Frequently Asked Questions for
Q. 1. What chief officer should never miss before encountering heavy seas ?
Prior encountering heavy weather areas a mate should always ensure that:
- One person goes and checks all the oil levels, linkages and other important parameters of the steering gear in the steering room
- If one motor is running, switch on other motor and run both of them together to get maximum available torque to turn the rudder
- In open sea, vessel is normally in auto pilot. It is advisable to change over to hand or manual control to avoid excessive hunting of the rudder
- Sufficient man power including senior officers to be present at the bridge - It is to be instructed to the crew not to go out on open deck in rough weather
- All the deck items such as mooring ropes, lashing equipments, drums etc. to be stored and lashed properly after their use - All openings in the deck for cargo and other spaces to be kept shut. Forecastle doors, hatches and ventilation fans should be sealed properly. A pressurized fire hose test is to be done to ascertain their integrity
- All sounding pipes on forecastle decks and vents on main deck must be secured and tightly closed - All opening to the accommodation to be kept shut
- Shaft tunnel and other internal access space must be used to go to steering room or other compartment - Everyone must be aware of his/her duties pasted in the muster list
- All crew members should always wear all the PPEs and use railings and other support while walking through any part
of the ship to avoid trips and falls
- Life rafts, lifeboats, accommodation ladders and pilot ladders must be secured with additional lashings - Heavy weather checklist in the company manual is an essential tool to secure vessel for such conditions Q.2. How to ensure that chief officer does not miss maintenance schedules critical for deck?
Most of the safety management systems include PMS routines, arrival-departure checklists, pre loading-unloading checklists for various deck equipment and machineries. These can be strictly adhered to ensure that all essential maintenance works are carried out.
A detailed plan can be made at the beginning of a new leg in a voyage considering various factors such as:
- Trade of the vessel
- Weather conditions expected and risks involved - Availability of stores, spares and manpower - Prioritizing maintenance jobs
Thus, taking into account the plan for maintenance helps in completing tasks with time constraints and there isn’t a chance of essential jobs being overlooked.
Q.3. What should a cargo plan always include?
A cargo plan other than identifying critical stages should include measures to be taken in case of an emergency. The emergency stop signals must be agreed between Ship and Shore. A designated Crash tank /hold which can be used to contain oil spill etc. in case of an emergency. Additional Personnel to be called in case of emergency along with routine watch schedules.
Q.4. What preparation to be done for Tank Cleaning and Gas freeing Operations?
Tank cleaning and gas freeing operations are quite frequent onboard tankers.
- Firstly it should be confirmed that the lines are free from any residue or remaining oil. The blanks for overboard line, cargo sea chest, pump room sea line and IG line cross connections should be freed up
- For ODMCS all tests and simulations provided as per the manual should be carried out
- Spares inventory for valves, seat rings, dresser couplings, T/C machines, gears and tools must be updated and adequately assured
- The date of Internal memory for the ODMCS should be valid
- It is equally important to plan the work and rest hours of crew members involved in the operation
- Portable gas freeing fans should be checked for operation, sludge davits, tripods and tank cleaning machines.Tank cleaning hoses to be checked for continuity
Q.5. How much trim is required for crude oil wash ?
Keeping the largest trim aft is advisable for crude oil wash. Though vessel should not exceed beyond minimum drafts as per loadicator/stability booklet or rise beyond propeller immersion. A list of 0.5 to 1.0 degree must also be kept (generally towards Port Side). However it is advisable to study the exact location of bell-mouth inside the tank.
Q.6. How frequently should pressure gauges be calibrated?
Pressure gauges must be calibrated at least annually, during docking of a vessel or whenever any major discrepancy is noted in the actual reading and remote transmitters. Often during various cargo operations it is noticed that some of the gauges are faulty and need rectification. Same to be attended with utmost importance.
Q.7. Why checking density of water at berth is important?
Often cargo calculations involve draft verification and draft calculations and thus accurate seawater density is equally important. This eliminates all discrepancies involved in draft verification against observed drafts and calculated or loadicator drafts.
Q.8. What items should a mate look for in deck stores?
When a mate verifies inventory of various deck items and spares in deck store, other than consumable items of daily use for deck maintenance, he should always look for the following:
- Spares parts for machinery of accommodation ladders, pilot ladders
- Spare parts for valves, seat rings for cargo ballast system (Manual and Hydraulic type) - Spare liners, countersunk screws for Brakes bands of Mooring winches, Windlasses - Spare tools, Shackles for D Shackle and anchor
- Spare O-rings, couplings, joints, gasket and other parts for hydraulic operated valve system - Spare gases for calibration of fixed and portable gas detection equipment, draeger tubes - Any special tools, gears for mooring winch motors, cranes, pneumatic davits etc.
Q.9. What are most essential tools in planning work/rest schedule of deck crew?
While planning the work /rest schedule for deck crew a mate should always bear in mind that:
- Personnel required in case of emergency should preferably not be posted for watches
- Watch-keeping personnel should be adequately rested and should be put on deck work only for required hours to comply
with minimum requirements as per stated in ILO/IMO guidelines
- During arrival / departure/In port/ transiting High Risk Areas for piracy watches should be scheduled for the watch- keeping/non-watchkeeping personnel to ensure optimization of work and adequate rest to deck crew as well
Q.10. What is importance of training on Ballast Water Management Plan (BWMP)?
Various Ballast Water Management plans prepared in line with IMO guidelines and flag state requirements advocate about training needs. Most of them explicitly state that training for all personnel associated with BWMP has to be carried out along with risk assessment of ballast water exchange, once in every three months or whenever more than 25% of crew change takes place.
Q.11. Why a Master should always ask Ship’s agent for Local Regulations ?
At times it has been observed that Marine notices circulated to vessel via its management or local information available in Guide to Port Entry are insufficient or obsolete.
Thus ship’s agent is the best source to liaise with while approaching a port for getting accurate and first-hand information regarding various local rules and regulations.
Q.12. What is the importance of Ship’s Certificates ?
Various statutory trading certificates such as Certificate Of Registry, Tonnage Certificate, IOPP Certificate, Cargo Ship Safety Radio Certificate, Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate, Sanitation and Deratting Certificate and several other insurance certificates are required for a vessel to trade.
Without these certificates ports or flag states may not permit vessel to trade within their jurisdiction or port limits.
Q.13. What is importance of P & I Club and recording evidence for master ?
P & I Club plays a vital role in solving third party claims and insurance issues involving ship and ship owners. Thus, it is very important for the master to maintain and keep logs updated and in order.
All important events, other than recorded data onboard, must be correctly logged down in ship’s log books as they can be considered vital evidence, specially in case of third party claims. This information is important in protecting Ship and Shipowner’s interests against cases involving loss of life, collision, damage, wrong, short or mixed delivery of cargo.
Q.14. When a master can terminate a Seaman’s Contract?
Master can terminate a seaman’s contract in cases when the vessel is sold, or when the vessel becomes a wreck or is disabled and unable to proceed upon her voyage, medical repatriation or on disciplinary grounds.
Q.15. What a master should not miss when a ship’s agent asks for original certificates ?
In many ports of the world, the local agents facilitate for port authorities to physically examine and verify ship certificates.
In such cases, the master has to often provide the agents original copies of ship’s certificates.
However, it is prudent on his behalf to get an acknowledgement signed by the agent mentioning the list and number of certificate handed over to the agent.
Q.16. What preparations to be carried out during Annual and Intermediate Classification Society Surveys?
During Annual and Intermediate surveys it is advisable to prepare a detailed list of certificates beforehand for renewal and endorsement.
Various plans and manuals such as Crude Oil Washing Manual, Volatile Organic Compound Management Manual, Oil Discharge Monitoring And Control Systems Manual, Loadicator Test Conditions, Ballast Water Management plan etc.
should be approved and endorsed by class during Annual and Intermediate Survey. Thus, all manuals and plans should be checked for approval and endorsement prior any survey.
Q.17. What is the importance of Master's Review of Ship Security Plan and Safety Management Manual?
Masters are required to carry out annual review of safety management manuals or ship security plan. The aim of review is to discover any shortcomings or to include any additional points in the manual as observations coming from day to day onboard operations are more helpful in framing better guidelines.
Addendum to the safety management system from various experienced master in a fleet are effective in making the safety management system comprehensive and fool proof.
Q.18. Whom should a master inform first in an event of security threat ?
Case 1 : The UKMTO supports the industry Best Management Practices (BMP) and is listed in the BMP as the primary point of contact for merchant vessels in case of a pirate attack. In the event of an imminent security threat or Piracy attack in High Risk Area or Extended Risk Area, the master should first inform UKMTO as mentioned in the guidelines in the Best Management Practices (BMP- 4).
They are the primary points of contact, who will alert the coalition warships in the vicinity and prepare teams to deal with the threat. They will also alert flag state and other shore based organization in case of a pirate attack. Master can then activate SSAS and alert his owners and managers.
Case 2: If the vessel faces an imminent security threat in a port or in areas other than High Risk Areas or Extended Risk Area, the master should activate SSAS first and alert Owners, Flag State and Ship Managers.
This is because merchant vessels are assisted by UKMTO only in a region bound by Suez, 78°E and 10°S.
Q.19. What are the important points a chief officer must ensure while entering enclosed spaces?
- Risk assessment to be carried out by a competent officer as enclosed or confined space entry is deficient in oxygen - A list of work to be done should be made for the ease of assessment for e.g. if welding to be carried out or some pipe replacement etc. This helps in carrying out the work quickly and easily
- Risk assessment also needs to be carried out, including what work to be done, rescue operation etc.
- Potential hazards are to be identified such as presence of toxic gases
- Opening and securing has to be done and precaution should be taken to check if the opening of enclosed space is pressurized or not
- All fire hazard possibilities should be minimized if hot work is to be carried out. This can be done by emptying the fuel tank or chemical tank nearby the hot work place
- The confined space has to be well ventilated before entering
- The space has to be checked for oxygen content and other gas content with the help of oxygen analyzer and gas detector - The oxygen content should read 20% by volume. Percentage less than that is not acceptable and more time for
ventilation should be given in such circumstances
- Enough lighting and illumination should be present in the enclosed space before entering
- A proper permit to work has to be filled out and checklist to be checked so as to prevent any accident which can endanger life
- Permit to work is to be valid only for a certain time period. If time period expires then again new permit is to be issued and checklist is to be filled out
- Permit to work has to be checked and permitted by the Master of the ship in order to work in confined space
- Proper signs and Men at work sign boards should be provided at required places so that person should not start any equipment, machinery or any operation in the confined space endangering life of the people working
- Duty officer has to be informed before entering the enclosed space
- The checklist has to be signed by the person involved in entry and also by a competent officer - One person always has to be kept standby to communicate with the person inside the space - The person may also carry a life line with him inside
- The person should carry oxygen analyzer with him inside the enclosed space and it should be ON all the time to monitor the oxygen content. As soon as level drops, the analyzer should sound alarm and the space should be evacuated quickly without any delay
- No source of ignition has to be taken inside unless the master or competent officer is satisfied
- The number of persons entering should be constrained to the adequate number of persons who are actually needed inside for work
- The rescue and resuscitation equipment are to be present outside the confined space. Rescue equipment includes breathing air apparatus and spare charge bottles
- Means of hoisting an incapacitated person should be available
- After finishing the work and when the person is out of the enclosed space, the after work checklist has to be filled - The permit to work has to be closed after this
Q.20. What are the important points to note when the ship is traveling to sub-zero temperature area?
- The navigational information that is received by the bridge should be well analyzed for safe navigation from ice - The navigation officer must recognize different types of sea ice forms
- All navigation and communication equipment must be approved type and should work at sub zero temperature
- All the hydraulic machineries and winches to be operated to avoid freezing of oil - All the heaters in the hydraulic system to be switched on
- Take sounding of all the fresh water and ballast tank prior entering cold region
- Sounding to be taken at regular interval when plying in sub zero regions to identify any damage or leak from tank due to ice
- Start ballast sea chest heating, if required
- Lifeboat drinking water to be taken out and stored at desired place or a crew assigned to bring water during emergency - Cold starting system of lifeboat to be kept ready
- Add anti freeze in jacket water of lifeboat engine
- All cargo line and other lines on deck must be fully drained after use
- PV breaker and deck seal in oil tanker to be added with antifreeze compound
- All greased equipment to be cleared off old grease and fresh anti freezing grease to be applied - All the openings from deck to the accommodation must be kept close at all times
- Crew to be instructed to clear ice from deck equipment at regular intervals