tank domes and manifolds, located, quantified and logged from outside the hazard.
LPG Carriers
Propane, butane and ammonia carriers face the same pressurised-gas and electrical risks, and the same need for fast, recorded checks.
Offshore & FPSO
Platforms, FPSOs and process modules in classified zones: ATEX-safe acoustic and laser inspection without a shutdown.
Shipping & Terminals
Compressed-air leaks, switchboard partial discharge and rotating-machinery faults across the fleet and at the berth.
Inspect under pressure. Nothing offline. Evidence in hand.
On a gas carrier the leak you cannot see is cargo, and emissions, going over the side. Hertzinno's acoustic cameras let a crew locate it, measure the rate, cost it, and produce the report on the spot, without entering the hazard or taking a system offline.
The Camera, Working
Footage from Hertzinno: laser methane quantification with the HA3LX, and an acoustic gas-leak inspection on an oil & gas site.
Footage as published by Hertzinno; the LNG/LPG application is shown as a Hertzinno application.
Acoustic Imaging on Gas Carriers: Common Questions
New to acoustic imaging? Our guide explains how it works and where each mode is used.
Why does an LNG or LPG carrier need an acoustic imaging camera?
Is it safe (ATEX) to use on the cargo deck?
Can it measure the quantity of methane leaking?
Does it produce a report on board?
Which model for which job?
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