3 major non conformities during SMS audit

Q:-Your vessel has been awarded 3 major non conformities during SMS audit. Frame a report in the format of an email addressing the engineer superintendent with suggested step to be taken for early sailing of the vessel.

ANSWER:- 

        We sometimes during an ISM audit get major NCs. As a chief engineer it becomes our duty to inform and suggest the remedial actions which can be done to downgrade the major NCs into NCs or correct them so that undue delay of vessel can be avoided and the vessel can sail smoothly. Below in an  example of such an audit in which 3 major NCs are awarded and as a chief engineer you are framing the report to your superintendent suggesting the steps which should be taken as earliest as possible for early sailing of ship.

To,

Mr. ………..

The superintendent

………..  company

                              Subject:- Major NC awarded during SMC audit on 18 -04- 2015

Good day sir,

                         This is in reference to earlier report number ………….. in which you have received the list of major NCs awarded to this good vessel during SMC audit. I would like to suggest the steps which should be taken for early sailing of vessel. 

Major Non-conformity – 

 1. Starboard side shell plate of Lifeboat (p-side) was holed at middle depth around half-length. 

 2. The brake pads of the Boat Davit Winches were heavily wasted, and the crew had overlooked this waste.

 3. The damage listed above had not been reported to the company by the Master

For early release 

This Major Non-conformity was downgraded by following countermeasure(s)

 1. The fact of the holed shell plate of Lifeboat was reported to the Administration by the Company.

 2. An additional Life raft (20 person) was provided on board according to the Administration’s Instructions.

 3. The brake pads of the Boat Davit Winches were replaced with new ones by ship’s hands.

 4. Repair of the damaged Lifeboat has been arranged at the next port by the Company.

Downgraded Non-conformity (Remaining Non-conformity)

1. Inspections have not been held at appropriate intervals as per the SMS. 

2. The maintenance related deficiencies have not been reported to the company, with possible cause, if known, as per the SMS 

   As NCs are found, the auditor  prepare Form NCN (Non-conformity Note for SMS)

and hand it over to the Master .

  As The Company is requested to submit the Form CAP “Corrective Action Plan” to the auditor in charge within two weeks, after completing it,including a schedule not exceeding three months, for implementation of the necessary corrective actions shall be submitted to the Auditor within two weeks.

The Form CAP shall be submitted via the DPA.

   Please note that if the same could not be submitted by the specified date, it may cause termination of ISM registration and invalidation of Certificates. 

    The effectiveness of corrective actions for Non-conformities above should  be verified at the next Company Audit,including those raised at Shipboard Audits. 

Suggested Corrective Action Plan (Indicate schedule for completion of necessary corrective actions within three months) 

Please itemise actions to be taken together with scheduled date of each action.

1.  Investigation of root cause: Why the damage was overlooked. (Life boat & Brake pads); by 30-04-2015
2. Tentative measures: How to enhance the Inspection activities.; by  01-05-15
3. Reeducation of crew: Enhancement of the crew’s awareness.; by 10-05-15
4. Confirmation by the Master: Review of the effectiveness of the overall activities.; by 30-05-15
5. Repair of the Life boat: At port of XXXXXXX; on around 20-05-2015
6. Extra  Audit: By the shore staff; on around 10-06-15

An additional audit has to be carried out within a period not exceeding three (3) months after detecting the Major Non-Conformity to evaluate the effectiveness of the established corrective and preventive actions.

     Please see the attached NCN Non-conformity Note for SMS

Thank you

Yours sincerely

…………………….

Chief engineer officer

The difference between unseaworthy and unsafe ship

Q:-What do you understand by unseaworthy vessel within the meaning of the MSA 1958 as amended?

What according to you is the difference between unseaworthy and unsafe ship?

What are the obligation of the owner to crew with respect seaworthiness.

ANSWER:-

 unseaworthy ship:-

       In the M.S. Act 1958 of India as amended the meaning of unseaworthy ship  is as  follows:-

       Under section 334 a ship is said to be unseaworthy "when the materials of which she is made, her construction, the qualification of master, the number, description and qualification of the crew including officers, the weight, description and stowage of the cargo and ballast, the condition of her hull and equipment, boilers and machinery are not such as to render her in every respect fit for the proposed voyage or service."    

1.   A ship is unseaworthy, when the material which she is made and her construction and design is faulty and not as per laid down regulation.
2.  A ship is unseaworthy when its master, officers and crew are not qualified and are not as per safe manning of the ship.
3. Not having enough certificates according to law make the ship unseaworthy. 
4. A ship is said to be unseaworthy when the machinery or equipment is missing which should have been installed as per any regulation.
5.  An unseaworthy ship poses serious threat to human life.
6.  A ship is said to be unseaworthy when its machinery or equipment is not able to perform its duties for the intended voyage.
7. Wrong weight, description and stowage of cargo and ballast make the ship unseaworthy for the voyage.

Unsafe ship:-

In the M.S. Act 1958 of India as amended the meaning of unsafe ship is as  follows:-

Under section 336,unsafe ship may be defined an unsafe ship, that is to say, is by reason of the defective condition of her hull,equipment or machinery,or by reason of overloading or improper loading, unfit to proceed to sea without serious danger to human life, having regard to the nature of service for which she is intended.

1. A ship is said to be unsafe, when the hull and equipment is temporarily defective and the ship is unsafe for that proposed voyage.
2. A ship is said to be unsafe when its master, officers and crew are qualified but do not follow the safe working  practices.
3. Not maintaining the required provisions laid down in certificates can make the ship unsafe  during the voyage.
4.  A ship is said to be unsafe if the machinery or equipment is placed on board but found not working or   the maintenance plan is not being followed.
5. An unsafe ship does not pose serious threat to human life.
6. A ship is said to be unsafe when its machinery or equipment is operated wrongly at any   instance by the ship's crew in the voyage.
7. Wrong procedure of ballasting, deballasting or negligence of crew towards stowage of cargo makes the ship   unsafe an any instance during voyage.

            In broad perspective or loosely we can say that unseaworthiness depends on design factors and physical factors. Also unseaworthy is a condition.

     But ship becomes unsafe due to human factors. It is an act.   

                    

Difference between unseaworthy and unsafe ship

	unseaworthy section 334	unsafe  section 336
1	when the material which she is made and her construction and design is faulty and not as per laid down regulation.	the hull and equipment is temporarily defective and the ship is unsafe for that proposed voyage.
2	master officer crew not qualified or less than the safe manning requirement	when its master, officers and crew are qualified but do not follow the safe working    practices.
3	not having all reqd certificates present to prove a seaworthiness of the vsl	Not maintaining the required provisions laid down in certificates can make the ship unsafe  during the voyage.
4	machinery or equipment reqd as per any regulation is missing	machinery or equipment is not working or  maintenance schedule not being followed
5	machinery or equipment not able to perform its duties	machinery or equipment wrongly operated by its crew
6	wrong weight description and stowage of cargo and ballast	wrong procedures of ballasting deballasting or negligence in stowage of cargo
7	An unseaworthy ship poses serious threat to human life.	An unsafe ship does not pose serious threat to human life

Obligation of owner to crew with respect to seaworthiness 

AS per section 335 

•  An obligation on the owner  that the owner, the master and every agent charged with       loading the ship, preparing the ship for sea or sending the ship to sea must use all reasonable means to ensure the seaworthiness of the ship for the voyage at the time when the voyage commences; and 
• That the ship will be kept in a seaworthy condition for the voyage during the voyage. 
• The Central Government may, either at the request of the owner or otherwise, arrange for a survey of the hull, equipment or machinery of any sea-going ship by a surveyor. 
  

the Cylinder Lubrication system used in new generation marine diesel engines

Q:-   With specific reference to any make, sketch and describe the Cylinder  Lubrication system used in new generation marine diesel engines.

How will you effect the optimum cylinder oil feed with varying sulphur content of fuel oil. 

SYSTEM EXPLANATION

This cylinder lubrication, shown in the figure is based on a lubricator which injects a specific volume of oil into each cylinder for each (or for every second, third, etc.) revolution.  The oil fed to the injectors is pressurised by means of Alpha lubricator on each cylinder, equipped with small multi piston pumps. The amount of oil fed to the injectors can be finely tuned with an adjusting screw, which limits the length of the piston stroke. 

 The dosage of oil can be adjusted means of an adjustment screw which limits the stroke of the main lubricator piston. After a predetermined time interval, the computer transmits an OFF signal to the solenoid valve, which shuts off the system  pressure and opens the return oil system. 

The amount of oil injected varies as required, e.g. at load changes, start/stop, or  increased engine load. Alternatively, the dosage of oil fed to the individual cylinders can be adjusted by injecting a calibrated amount of oil, a number of times, at a given number of revolutions. A combination of the two systems can also be used. 

     A pump station delivers lube oil to the lubricators at 45 bar pressure. The lubricators have a small piston for each lube oil quill in the cylinder liner, and the power for injecting the oil comes from the 45 bar system pressure, acting on a larger common driving piston. Thus, the driving side is a conventional common rail system, whereas the injection side is a high-pressure positive displacement system, thus giving equal amounts of lube oil to each quill and the best possible safety margin against clogging of single lube oil quills.

For the larger bore engines, each cylinder has two lubricators (each serving half of the lube oil quills) and an accumulator, while the small bore engines (with fewer lube oil quills per cylinder) are served by one lubricator per cylinder. The pump station includes two pumps (one operating, the other on stand-by with automatic start up), a filter and coolers.

      The lubricator can be delivered for our conventional engines in which case it is  controlled by a separate computer unit comprising a main computer, controlling the normal operation, a switchover unit and a (simple) back-up unit. A shaft encoder supplies the necessary timing signal in that case. When used on ‘Intelligent Engines’, these functions are integrated in the engine control computers and their shaft encoders.

The lubrication concept is intermittent lubrication – a relatively large amount of lube oil is injected for every four (or five or six, etc.) revolutions, the actual sequence being determined by the desired dosage in g/bhph. The injection timing is controlled precisely and – by virtue of the high delivery pressure – the lube oil is injected exactly when the piston ring pack is passing the lube oil quills, thus ensuring the best possible utilisation of the costly lube oil.

The safety features of this system are as follows:

In the event of malfunctioning solenoid valve or transducer, the oil dosage will automatically be increased to the  maximum volume. If the oil pressure falls, the computer will start stand-by pump, close down the faulty pump and sets on the alarm. 

  In this system if one lubricator malfunctions (980-700 mm bore engines), the oil  dosage from the other lubricator will be automatically doubled, and an alarm will be given whereas for 600-260 mm bore engines, alarm and slow down ensue.

  An inductive sensor in each lubricator monitors the movement of the lubricator piston a signal is sent to the control computer system which has a backup for safety.

 Alpha ACC (Adaptive Cylinder oil Control) 

The principle of the Alpha ACC 

       The basic feed rate control should be adjusted in relation to the actual fuel quality and amount being burnt at any given time. The sulphur percentage is a good indicator in relation to wear, and an oil dosage proportional to the sulphur level will give the best overall cylinder condition.

The following two criteria determine the control:

   The cylinder oil dosage shall be proportional to the sulphur percentage in the fuel

   The cylinder oil dosage shall be proportional to the engine load (i.e. the amount of fuel entering the cylinders).

       The implementation of the above two criteria will lead to an optimal cylinder oil dosage,       proportional to the amount of sulphur entering the cylinders.

With the introduction of the electronically controlled Alpha Lubricator system, featuring the        easy-to-operate “HMI” panel, such adaptive lubrication has become feasible. 

The Alpha Lubricator system offers the possibility of saving a considerable amount of cylinder oil per year and, at the same time, to obtain a safer and more predictable cylinder condition. 

  

The basic feed rate control should be adjusted in relation to the actual fuel quality being burnt at a given time. 

This new cylinder oil control principle is called the “Alpha Adaptive Cylinder oil Control”, or     abbreviated “Alpha ACC”. 

the ACC factor can only be assessed when the fuel sulphur level has been high enough to ensure that the lubrication has been in the ACC active area (the blue area marked in Fig. 1), at lower fuel sulphur levels the engine is excessively protected against corrosion because of the active minimum feed rate.

One of the key parameters in Alpha ACC lubrication is part-load control proportional to engine load. 

This is important in order to  prevent over-lubrication at low loads, and it is one of the main      parameters to save oil, compared with conventional lubrication. 

When starting to burn new bunker oil, the HMI setting of the Alpha ACC should be adjusted according to the bunker analysis results. 

The capital,voyage and operating costs of ship operation and the modern management principles used in inventory control

Q. Discuss the capital,voyage and operating costs of ship operation and explain chief engineer’s role in optimising them.

what are the modern management principles used in inventory control.

Answer :-The three basic ship cost categories are: 

capital costs; voyage costs;  operating or running costs. 

1. Capital costs - (depend on how the ship is financed)

1.  are fixed costs associated with the ship’s purchase. 
2. include pre-delivery costs, loan repayments, interest, leasing charges, initial registration fees, taxes (sometimes), and any bareboat charterhire payable. 
3.  are the owner’ s responsibility. 
4. Depreciation costs:-Depreciation costs depend on:

• • cost of the asset,
• • expected salvage value of the asset,
• • estimated useful life of the asset, and
• • a method of apportioning the cost over such life
•    There are plenty of depreciation methods, e.g.:
• • straight-line depreciation
• • declining-balance method
• • sum-of-years' digits method
• • activity depreciation

2.  Voyage costs - 

are variable costs associated with the commercial employment of the ship. 

are the responsibility of the ship’s commercial operator. If the ship is let on a time charter, the charterer is
liable for the voyage costs. 

Voyage costs include:-

a) fuel costs/bunkers

b) port charges-port dues and service charges( e.g. tugs hire, pilotage, cargo handling ,agency fees.)

c) canal charges

Voyage costs: Fuel costs is depend on:

fuel price

engine power and  efficiency 

design and state of the hull 

ship’s speed

       Voyage costs: Port charges

Fees for the use of facilities and services provided by the port

Facilities uses fee is called port dues:-general use of port facilities ,this is based on:

volume of cargo

weight of cargo

gross tonnage fo the vessel

net tonnage fo the vessel

      Services:- service charges for pilotage, towage, cargo handling costs(loading/discharging)

      Voyage costs: Canal charges

Suez & Panama canal

Suez; charges are calculated in terms of the Suez Canal net ton (roughly corresponds to cargo-carrying space below the deck)and Special Drawing rights (not commonly used measures) charges vary for different types and sizes of ships

Panama; flat rate per Panama Canal net ton is used

3.  Operating or running costs - 

are semi-variable costs which fall between capital and voyage costs. 

are the responsibility of the ship owner or manager. 

a) crew costs,  b)stores ,  c)repair & maintenance  ,d)insurance  , e)administration

Operating cost	Items included in cost
Crewing	Officers’ earnings and leave pay; ratings’ earnings and leave pay; ratings’ overtime; pension and insurance contributions; crew establishment costs (recruitment, training, cadets, etc.); crew travel expenses; and sundry/unrecoverable medical costs
Storing	Provisions; deck stores - general; engine stores - general; paint; cordage; lubricants; cabin stores/laundry; and fresh water.
Maintenance	Deck repairs and spares; engine repairs and spares; electronics and navaids; and surveys.
Insurance	Hull and machinery insurance; P&I calls; war risks insurance; loss of earnings insurance; and deductible allowance.
Administration	Communication expenses; owner’s port costs; sundries; and management fee.

The modern management principles used in inventory control

 Lead time 

This is the time between 'shortage occurring' and the item being available to maintain supply. 

This influences the level of safety (minimum) stock. If supply lead time is longer than sales lead time. stocks are needed. If less. Stock holding can be entirely avoided. 

Lead time can be broken up, into several components 

1. order renew & processing time ie. time for comparing inventory with re-order levels time for re-order time for supplier to receive re-order 
2. Suppliers lead time (vendors, manufacturers, buying & dispatch) 
3. Transport time (from supplier to receiving bay) 
4. Receiving time-time taken for goods inwards & updating store records.

Minimizing Lead time Following actions can be taken to minimize suppliers Lead time

1. A precise date & time of delivery specified. This has a psychological influence on suppliers to deliver on time. 
2. Supplier made to understand that length of lead time can affect his perceived reliability 
3. Companies can also minimize lead time by putting in place systems to ensure prompt  re-order on stocks, approaching reorder level. 
4. Entering a partnership with major suppliers. can also help in reducing Lead time. 
5. Establishing a JIT (Just in Time) approach to Inventory management JIT Just In Time Management This is zero inventory Philosophy. where we have items when we need. and none when we don't. In a conventional inventory control. demand is predicted and based on "Lead time” the stock is acquired. 

Inventory Management Plan 

       This plan is based on Pareto's principle The lst  step is to class all spares & stores inventory into 3 classes. (ABC analysis) 

Class A Important, expensive items, small quantities. e g. Piston crown liner, connecting rods. Class A  items require tight control, accurate records and forecasting  correct demand. The JIT method is suitable. Personal supervision is  necessary 

Class B Significant it medium quantities eg Fuel PP plunger barrel, needle & guide. class B items can use a conventional stock control is placed system. order based on  predicted demand, lead time and minimum spares policy.

Class C unimportant items of large quantities e.g. Nuts & bolts, gaskets, spanners Class C items require minimum management supervision, Care must however be taken, to avoid excess Inventory or complete nil Inventory

Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006

Q:-With reference to Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006. briefly discuss the following.

1.  Minimum requirements for seafarers working on a ship.
2. Conditions of employment.
3. Accornodation and Recreational facilities,
4. Health protection, welfare and social security protection 

TITLE 1:- Minimum requirement for seafarers to work on a ship

1. Age – Minimum age is 16 year
2. Medical certificate – Seafarer should be medically fit
3. Training and qualification – Seafarer should be duly trained and certified to work on board ship.
4. Recruitment and placement – License to agencies 

Regulation 1.1 - Minimum age

Purpose:-To ensure that no under-age persons work on a ship

• Under  this minimum age for a seafarer is defined as 16 years to work on board a ship.
• Also night work of seafarers under age of 18 years is prohibited.

Regulation 1.2 - Medical certificate

Purpose:- To ensure that all seafarers are medically fit to perform their duties at sea

This regulation deals with medical fitness of a seafarer. Seafarer shall not work on a ship unless they are certified as medically fit to perform their duties. The standard of medical examination is without any prejudice to STCW 1978 as amended. A medical certificate issued in accordance with the requirement of STCW shall be accepted by competent authority. Certificate should be issued by duly qualified medical practitioner.

Regulation 1.3 - Training and qualifications

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers are trained or qualified to carry out their duties on board ship

This regulation deals with Training and qualification of seafarer. Seafarer shall not work on a ship unless they are trained or certified as competent or otherwise qualified to perform their duties. Training and certification should be in accordance with instruments adopted by IMO.

Regulation 1.4 - Recruitment and placement

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers have access to an efficient and well-regulated seafarer recruitment and placement system

This regulation deals with the recruitment and placement services. All seafarers shall have access to an efficient,adequate and accountable system for finding employment on board ship without charge to the seafarer. Each member state has to ensure that all private seafarer recruitment and placement services shall be operated only with a standard system of licensing or certification. Member state has to ensure that no fees or other charges are being paid by seafarer except for national statutory medical certificate, national seafarer book and a passport. Member state has to make sure that seafarers are informed of their rights and duties under their employment agreement before the process of engagement.

TITLE 2:- Conditions of employment

1. Seafarer employment agreement.
2. Wages.
3. Hours of work and hours of rest.
4. Entitlement to leave.
5. Repatriation.
6. Seafarer compensation for the ship’s loss or foundering.
7. Manning levels.
8. Career and skill development and opportunities for seafarer employment 

Regulation 2.1 – Seafarers’ employment agreements

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers have a fair employment agreement

• The terms and conditions for employment of a seafarer shall be clear written in a legally enforceable agreement. 
• It should be agreed by seafarer and he should has the opportunity to review and seek advice on the terms and conditions. 
• The agreement should be signed both by seafarer and the shipowner or representative of shipowner. 
• Both should have one set of original signed agreement copy.
•  Seafarer employment agreement should contain his full name, DOB, and birth place, shipowner name and address, capacity of seafarer to which he is employed, amount of his wages, amount of paid annual leave and termination of agreement.

Regulation 2.2 – Wages

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers are paid for their services

• All seafarer shall be paid for their work regularly and in full in accordance with their employment agreement.
•  Member states have to make sure that payments to be made to seafarer at no greater than monthly basis. 
• Seafarer has to be given with full account of their wages on monthly basis.
•  Also seafarer should be able to remit full or part of their earning to their families, dependents or legal beneficiaries.

Regulation 2.3 – Hours of work and hours of rest

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers have regulated hours of work or hours of rest

The limit of hours of work or rest shall be as follows-
a) Maximum hour of work shall not exceed

1. 14 hours in any 24 hours period and
2. 72 hours in any seven day period

OR
b) Minimum hours of rest shall not be less than

1. 10 hours in any 24 hours period and
2.  77 hours in any seven day period

   Hours of rest may be divided into no more than 2 periods, one of which shall be at least 6 hours in length and interval between consecutive periods of rest shall not exceed 14 hours.

Regulation 2.4 – Entitlement to leave

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers have adequate leave

Each member state shall require that seafarer employed on their ships are given paid annual leave. Seafarer shall be granted shore leave to benefit their health and well being and with the operational requirement of their position.

Regulation 2.5 – Repatriation

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers are able to return home

Seafarer have a right to be repatriated at no cost to themselves in circumstances and conditions specified in code. Member states are required to provide financial security to ensure that seafarer are duly repatriated in accordance with the code.

Regulation 2.6 – Seafarer compensation for the ship’s loss or foundering

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers are compensated when a ship is lost or has foundered

Seafarers are entitled to adequate compensation in the case of injury, loss or unemployment arising from the ship's loss or foundering. Shipowner has to pay indemnity against unemployment to the seafarer.

Regulation 2.7 – Manning levels

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers work on board ships with sufficient personnel for the

Each member shall require that ships flying their flags have sufficient number of seafarer employed on board to ensure that ships are operated safely, efficiently and with due regard to security under all conditions

Regulation 2.8 – Career and skill development and opportunities for seafarers‘ employment

Purpose: To promote career and skill development and employment opportunities for seafarers

Each member state shall have national policies to promote employment in the maritime sector and to encourage career and skill development and greater employment opportunities for seafarer.

TITLE 3:- Accommodation, recreation facilities, food and catering

1. Accommodation and  recreation facilities
2. Food and catering

Regulation 3.1 – Accommodation and recreational facilities

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers have decent accommodation and recreational facilities on board

Title 3, Regulation 3.1 addresses vessel design issues related to quality of life at sea, including the physical design of seafarer accommodation areas and the characteristics of the ambient environment (e.g., wholebody vibration, noise, indoor climatic variables, and lighting) which seafarers are exposed to during rest and recreation. requiring that ships that fly its flag:

•  (a) meet minimum standards to ensure that any accommodation for seafarers, working or living on board, or both, is safe, decent and in accordance with the relevant provisions of this Standard; and
•  (b) are inspected to ensure initial and ongoing compliance with those standards.

The competent authority shall pay particular attention to ensuring implementation of the requirements of this Convention relating to:

•  (a) the size of rooms and other accommodation spaces;
•  (b) heating and ventilation;
•  (c) noise and vibration and other ambient factors;
•  (d) sanitary facilities;
•  (e) lighting; and
•  (f) hospital accommodation.

Regulation 3.2 – Food and catering

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers have access to good quality food and drinking water provided under regulated hygienic conditions

  Each Member shall ensure that ships that fly its flag meet the following minimum standards:

•  (a) food and drinking water supplies, having regard to the number of seafarers on board, their religious requirements and cultural practices as they pertain to food, and the duration and nature of the voyage, shall be suitable in respect of quantity, nutritional value, quality and variety;
•  (b) the organization and equipment of the catering department shall be such as to permit the provision to the seafarers of adequate, varied and nutritious meals prepared and served in hygienic conditions; and
•  (c) catering staff shall be properly trained or instructed for their positions.

TITLE 4 :- Health protection, medical care, welfare and social security protection

1. Medical care on board ship and ashore
2. Ship owner’s liability
3. Health and safety protection and accident protection
4. Access to shore based welfare facilities
5. Social security

Regulation 4.1 – Medical care on board ship and ashore

Purpose: To protect the health of seafarers and ensure their prompt access to medical care on board ship and ashore

Each Member shall ensure that measures providing for health protection and medical care, including essential dental care, for seafarers working on board a ship that flies its flag are adopted which:

•  ensure the application to seafarers of any general provisions on occupational health protection and medical care relevant to their duties.
•  give seafarers the right to visit a qualified medical doctor or dentist without delay in ports of call, where practicable;
•  health protection services while a seafarer is on board ship or landed in a foreign port are provided free of charge to seafarers; and
• are not limited to treatment of sick or injured seafarers but include measures of a preventive character such as health promotion and health education programmes.

Regulation 4.2 – Shipowners’ liability

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers are protected from the financial consequences of sickness, injury or death occurring in connection with their employment

:

•  shipowners shall be liable to bear the costs for seafarers working on their ships in respect of sickness and injury of the seafarers occurring between the date of commencing duty and the date upon which they are deemed duly repatriated, or arising from their employment between those dates;
•  shipowners shall provide financial security to assure compensation in the event of the death or long-term disability .
• shipowners shall be liable to defray the expense of medical care, including medical treatment and the supply of the necessary medicines and therapeutic appliances, and board and lodging away from home until the sick or injured seafarer has recovered, or until the sickness or incapacity has been declared of a permanent character; and
•  shipowners shall be liable to pay the cost of burial expenses in the case of death occurring on board or ashore during the period of engagement.

Regulation 4.3 – Health and safety protection and accident prevention

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers’ work environment on board ships promotes occupational safety and health

• on-board programmes for the prevention of occupational accidents, injuries and diseases and for continuous improvement .
• requirements for inspecting, reporting and correcting unsafe conditions and for investigating and reporting on-board occupational accidents.

Regulation 4.4 – Access to shore-based welfare facilities

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers working on board a ship have access to shore-based facilities and services to secure their health and well-being

• Each Member shall require, where welfare facilities exist on its territory, that they are available for the use of all seafarers, irrespective of nationality, race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion or social origin and irrespective of the flag State of the ship on which they are employed or engaged or work.
• Each Member shall promote the development of welfare facilities in appropriate ports of the country and determine, after consultation with the shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations concerned, which ports are to be regarded as appropriate.
•  Each Member shall encourage the establishment of welfare boards which shall regularly review welfare facilities and services to ensure that they are appropriate in the light of changes in the needs of seafarers resulting from technical, operational and other developments in the shipping industry

Regulation 4.5 – Social security

Purpose: To ensure that measures are taken with a view to providing seafarers with access to social security protection

The branches to be considered with a view to achieving progressively comprehensive social security protection  are: medical care, sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, old-age benefit, employment injury benefit, family benefit, maternity benefit, invalidity benefit and survivors’ benefit.

Refrigeration gases used on board vessels -ozone depleting potential of conventional refer gases

 Q:-With respect to refrigeration gases used on board vessels answer the following.Explain ozone depleting potential of conventional ref gases.

Name alternative refrigeration gases available and being used on board Explain the steps you will take to ensure that release of refrigeration gases from the plant is minimised during normal operation and during maintenance activities.

ANSWER :-

• The chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochloroflurocarbons (HCFCs) are  referred to as ozone depleting substances (ODS), because once these gases are released into the environment and reach the stratosphere, they interact with the ozone layer and destroy ozone molecules. ODS lifetime in the  stratosphere is between 100 and 400 years.
•  An ODS molecule has potential to destroy ozone molecules during its entire lifetime.Therefore,various CFCs and HCFCs are assigned Ozone Depletion Potentials (ODP) depending on their potential (specified relative to CFC-11) to cause ozone depletion in the stratosphere.
•  Ozone is a gas composed of three bonded oxygen atoms (O3).In the Earth’s atmosphere, ozone is formed from molecular oxygen (O2) in the  reactions initiated by the UV light.
•   Ozone can be found in two levels, at ground level and in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, referred to as the stratosphere. At ground level, ozone is a  significant air pollutant, forming smog. In the stratosphere it is referred to as the ozone layer.
•  The ozone layer encircles the stratosphere at approximately 10 km above ground level. It filters ultraviolet (UV) radiation reducing the amount of radiation reaching ground level. The depletion of the ozone layer exposes living   organisms to high levels of the harmful UV-B radiation.
  

  • • • 

OZONE DEPLETION POTENTIAL

           Ozone depleting substances (ODS) vary in their capacity to destroy ozone molecules. So scientists have developed a method of characterizing the relative  depletion caused by different ODS. 

           The ODP or Ozone Depletion Potential, is the potential for a single  molecule of the refrigerant to destroy the Ozone Layer.All of the refrigerants use R11 as a datum reference and thus R11 has an ODP of 1.0. 

    The less the value of the ODP the better the refrigerant is for the ozone layer and therefore the environment.

GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL

      Global warming potential (GWP) is a measure of how much a given mass of a gas contributes to global warming. GWP is a relative scale which compares the amount of heat trapped by green house gas to the amount of heat trapped in the same mass of CO2.

ODP and GWP of conventional refrigerant gas are as follows:-

     Gas                                           ODP                                     GWP

R-11                                               1.0                                           4000

R-12                                               1.0                                          2400

R-22                                               0.05                                        1700

Halon 1211    4

Halon 1301                  16

Because of much higher  ODP halon is banned.

Alternate gases available on board which are used in refrigeration systems are :-

   

•  R 134a (ODP=0)is long term replacement for R-12 and is best performed in medium and high temperature application.
• R 410A (ODP=0) is twice as efficient as R-22 but is recommended for new systems only.
• R 407C (ODP=0) is suitable for medium and high temperature application. And is   suitable for new system and for R-22  change over.
• R 404A (ODP=0) is suitable for low and medium temperature application. It is  suitable for new marine system.

As per Annex VI , Regulation 12:- Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)

1.Existing systems and equipment using ODS are permitted to continue in service and may be recharged as necessary. However, the deliberate discharge of ODS to the atmosphere is prohibited.

2.Maintenance, servicing and repair work shall be carried out without releasing any substantial quantity of refrigerant.

3.When servicing or decommissioning systems or equipment containing ODS the gases are to be duly collected in a controlled manner and, if not to be reused onboard, are to be landed to appropriate reception facilities for banking or destruction.

4.Any redundant equipment or material containing ODS is to be landed ashore for    appropriate decommissioning or disposal. The latter also applies when a ship is dismantled at the end of its service life.

To minimize the release of refrigerant gas from plant following steps should be taken:

During operation ---

• Most important to maintain daily log of referent commonly called reefer log .This is to be maintain by duty engineer and cross checked by chief engineer to  ensure effective monitoring and early detection of any abnormality which can lead to gas leak to atmosphere.
• During normal operation loss of refrigerant from leaking joints, seals, gaskets and cracked pipe should be checked.
• Loss of refrigerant from safety relief valve, to overcome this pressure to be  maintain in range.
• Damaged mechanical seals on open type compressor are frequent source of  refrigerant leaks.  A clean dry system is essential for prolonged mechanical seal effectiveness to eliminate   emission. Compressor oils used for HCFC and HFC will absorb moisture readily and must keep dry to prevent refrigerant  decomposition.
• Excessive vibration and excess water pressure should not be allowed in the  condenser to avoid tube failure.
• Leak testing should be carried out regularly. Testing can be done by bubble testing with soap solution or by electronic leak detection.

During maintenance ----

• Loss of small quantities of refrigerant from charging lines during charging has to be avoid by taken proper care of connection .
• Before doing any maintenance gas should be recovered and not leaked in  environment. There is recovery cylinder is there on board and a vacuums pump to   recover gas from system.
• During maintenance compatible gaskets should be used which are compatible with the gas and oil used in the system.
• Evacuate the hoses before disconnecting temporary equipment.
• Practice recovery and recycling when recharging dryers and filters.  

Records and documents to be maintained:-

a) A list of equipment containing ODS should be maintained.

b) If the ship has any rechargeable system containing ODS, then an ODS record book should be  maintained. This record book shall be approved by administration.

c) Check for gas leaks to be carried out regularly and recored.

d) Entries in ODS record book shall be recorded in terms of mass( kg) of substance in respect of-

1.  Recharge of equipment 
2.  Repair or maintenance
3.  Discharge of ODS to atmosphere either deliberate or non deliberate 
4.  Discharge of ODS to land based facilities
5.  Supply of ODS to ship

junior engineer training on board ship

  Q:- A junior engineer has joined ship in which you are a chief engineer. Enumerate in detail the issue you would mentor him or her with respect to the following area

1. Up keep of his personal safety.
2. Up keep of the safety of his colleagues on board
3. Technical job, responsibility he need to learn at the earliest
4. What attention he needs to pay towards energy conservation and
5. His entitlement with regard to human right in a foreign port.

ANSWER :- 

 Programs that can be implemented for training shall be in accordance with chapter VI of STCW code, 

1. The purpose of such training should be to provide basic knowledge, increase their proficiency and the same time enhancing their skills by subjecting them to simulated emergency situations .
2. Familiarization and training to be conducted with respect to Ship board equipments, LSA, FFA, emergency preparedness and critical equipments.

 Chief engineer plays a important role towards satisfactory training of engine room personnel.

 Chief engineer must establish a training program onboard ship. He should:

1. The training and evaluation should be carried out as per the TAR book under the strict supervision of certified and experience Senior engineer.
2. Give trainee independence of doing job and at the same time supervise the work constantly.
3. Identify constraints like language, lack of training, etc.

a)Upkeep of personal safety

This part is cover in welcome pack or safety tour which should conduct as soon as join the vessel and before assign any job or duty.

ship Familiarization:- chief engineer must ensure  

1. He must  aware of location of life jacket  and immersion suits in his cabin and some addition on public place.
2. must know location of lifeboat station and his duty .
3. location of fire station ,fire party and his duty.
4. Identification of various alarm-general alarms,fire alarms,co2 alarms etc.
5. Know the escape route.
6. His duty as per Muster list for various emergency .
7. where to find emergency procedure.

PPE requirement:- 

• Ensure  that all required PPE has been issued to him and make him aware of use of PPE as per company requirement.
• mentor him  on the importance of wearing PPE.

safety on stair :-This is most common and frequent place where person can injured.need to explain about proper technique while using stairs, not to rush, use on hand for ship and one hand for himself.

Emphasis on safe working practices:- 

• Knowledge of manual handling technique.
• Procedure for enclose space entry and hazard associate with this.
• Permit to work system 
• Respect barrier, permits ,signs and notices.
• Importance of safety
• Nature of shipboard hazards 
• He must aware of life saving rules.

b) Upkeep of the Safety of his colleagues on board.

  The training should include knowledge and understanding of action to be taken upon encountering an accident or other medical emergency. 

1. Team work:- While working with others as team ,pay attention on safety aspect of job ,take part on job hazards analysis .Be transparent in Passing information.Admit in case of  mistake,this can present some kind of accident.
2. Working knowledge of safe working practices and personal shipboard safety,including: electrical safety,lockout/tag-out, mechanical safety, permit to work systems, working aloft working in enclosed spaces, lifting techniques.
3. Reporting:-JE should be trained to report any hazards situation.This will develop the      reporting quality. Reporting of near miss incident as per company policy.
4. The Training should include knowledge and understanding of action to be taken upon encountering an accident or other medical emergency, Compliance with emergency procedures,effective communication and human relationship on board.
5. Observation:-Ask to develop the sense of observation.

c) Technical job, responsibility he need to learn at the earliest

The Training should include knowledge and understanding of maintaining a Safe Engineering watch   including:

1. duties associated with taking over and accepting a watch .
2. routine duties undertaken during a watch.
3. maintenance of the machinery space logs and the significance of the readings taken.
4. duties associated with handing over a watch,
5. Safety and emergency procedures; change-over of remote/automatic to local control of all systems 
6. Safety precautions to be observed during a watch and immediate actions to be taken in the event of fire or accident, with particular reference to oil systems.

The Training should include knowledge and understanding of the following

1.  Basic configuration, Preparation, Operation of main and auxiliary.
2. Basic configuration, Preparation, Operation of electrical, electronic and control systems.
3. Appropriate use of hand tools, machine tools and measuring instruments for fabrication and repair on board.
4. Maintenance and repair of shipboard machinery and equipment. 
5. Compliance with pollution prevention requirements
6. The Trainee Should be given a basis knowledge of Pipe line Tracing . 
7. The trainee should assist the watch keeping engineer in keeping a watch.

d) What attention he needs to pay towards energy conservation

He should be aware about the best power management practices on boards such as

1. "Switch off lights when not in use".
2. Washing machines and dryers should be set to minimum selector timing: 
3. All non-essential pumps/machinery to be stopped in E/R after arriving at port/anchorage.
4. Printers and scanners when not in use should be powered off and unplugged.
5. In the galley or mess rooms, bread toasters and food warmers should likewise be unplugged immediately after use. Same with battery chargers for walkie-talkies.
6. Running of purifiers at port and idling is minimized so that not only the power and steam consumption but also sludge generation can come down.
7. Hot water calorifier is fitted with an electrical heater of 30 KW capacity. However to conserve energy the vessel generally uses steam (waste heat recovery) for the  calorifier.
8. Engine room temperature in cold climates should be kept as high as practicable so as to minimise waste of energy due to the cold air entering the engines for combustion. This can be done by stopping non-essential E/R blowers and by keeping E/R doors/sky light to the main deck shut. This will minimise flow of cold air inside and will also prevent heat escaping out from open doors.

e) His entitlement with regard to human right in a foreign port.

1. He shall be granted shore leave to benefit his health and well-being and  consistent with the operational requirements of their positions.

2. Seafarers have a right to be repatriated at no cost to themselves.

3. Seafarers have the right to visit a qualified medical doctor or dentist without delay in ports of call, where practicable.

4. For the protection of seafarers in foreign ports, there are measures taken to facilitate:

     (a) access to consuls of their State of nationality or State of residence; and

     (b) effective cooperation between consuls and the local or national authorities.

5. Seafarers who are detained in a foreign port are dealt with promptly under due   process of law and with appropriate consular protection.

6. Whenever a seafarer is detained for any reason the competent authority should, if the seafarer so requests, immediately inform the flag State and the State of  nationality of the seafarer. The competent authority should promptly inform the seafarer of the right to make such a request.

7. The State of nationality of the seafarer should promptly notify the seafarer’s next of kin. The competent authority should allow consular officers of these States immediate access to the seafarer and regular visits thereafter so long as the seafarer is detained.