We’ve seen what corrosion can do – a small blister on a tank wall, a soft spot on a pipeline, a coating that looked fine on Monday but cracked by Friday. That’s why our NACE inspection services don’t live in theory – they’re built for the real world. At Nikham, we put certified inspectors on the ground, where coatings fail and conditions shift, to make sure your surface prep, application, and final finish actually hold up.
“You don’t find coating failures in spreadsheets – you find them on site.”
– Senior NACE Inspector, Nikham Energy
Our team has worked across Africa’s most demanding environments – from marine terminals and storage yards to upstream oilfields – ensuring coating quality where it matters most. Read more about our Oil and Gas Solutions built for harsh conditions.
What Exactly Is a NACE Inspection?
Most coatings look fine when they go on. The real question is—how will they hold up six months down the line when the equipment’s been in service, exposed to salt, sun, pressure, and wear? That’s where NACE inspections come in. It’s not about ticking a box; it’s about knowing a job’s been done right.
NACE stands for the National Association of Corrosion Engineers. These aren’t just classroom credentials. A NACE-certified inspector knows how to evaluate coatings in the environments where failure actually happens. Surface prep, coating thickness, adhesion, temperature and humidity checks—if something’s off, they’ll catch it.
And it’s not just about quality. It’s about safety, reliability, and protecting the long-term performance of your assets.
“You can’t see corrosion resistance with the naked eye. But we can measure it before it becomes a problem.”
– NACE Level 2 Coating Inspector, Nikham
Whether it’s a new pipeline weld or a marine vessel due for recoating, NACE inspections give you one thing most systems don’t: peace of mind in the field.
Need coatings that last? See how we support long-term integrity through our Condition-Based Maintenance programmes.
The Top Causes of Coating Failure (and How We Prevent Them)
We don’t get called in when everything’s going right. We get called when a coating’s peeling, blistering, or bubbling—and no one can figure out why. Most of the time, it comes down to things that should’ve been caught early: poor prep, rushed application, or the wrong system for the job.
Improper Surface Preparation
It doesn’t matter how good your coating is if the surface wasn’t ready. We’ve seen tanks blasted unevenly, pipelines cleaned with the wrong media, or metal sprayed before rust was even removed. That’s a shortcut to failure. NACE inspectors make sure the surface is properly prepped, from cleanliness to profile, before anything gets applied.
Inconsistent Application
Too thick, too thin, wrong tools, wrong conditions. One coat done in perfect weather won’t make up for another slapped on during a rainstorm. We monitor humidity, temperature, and mil thickness with calibrated instruments—because guesswork doesn’t work when you’re trying to prevent corrosion.
Wrong Coating for the Environment
Not every product can handle saltwater, chemicals, or heat. If your spec isn’t suited to the site, failure is just a matter of time. Our inspectors understand material performance and match the system to the setting. That means longer-lasting coatings and fewer surprises.
“We don’t just look at what failed—we look at why. That’s the difference between rework and reliability.”
– Nikham Senior Coatings Lead
We often flag these risks while working on high-risk environments like offshore rigs. If you’re operating in that kind of setting, you might want to explore how our Rope Access Maintenance for Offshore Rigs service supports long-term coating integrity.
Surface Prep – Where Every Good Coating Starts
You can have the best coating on the market, but if the surface isn’t prepped properly, it’s only a matter of time before it fails. We’ve seen coatings come off in sheets—not because the product was wrong, but because someone didn’t take prep seriously. No blast profile, no salt test, no adhesion. Just paint over rust, and hope for the best.
Surface preparation is where NACE inspections start. Before we even talk about primers or film thickness, we look at what’s underneath. Is the surface clean? Is the profile consistent? Was the method used—blasting, grinding, chemical treatment—right for the substrate?
We use surface comparators, soluble salt kits, and dust tests. Not just because the spec says so, but because we’ve learned what happens when you skip steps in the real world.
“You don’t inspect the paint – you inspect what it’s holding onto.”
– Field Technician, Nikham Corrosion Team
Surface prep matters most in demanding environments—like when coating a structure that’s already offshore. That’s why we often integrate NACE inspection directly into our Offshore Welding and Fabrication projects, ensuring every weld and every coat starts with the right foundation.
Understanding the 3 Levels of NACE Certification
Not every job needs a Level 3 inspector—but some absolutely do. At Nikham, we don’t just assign whoever’s available. We match the right level of NACE-certified inspector to the demands of the site, the environment, and the risk profile.
Level 1 – Surface and Basic Application Checks
Level 1 inspectors are trained in non-destructive testing and know how to confirm that surface prep, coating type, and application thickness all meet the basic industry requirements. Perfect for straightforward coating projects with limited variables.
Level 2 – Advanced Field Oversight
These inspectors bring more experience to complex coatings. They work across shop and field environments, assess layered systems, verify environmental conditions, and interpret technical documentation. They’re also qualified to guide Level 1 inspectors on site.
Level 3 – Full-Scope Project Authority
This is the highest level of NACE certification. A Level 3 inspector manages large-scale operations, audits coating procedures, reviews inspection plans, and enforces compliance to client and international standards. If it’s high-risk, Level 3 is non-negotiable.
“Certification gets you in the door. Experience keeps the coating on the steel.”
– NACE Level 3 Inspector, Nikham
On complex projects, we often pair Level 2 and Level 3 inspectors with our Manpower Recruitment teams. That way, we ensure quality assurance and supervision go hand in hand—start to finish.
Where NACE Inspections Make the Biggest Difference
You don’t need an inspector when things are easy. You need one when salt spray eats through paint in two weeks, when a tank’s been recoated three times and still fails, or when you’re trying to keep an offshore asset in service without pulling it from rotation. That’s where NACE inspections matter most.
Oil and Gas
From upstream to downstream, corrosion is everywhere—on pipelines, flare stacks, storage tanks, and risers. We support NACE inspection across the entire cycle, ensuring coatings are verified before systems go live. We’ve worked in explosive zones, confined spaces, and high-risk shutdowns. No assumptions. Just inspection backed by spec.
Marine Infrastructure
Coatings in marine environments don’t get a second chance. Saltwater, wind, constant impact—if the system isn’t right, failure is guaranteed. Our NACE inspectors are embedded in Marine Coating Projects to verify protection above and below the waterline.
Structural & Civil Assets
Bridges, reservoirs, rail structures—anything that depends on coatings for integrity. We provide inspection to councils, private sector clients, and EPCs needing compliance to ISO, SSPC, or client-specific standards.
“The bigger the asset, the bigger the cost of failure. And coatings are your first—and sometimes only—line of defence.”
– Infrastructure Specialist, Nikham Field Division
Protecting Your Assets – Why We Take NACE Seriously
We’ve been called in to fix jobs where the coating failed six months after handover. And every time, it’s the same story—cut corners on surface prep, wrong coating spec, no independent inspection. That’s why we don’t just offer NACE inspection as a bolt-on. It’s built into how we work.
At Nikham, corrosion protection isn’t a line item—it’s a mindset. We understand what’s at stake: operational downtime, equipment failure, and safety risk. That’s why we take NACE seriously, and why our clients keep bringing us back when the stakes are high.
Whether we’re working offshore, in the desert, or in a fabrication yard, our approach is the same: prep it right, coat it right, inspect it like it’s going to war.
“Once you’ve seen what a failed coating can do to a production schedule, you stop treating inspection like paperwork.”
– Regional Project Manager, Nikham
Conclusion: The Cost of Corrosion Isn’t Just Financial
Coating failure doesn’t happen overnight—but once it starts, it doesn’t stop. We’ve seen minor defects turn into shutdowns. That’s why inspection matters. When you bring in a certified NACE team early, you’re not just ticking a compliance box. You’re protecting uptime, safety, and long-term integrity.
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