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Firstly, a sounding is a measurement taken of the tanks on a ship to determine the level of fluid within. When you take
a sounding you are either measuring an Innage or an Ullage, depending on how full the tank is and the technique used. At CMA,
soundings should be taken at 0600 and 1800 every day.
An innage is typically only taken when you know the tank is near empty. To take an innage, (a measure of the liquid
in the tank, from the bottom of the tank to the top of the liquid), use the pointed weight, and attach it to the tape measure
and lower that thing down your tube. Once you hear it hit the bottom, you'll know it by the bang and the tape going limp,
reel it back in slowly, where the liquid/water line is on the tape, that's your measure. To make the line more visible, chalk
is typically run along the weight itself and up the first few feet of the tape, on both sides in case one side rubs along
the muddy sides of the tube.
An ullage is typically taken when there is more than a few feet of liquid in the tank, or when measuring a non-water
liquid, (you don't want to get your tape covered in oil). To take an ullage, (a measure of the empty space in a tank, measured
from the top of the liquid to the top of the tube), use the hollow weight and attach it to the tape. Lower the weight down
the tube at a moderate pace because you need to be constantly listening for the plop that the weight makes when it hits the
liquid. When you hear the plop, stop lowering, and bob the weight up and down gently until you can pinpoint the location of
the liquid. The measurement you note at the top of the tube is the distance from the tube top to the liquid top, and must
be deducted from the tube length to find the measure of the liquid in the tank.
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