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A Comprehensive List of Fuel, Diesel and Lube Oil Tanks

on a Ship

by Anish25 January 2011 2 Comments

A ship is a massive storage floating structure which is primarily used to store and transfer

liquid or dry type of cargo from one port to another. A ship requires tonnes of oil- both fuel

and lubricating, along with water so that its propulsion and other auxiliary systems can

operate efficiently.

In order to store different types of oils and water, the ship is designed and constructed with

several tanks. These tanks help to store fuel oil, lube oil, hydraulic oil, drinking water, fresh

water, ballast water etc.

The size, number, type, and location of the tanks depend on the following factors:

Size and type of the ship Propulsion plant, auxiliary engines type and design of other machineries. Area of voyage

Tanks are spread all over the ship from forward to aft and port to starboard. Different types of

tanks present on the ship are:

Fuel & Diesel Oil Tanks:

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Bunker tanks

These are the biggest tanks in terms of capacity present on board a ship. They are used to

store fuel and diesel oil received in bulk after bunkering. The locations of bunker tanks are

normally outside the engine room and they are generally a wing or double bottom tank. Low

sulphur oil and marine gas oil is bunkered in separate dedicated bunker tanks to avoid mix upof fuel.

Settling tanks

Generally, more than two settling tanks are present and located on a ship as part of the

bulkhead of the engine room. Oil from the bunker tank is transferred into the settling tank.

The diesel oil settling tank can be located as double bottom tank in the engine room. Settling

tank for low sulphur oil and marine gas oil is kept separate from other fuel oil.

Service tanks

Service tanks onboard ships are used to store and supply treated oil to main engine, auxiliary

engine and boilers. The number of such tanks can be one or more. Fuel oil and diesel oil

service tanks are normally located as a part of the bulkhead of the engine room. Low service

fuel oil (L.S.F.O) and marine gas oil (M.G.O) tanks are dedicated tanks to avoid mix up.

Over flow tank

Over flow tank is provided for both fuel and diesel oil system in the engine room for

collecting the overflowed oil from bunker tank. Return lines and leak off lines may also be

connected to overflow tank. It is a normal practice to have a common overflow tank for high

and low sulphur system.

Emergency generator diesel oil tank:

Fuel for emergency generator is supplied form a separate diesel oil tank with capacity derived

by the regulation given in SOLAS. The location of the tank is in the emergency generator

room which is outside the engine room.

Lubricating oil tanks

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It is almost impossible to think of any machinery operating without the use of lubricating oils.

For this reason, various grades of lube oils are stored onboard ship. Different lube oil tanks

present on board ship are:

Main Engine Crank Case (M.E.C.C) Oil Tank

The Main engine crank case oil is stored in one or more tanks and low sulphur system oil is

kept in separate tanks. There are no other settling or service tanks in lube oil system and oil is

taken directly from the main tank.

Main Engine Cylinder Oil Tank

The main engine cylinder oil is used inside the combustion chamber between the piston and

the liner, and is stored in the cylinder oil tank. The bulk oil is bunkered directly into these

tanks. The low sulphur oil is kept separate in different tanks.

Main Engine Cylinder Oil Daily Tank

The daily tank is located in the engine room and the oil is transferred from the storage tank to

this daily tank. The capacity of daily tank is kept as per the main engine cylinder oil daily

consumption.

Main Engine Turbocharger Oil tank

If the main engine comprises of a turbocharger system with forced lubrication, a turbocharger

lube oil storage tank is provided.

Maine Engine Turbocharger Daily Lube Oil Tank

A daily oil tank is provided in the engine room. Oil as per the daily consumption of the turbo

charging system is transferred from the storage tank.

Auxiliary Engine Lube Oil Tank

Auxiliary engine are 4 stroke engines and no separate cylinder lube oil is used. Therefore,

only auxiliary engine main lube oil is bunkered and kept in storage tank. One or more tanks

may be present as per the ships requirement.

rocedure for Cleaning Fuel Oil Tanks on a Ship

by Aditib11 November 2010 No Comment

Ships use heavy fuel oil which has a very high viscosity. When stored in fuel tanks, this oil

tends to stick inside the tanks forming layers of semi-solid substance. Moreover, many

impurities of the oil settle down and stick to the surface of the tanks. It is therefore imperative

that the fuel oil tanks are cleaned on a regular basis on ships.

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Generally, fuel oil tanks cleaning on the ship is done during dry dock and whenever the

inspection of the fuel tanks is due. Cleaning is done for surveyor inspection or if there is any

work to be done inside the tanks such as crack in fuel tank, leaking steam lines etc.

For cleaning a tank various safety precautions are to be considered as it contains flammable

gases and oil inside it.

Preparations Done before Cleaning

The following steps are to be followed before starting the cleaning process:

1) Empty the tank as much as possible; strip the tank by trimming the ship forward or aft

depending on the suction valve location.

2) When the ship is going for dry-dock the keel plan is to be sent to the shore facility so that

they should not put any keel block in the way of the plug present in the bottom shell plating.

3) The tank has to be properly ventilated as it is an enclosed space and might contain

flammable gases.

4) It is to be made sure that the steam connections are closed and proper signs and placards

are displayed so that during cleaning nobody opens the valve and gets burnt or hurt.

5) The tank has to be checked for flammable gases.

6) The tank has to be checked for oxygen content with the help of oxygen analyser.

7) The tank is drained off left over oil with the help of plugs.

8 ) The location of plug can be found out in shell plating diagrams.

9) Generally this plug is covered with cement and made streamlined with the shell plating.

10) Enclosed space entry checklist is filled out so that no safety issues are compromised or

left.

During cleaning

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1)Entry is only to be made inside the tank if the oxygen level is 21% by volume and

flammable gases are vented out.

2) One person should always standby outside the manhole door and should be in

communication with the person inside.

3) The person outside should continuously communicate with person inside and with the duty

officer.

4) In case of hot work to be carried out, a fire line is to be carried inside. Also, a small fire

extinguisher for small fire should be there. Inform Port state authority before commencing

hot work.

5) The tank is cleaned manually with the help of brushes, rags etc.

6) The oxygen content is continuously monitored and in case the alarm indicates low level,

the space has to be evacuated immediately without any delay.

After cleaning

1)Make sure no tool are left inside which may get stuck in the valve or damage the transfer

pump

2) The place where crack repair is done should be checked for leaks.

3) If it was a steam leak repair, the coils needs to be checked for steam leak inside.

4) In case of crack or plate renewal the tank has to be pressure tested and checked for leak. If

the repair is major it has to be inspected by class surveyor before putting it in operation.

5) Close the manhole after inspection, repairs and cleaning.

6) Close and remove the sign permit to work.

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Home Procedures/Maintenance

Important Lube Oil Properties to be Considered While

Choosing Marine Lube Oil for Your Ship

by Anish11 March 2011 No Comment

Lube oil is a one of the essential elements for operating any kind of machinery on board ship.

Lube oil is responsible for lubrication and cooling of the parts which are operating relative to

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each other, giving rise to frictional and other types of stresses on the machinery. Without the

use of lube oil, we cannot imagine any machinery operation on ship.

Different types and grades of lube oils are available for machinery, depending upon the

working condition, operation, and requirements of the machinery itself. When it comes to

marine engines, it is very critical to select the best grade of lube oil that can be used as crankcase oil or cylinder oil. The lube oil is selected based on the properties which will improve

the engine operation and reduce the wear down rate and hence the maintenance cost of the

machine.

Important Properties of Lube Oil

The following are the most common and required properties of the lube oil used for marinemachinery:

Alkalinity

The lube oil alkalinity plays an important part in marine engines. When fuel burns, the fumes

carry sulphuric acid which can cause acidic corrosion. For a trunk piston engine or four

stroke engines, the main lube oil is responsible for piston and liner lubrication; hence it

comes directly in contact with the combustible fuel. Therefore alkalinity of lube oil is

important for controlling acidic corrosion.

For two stroke engines, separate grade of lube oil is used as cylinder oil and its alkalinity

depends on the engine fuel grade (HFO or LSFO).

Oxidation resistant

Lube oil is always in contact with air and thus oxygen presence in oil is inevitable. Moreover,

at high temperature of the oil, the oxidation rate increases. After 85degree C temperature, the

increase in every 10degree C of oil oxidation rates doubles itself leading to sludge formation,

acid production and bearing corrosion. Hence additives are added to maintain keep thesethings in check. Lube oil temperature is controlled by passing it through lube oil cooler.

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Load carrying capacity

It is also one of the important characteristics of lube oil which mainly depends upon the

viscosity of the oil. The load subjected to different internal parts of the marine engine is veryhigh; hence the load carrying capacity must be enough to withstand the pressure inside the

engine. If this is not achieved then oil will be forced out and metal to metal contact will result

in wiping out and wear down of the machine.

Thermal conductivity

The internal parts of marine engine are always in movement producing heat energy. This heat

energy has to be carried away or else it might lead to wear down due to thermal stresses. The

lube oil must cool down the internal parts to avoid such a situation and must have a good

thermal conductivity.

Detergency

Detergency of the oil is obtained by adding some metallic based additives which will prevent

the build up of small deposits in the metal surface. In two stroke engine, the cylinder oil

detergency is very important as it removes the deposits from the ring pack area and keeps the

combustion space as clean as possible

Disperency

It is the property of the lube oil which prevents impurities to mix up with itself and keeps

them suspended on the surface. This makes it easy for the separator or clarifier to remove it

from the oil.

High Flash Point

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The flash point is the minimum temperature at which the oil vaporizes to give an ignitable

mixture of air. The flash point should always be on the higher side so that in case of increase

in temperature of the oil, fire hazard can be avoided. Normally for marine engine lube oils,

the flash point is always higher than 220C.

Low Demulsification Number

It is not practically impossible to completely avoid contamination of oil with water. The low

demulsification number of the oil helps in easy separation of water from the oil in the

separator or when stored in the settling tank.

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List of Important and Not-So-Famous Tanks on a Ship

by Anish26 January 2011 2 Comments

Fuel oil, diesel oil, and lubricating oil tanks are the names of tanks everyone is aware of. But

there are several tanks apart from them which also play an important part in the overall

working of the ship. Moreover, there are also tanks of which many people are not aware of.

In this article we will have a look at some important and some not-so-famous tanks presenton the ship.

Hydraulic Oil Tanks

Hydraulic oil tanks for valves

Separate tanks are used to store oil which is used for different valves on the ship. Valves such

as ballast valves, fuel valves etc. are remotely operated by hydraulic oil.

Hydraulic oil tanks for Winches

Tanks for hydraulic oil are located outside the engine room to store winches oil.

Hydraulic oil tanks for Steering gear

Steering gear hydraulic oil tank is normally located in the steering room and is used as a

storage tank to receive bulk oil.

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Water tanks

Fresh water tanks

Fresh water tanks present onboard may be two or more in numbers, depending upon the size

of vessel. They are used to store sanitary water for accommodation, engine room and deck

use.

Drinking water tank

A separate drinking water tank may be present to store drinkable water received from shore

or to store water produced by fresh water generator (F.W.G).

Distilled Feed water tank

A ships boiler needs distilled water to produce steam, and therefore water from fresh water

generator (F.W.G) is stored in distilled water tank.

Boiler feed water tank

The boiler feed water system consist of a separate tank which receives water from distilledwater tank.

Cascade tank

Cascade tank, also known as hot well, is a part of boiler feed water system. Water is pumped

into the cascade tank from the feed water tank. The boiler water is treated in the cascade tank

and the return from the steam heating system is also connected to the hot well.

Ballast water tanks

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Ballast water tanks are present all over the ship for ballasting and de-ballasting purpose for

stabilizing the ship and for acquiring correct draught for port and canal crossing etc. Double

bottom tanks are generally located outside the engine room.

Stern tube cooling water tank

This tank is located around the stern tube of the propeller and acts as a cooling media for the

same. It can be used as a fresh water water tank of the ship.

Slop tanks

Slop tank in tanker

Slop tanks are present onboard tanker to store oily water mixture from cargo tank washing.

The number of slop tanks depends on the Dead weight Tonnage (DWT) of the vessel.

Sludge tank

Located in engine room, this tank is used to store sludge produced after treating fuel or lubeoil through purifiers.

Bilge tank

The water and oil leakage in the engine room is collected in bilge wells and this oily water

mixture is then transferred to primary bilge tank or bilge holding tank, where the mixture is

settled down and then is transferred to secondary bilge tank.

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The oily water separator is supplied through secondary or separated bilge tank and a shore

connection is also connected to this tank to dispose off all the collected bilge to shore.

Scavenge drain tank

The sludge produced by the main engine in the scavenge area is collected in the small

capacity scavenge drain tank.

Oily Water Separator (O.W.S) Sludge tank

When oily water separator operates, it separates oil from water and that oil is collected anddischarged into a separate tank known as O.W.S sludge tank.

Other Not-So-Famous yet Important Tanks

Drain tank

The drain tank is located in the engine room. All drip trays and other drains are connected to

this tank.

Leak off tank

This is a small tank separately fitted in the main engine and all auxiliary engines to detect any

fuel leakage. The tank consists of an orifice and a float. If the leak is very small, it will pass

through the orifice; but if leakage increases, the oil will not be able to pass through the orifice

and tank level would increase, rising the float and thus giving an alarm.

Stuffing Box Tank

The main engine stuffing box scraps the impure lubricating oil, which is collected in a

separate tank known as stuffing box tank.

Stern tube gravity tank

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The stern tube system oil is circulated in the system by means of two tanks, lower gravity and

upper gravity tanks.

Waste oil tank

The waste oil tank is a separate tank used to collect waste and impure oil produced onboardship.

Soot collecting tank

When the economiser tube washing is done, the soot water is collected in a soot collecting

tank.

Sewage holding tank

The sewage produced from the onboard crew is collected in a common tank known as sewage

collecting tank. The sewage plant takes intake from the sewage holding tank.

Expansion tanks

The jacket water system of main engine, auxiliary engine and some times main air

compressor are provided with individual expansion to provide provision to compensate

change in volume and maintaining positive pressure.

Jacket water drain tank

When any maintenance is to be done on the main engine, the jacket water is drained and

collected into the jacket water drain tank.

Rocker arm tank

Many diesel generators are provided with separate rocker arm lubricating oil tank to avoid

contamination.

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Home Marine Safety, Maritime Law

Important Features of Muster List on Ship

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by Anish2 February 2011 No Comment

A ship crew must be prepared all the time to tackle and fight against any kind of emergencies

which can arise due to reasons such as rough weather, machinery malfunction, pirate attack,

human error etc. Such emergencies can lead to fire, collision, flooding, grounding,

environmental pollution, and loss of life. To stress the importance of training for differentemergency procedures and duties of personnel, muster list is provided onboard ship.

A muster list is basically a list which is displayed in prominent areas of the vessel so that

every crew member on onboard can read it on a go. Some of the important areas where the

muster list is posted are- Bridge, Engine room, accommodation alleyways etc., areas where

ships crew spends the maximum of their time.

The Important features which are displayed in the muster lists are:

Types of Emergency and different alarms for the same

Main emergencies like fire, man overboard, abandon ship, oil spill etc. are listed along with

dedicated visual and audible alarms.

Instruction to follow in case of different types of emergency

Brief instruction is given in case the alarm for a particular emergency is sounded, which

includes action to be taken by the crew onboard.

Common Muster point for all the crew

The common muster point is clearly described if any emergency alarm is sounded. Normally

life boat deck area is made as a common muster point.

Crew list of all crew member with assigned life boat

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The crew name is displayed along with the assigned life boat for abandon ship emergency.

Normally two life boats are assigned in between all the crew member i.e. port side and

starboard side life boat.

Assigned duties for abandon ship

All the crew listed in the muster list are assigned with duties to perform in emergency

situation like carrying EPIRB and SART, lifeboat and life raft launching etc.

Different teams with assigned duties for the individuals of the team for emergencies

Different teams are made to tackle emergencies like fire, flooding etc. these are

1.Command Team: operated from bridge.

2.Emergency team 1: Operates at the point of scenario.

3.Emergency team 2: Standby team and helping hand for emergency team.

4.Roving Commission: Team working along with all other team.

5.Engine room team: This team stand by in ECR.

Ship Specification and emergency communication equipment

Ship specifications are displayed along with the communication methods and equipments to

be used in case of emergency.

Special and general instruction by master

A separate section for general and special instructions is provided which is used by the

master or the chief engineer of the vessel to keep inform or to instruct the crew of the ship.

The muster list is posted to keep the crew aware of the different emergency situations and

duties to be performed if such situations occur in reality. For this, regular training and drill

must be conducted by the master of the ship to ensure that all crew members are familiar withlife saving and fire fighting appliances.

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Home Marine Safety

Different Types of Alarms on Ship.

by Anish13 February 2011 No Comment

An emergency does not come with an alarm but an alarm can definitely help us to tackle an

emergency or to avoid an emergency situation efficiently and in the right way. Alarm systems

are installed all over the ships systems and machinery to notify the crew on board about the

dangerous situation that can arise on the ship.

Alarm on board ships are audible as well as visual to ensure that a person can at least listen to

the audible alarm when working in a area where seeing a visual alarm is not possible and viceversa.

It is a normal practice in the international maritime industry to have alarm signal for a

particular warning similar in all the ships, no matter in which seas they are sailing or to which

company they belongs to. This commonness clearly helps the seafarer to know and

understand the type of warning or emergency well and help to tackle the situation faster.

The main alarms that are installed in the ship to give audio-visual warnings are as follows:

1) General Alarm: The general alarm on the ship is recognized by 7 short ringing of bell

followed by a long ring or 7 short blasts on the ships horn followed by one long blast. Thegeneral alarm is sounded to make aware the crew on board that an emergency has occurred.

2) Fire Alarm: A fire alarm is sounded as continuous ringing of ships electrical bell or

continuous sounding of ships horn.

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3) Man Overboard Alarm: When a man falls overboard, the ship internal alarm bell

sounds 3 long rings and ship whistle will blow 3 long blasts to notify the crew on board and

the other ships in nearby vicinity.

4) Navigational Alarm: In the navigation bridge, most of the navigational equipments

and navigation lights are fitted with failure alarm. If any of these malfunctions, an alarm willbe sounded in an alarm panel displaying which system is malfunctioning.

5) Machinery space Alarm: The machinery in the engine room has various safety devices

and alarms fitted for safe operation. If any one of these malfunctions, a common engine room

alarm is operated and the problem can be seen in the engine control room control panel which

will display the alarm.

6) Machinery Space CO2 Alarm: The machinery space is fitted with CO2 fixed with fire

extinguishing system whose audible and visual alarm is entirely different from machinery

space alarm and other alarm for easy reorganization.

7) Cargo Space CO2 Alarm: The cargo spaces of the ship are also fitted with fixed fire

fighting system which has a different alarm when operated.

8) Abandon Ship Alarm: When the emergency situation on board ship goes out of hands

and ship is no longer safe for crew on board ship. The master of the ship can give a verbal

Abandon ship order, but this alarm is never given in ships bell or whistle. The general alarm

is sounded and every body comes to the emergency muster station where the master or his

substitute (chief Officer) gives a verbal order to abandon ship.

9) Ship Security Alarm System: Most of the ocean going vessels are fitted with security

alert alarm system, which is a silent alarm system sounded in a pirate attack emergency. This

signal is connected with different coastal authorities all over the world via a global satellite

system to inform about the piracy.

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Different Alarm signals of the vessel are clearly described in the muster list along with the

action to be carried out so that all the crew member can perform there duties within no time

in actual emergency.

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Home Procedures/Maintenance, Tech

What are Breaking-In and Running-In in Marine Diesel

Engines?

by Anish8 March 2011 No Comment

One cannot imagine a ship unequipped with marine engines as they are responsible for

propulsion and power generation for the vessel. Two or Four stroke engines are used forpropelling a ship, depending upon the size of the ship. Four stroke engines are used as a

prime mover for power generation because of their high speed characteristics.

A two stroke or a four stroke marine engines require time-to-time maintenance for efficient

and break free operation. When ever there is a change or renewal in the major combustion

parts of the engine i.e. piston or liner and if the engine has gone under complete dcarb, then

it is put back in operation under step running programmes known as Breaking in and

Running in.

Why Breaking in and Running in?

The newly fitted liner, piston, or piston rings are machined prepared in the workshop ashore.

They have surface asperities and there is no bedding between the moving surface i.e. liner

and rings.

Under such situations, if proper step running is not followed then it may lead to heavy blow

past of combustion gases. The blow past can be dangerous as it can lead to scavenge fire.

Hence initially a step running program is required for newly fitted piston, piston rings and

liner.

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For a complete dcarb engine, it is important to keep an eye on various parameters of the

engine under increasing load which can be achieved by breaking in and running in.

Breaking In and Running In

Breaking in

It is a short period of running of the marine engines under no load so that the piston rings are

allowed to seat and lubricated properly. The breaking in time may differ from engine to

engine and is provided in the engine manual by the makers An average breaking-in time for a

four stroke engine is 48 hours.

Breaking in is carried out to achieve maximum wear rate, so that asperities break faster. For

this reason HFO and low TBN oil is used. If low sulphur fuel or marine diesel oil is used, thebreaking in period will increase. A low jacket water temperature is maintained to increase the

rate of wear.

Running in

It is a program followed after breaking in and it is a long run program with step by step

increase in the load and speed of the engine.

Just like breaking in, the running in schedules are also provided in the engine manuals and

differ for parts to parts.

In two stroke engine, the cylinder lubrication is kept in higher side in terms of oil quantity for

proper lubrication of piston rings and liner.

For four stroke engines with common sump lubrication, low TBN lube oil is used initially

and after 30 % of load, the new recommended oil is used.

Conclusion

If the proper Breaking In and Running In period is not followed after the maintenance, it may

lead to blow past of the combustion gases, leading to scavenge fire. It can lead to heavy

scuffing resulting in increase in liner wear.

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Home Auxiliary Machinery, Main Engine

Why 2-stroke Engines are Used More commonly than 4-stroke on Ships?

by Anish21 April 2011 No Comment

When a ship is being constructed in a shipyard, the most important machinery that is to be

selected is the main propulsion machinery. Both 2 stroke and 4 stroke engines are widely

available in the market but for large ocean going merchant vessel, a 2 stroke engine is more

commonly used as main engine and has much better market.

Even with wide variety of advantages that 4 stroke engine offers like compact size of plant,much more RPM or speed etc, a 2 stroke engine outshines with few but vital advantages.

Some of the important reasons why 2 stroke engines are more popular than 4 stroke engines

as main propulsion engine on ships

Fuel Selection: The fuel prices have gone sky high and better grade fuel is addinghigher costs to vessel operation. A two stroke engine can burn low grade fuel oil andhence reduce running cost of the ship.

Efficiency: The thermal and engine efficiency of 2 stroke engine is much better thanthat of a 4 stroke engine.

Power: Most of the 2 stroke engines are now large stroke engines that produce morepower. Hence they have high power to weight ration as compare to 4 stroke engine.

More Cargo: Ship can carry more weight and hence more cargo with 2 strokeengines because of high power to weight ratio.

Reliability: Two stroke engines are more reliable in operation as compare to 4 strokeengine.

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Less Maintenance: The maintenance requirement of two stroke engine is much lesserthan 4 stroke engine.

Direction control: Direct starting and reversing is easier with two stroke engine. No reduction attachments: As two stroke engines are low speed engine, there are no

requirement of reduction gear or speed reduction arrangement as required for high

speed four stroke engine.

However, the ease-of-manoeuvring a two stroke engine is less than that of a four stroke

engine and the initial cost of installation of a two stroke propulsion plant is also much higher

than running and maintenance cost of a 4 stroke engine. In 2 stroke engine, the amount saved

on high grade fuel can compensate all other disadvantages and also reduce the whole

operating cost of a ship.

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Home Main Engine

Intelligent Engines The New Generation Machines

by Anish28 November 2010 One Comment

Today the world needs engines that can cope up with the stringent emission norms and higher

demands for robust, reliable and smart engines with low operational cost. To achieve the

above possibilities, a whole new generation of engine is being developed with acomprehensive use of electronics, hardware and software in large 2 stroke low speed cross

head engines known as Intelligent Engines.

The intelligent engine concept widens the reliability of traditional engines to facilitate new

applications and concepts. The initial cost of such engine is quite high but the operational

cost is lower than other engine used with proper operating procedure and trained crew.

The first intelligent engine in the maritime world was delivered in October-1998 and was

introduced in a chemical carrier M/T Bow Cecil.

Basic Concept of Intelligent Engine

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- A central electronic control system is incorporated which is the brain of the system

and which monitors and evaluate the general condition to keep the operating parameter

within limits and maintain the performance of the engine at the higher side.

- Central control system operates Engine control unit (ECU) and cylinder control unit

(CCU).

- ECU controls the overall protection and efficient performance of the whole engine.

CCU controls the each cylinder of the engine for safe and efficient working.

- This control system saves the engine from damage due to overloading,

malfunctioning, maladjustment and lack of maintenance.

- The intelligent engine provides flexibility in operation by replacing mechanical cam

shaft for fuel pump and exhaust valve with common rail system and computer controlled

system.

- To comply with the emission norms, system is incorporated with catalytic clean up

system and fuel economy modes which can be selected from bridge.

- A reversing and crash mode option is provided in the bridge, controlled through the

main central electronic control which sends signal to the engine when in operational mode.

- The central system consists of a program in which the protection system can be

override in case of emergency.

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Main goals

The basic aim for developing intelligent engine is to reduce the operational cost of the

propulsion plant, to have high fluctuation in operation and to cope up with the stringent

emission norms imposed by regulating authorities under IMO . Apart from this, the following

points to be considered for intelligent engines:

1) Reliability of engine increases

- The central monitoring system keeps an eye on the fluctuation of load and distributeequally to all the cylinders.

- It consists of overload protection system which will give alarm and trips the engine,

ruling out the possibilities of overload and thermal stresses.

- Any other abnormality is displayed with an early warning and alarm system so that the

problem can be tackled before it hampers the operational aspects of the engine.

- This system increases the emission control flexibility.

2) Fuel and lube oil consumption cost reduces

- The load operating efficiency increases as compared to normal engines which

increases the life of the engine and maintenance schedule can be delayed which cut shorts the

operational cost.

- The performance is fuel optimized. Fuel oil, lube oil and other lubricants consumption

drastically decreases which reduces the operational cost.

- The engine and its performance is maintained as new for its lifetime.

- The cylinder lubrication is one of the most expensive lubrication oil used in marine

operation. The consumption is controlled with the help of mechatronic (incorporated with

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mechanical and electronic controlled enhanced system) cylinder lubrication with advanced

dosage of oil.

3) Follow up of stringent air pollution emission norms.

- Now almost all the countries are following the stringent norms for emission from theships propulsion plant. The intelligent engine gives the flexibility to cope up with different

norms for different controlled bodies by enhancing the emission performance characteristics.

- To reduce the emission of harmful substance like Nox and Sox, catalytic controller

and fuel control and consumption modes are incorporated in the control system.

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Home Main Engine

The Most Popular Marine Propulsion Engines in the

Shipping Industry

by Anish14 March 2011 No Comment

Marine engines are one of the biggest and expensive engines in the world. It requires great

engineering skills and resources to manufacture such massive machinery, which is

responsible for propulsion of the ship. The criteria for purchasing a marine engine are to get

higher speed along with economical fuel consumption and long machinery life.

As more and more stringent environmental regulations are introduced, engine manufacturers

are also working on their research and development to comply with stringent emission norms

keeping in mind the economical factors for the ship owners or buyers.

There are many engine manufacturer designs that you will see on a vessel, but the most

prominent players in the engine manufacturing industry are SULZER, MAN and B&W.

The famous marine engines which were widely used as a ship propulsion plant are as follows:

SULZER

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RD series

It is the oldest engine series from SULZER and very rarely seen in shipping industry today.It

is equipped with rotary exhaust valves and fuel valve with short spindle. The cylinder liner

quills were of wet type and placed only at the upper part. It has pulse turbo charging system

with no auxiliary blower fitted for supporting the scavenge pressure.

RND series

One of the most famous design of SULZER with a slogan of Our Exhaust valves never

burns as this engine doesnt have any. It has loop scavenging i.e. exhaust and inlet ports are

provided in the liner. It was fitted with more liner quills at the bottom of exhaust port and isof dry type. Auxiliary blowers are provided and constant turbo charging system is adopted. It

produces more power than the engines of RD series.

RTA series

It is the modern day engine design with exhaust valves fitted. It has become very famous in

modern shipping as it is a balanced blend of automation and mechanical engineering. It

consumes less fuel and produces more power with three fuel valves in one cylinder.

RT Flex series

It is the latest and the toughest engine from Wartsila Sulzer with maximum automation

installed. It consists of a common rail fuel injection method and uses fully integrated

electronic system based on a high performance computer eliminating parts like fuel pump,

fuel cam, chain drive etc. resulting in reduced maintenance.

MAN B&W

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MAN B&W is another leading diesel engine manufacturer with the head office situated in

Germany. It has different categories of engines for different users with latest ME-B series

complying with the latest norms and taking care of ship owners economical criterion of

selection.

KEF series

It was introduced about 20 years ago and is incorporated with exhaust valves which are push

rod operated and installed with pulse type turbo charging system. No servomotor was fitted in

this engine and reversing is done with mechanical means.

KGF Series

The KGF series was similar to KEF series and consists of exhaust valve rotator with roller

bearing installed for that. In this engine the reversing cam is held in a hub which is keyed in

to the shaft. Cam shaft is turned in the same direction for reversing and the pressure required

for reversing is about 40 bars. There is no direct link between chain drive and engine cam

shaft.

MC series

The MC series engines are the most popular engines now and are fitted with electronic

control unit for better and safe operation of the engine. This engine is installed with VIT for

an economical fuel consumption and power production. Air is used for reversing of the

engine which moves the fuel pump cam follower from ahead to astern position.

ME series

It is the upgraded version of MC engine with electronic automation installed for safety and

economy of the plant. They provide optimal combustion at all operations and speed with

smokeless operation. This series also comes with liquid gas injection system for LPG fuel.

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Home Procedures/Maintenance

How is Marine Engine Repair Done On board a Ship?

by Mohit6 December 2010 No Comment

Marine Engine Repair is one of the most important tasks carried on board a ship. It involves

repairing and carrying out of routine maintenance tasks on the marine engine of the ship. The

repairs are generally carried out by marine engine mechanics, famously known as marine

engineers.

Need of Marine Engine Repair

Marine engine parts need to be checked on regular basis to avoid breakdown or heavy loss

caused by ship going off charter. Marine engine repairs are carried out by the marine engineeras per his basic understanding of the machine, sound troubleshooting knowledge and correct

techniques used for testing and overhauling.

Moreover, there are several agencies around the world that provide services for marine

engine repairs, which cannot be done by marine engineers on board the ship due lack ofspecial equipments and manpower. Some examples of heavy maintenance of marine engine

repairs are metal stitching or metal locking, recondition of piston, honing of liners etc.

Understanding Marine Engine Repair

When we talk about marine engine repairs, they not just include maintenance and repair work

on the mechanical parts of the engines but also include repairs on various electrical

equipments as well. Thus, marine engine repair is categorized in two parts electrical and

mechanical.

For an effective performance of the marine engine and in order to prevent breakdown of thesame proper procedures are to be followed as described in the manuals. Marine engine repairs

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have to be done at specific running hours as described in the planned maintenance system of

the ship.

On board ship there is a team of marine engineers or marine mechanics, along with crew

ratings such as motorman, oiler, fitter, etc. to carry out the work of marine engine repairs.

The team of engineers includes chief engineer, second engineer, third engineer and fourth

engineer. Chief and second engineer are management level officers, whereas third and fourth

engineers are operational level engineers.

The chief engineer looks after different surveys that are to be carried out on the marine

engine and also plans out when they are to be carried out. The second engineer plans the

marine engine repair work that is pending or scheduled to be due soon.

The second engineer also looks after main engine and different pumps in the engine room.

The fourth engineer looks after the repairs of compressors and purifiers whereas third

engineer looks after the boiler and auxiliary engines along with the help of crew ratings.

For electrical equipments the repairs are carried out by a separate dedicated electrical

engineer, who looks after various motors, batteries, print card electronics etc.

Important Points for Marine Engine Repair

For marine engine repair, the most important thing is to make available several sets of spare

parts on board the ship. If there is a shortage of any of these parts, then they need to be

ordered by the respective engineer, who is looking after the particular machinery. Some

special considerations also need to be given to emergency, safety and life saving equipments.

Marine engineer also have to make sure that all the equipments are working fine without any

problem. External agencies such as port state control and flag state will detain the ship if

equipments like emergency generator, life boat engine, and fire fighting system are not

working properly. The agencies may fine the ship heavily for these abnormalities.

For this reason, proper checks and routine schedule have to be maintained to avoid unwanted

circumstances related to marine engines on board a ship.

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Home Marine Safety, Maritime Law

What are the Essential Requirements for Unattended

Machinery Space (UMS) Ship?

by Mohit20 February 2011 No Comment

Essential requirements for any unattended machinery space (UMS) Ship to able to sail at sea

are enumerated in the SOLAS 1974 Chapter II-1, regulations 46 to regulation 53. The mainpoints discussed in this chapter are discussed in this article.

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Requirements for Unattended Machinery Space (UMS) Ship

Fire Precaution

A) Arrangement should be provided on UMS ship to detect and give alarm in case of fire.

a) In the boiler air supply casing and uptake.

b) In scavenge space of propulsion machinery.

B) In engines of power 2250 Kw and above or cylinders having bore more than 300mm

should be provided with oil mist detector for crankcase or bearing temperature monitor or

either of two.

Protection against Flooding

Bilge well in UMS ship should be located and provided in such a manner that theaccumulation of liquid is detected at normal angle of heel and trim and should also have

enough space to accommodate the drainage of liquid during unattended period.

In case of automatic starting of bilge pump, the alarm should be provided to indicate that the

flow of liquid pumped is more than the capacity of the pump.

Control of Propulsion Machinery from Navigation Bridge

The ship should be able to be controlled from bridge under all sailing conditions. The bridgeshould be able to control the speed, direction of thrust, and should be able to change the pitch

in case of controllable pitch propeller.

Emergency stop should be provided on navigating bridge, independent of bridge control

system.

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The remote operation of the propulsion should be possible from one location at a time; at

such connection interconnected control position are permitted.

The number of consecutive automatic attempt which fails to start the propulsion machinery

shall be limited to safeguard sufficient starting air pressure.

Centralized control & instruments are required in Machinery Space

Centralized control system should be there so that engineers may be called to the machinery

space during emergencies from wherever they are.

Automatic Fire Detection

Alarms and detection should operate very rapidly and effectively. It should be placed at

numerous well sited places for quick response of the detectors.

Fire Extinguishing System

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There should be arrangement for fire extinguishing system other than the conventional hand

extinguishers which can be operated remotely from machinery space. The station must give

control of emergency fire pumps, generators, valves, extinguishing media etc.

Alarm System

A comprehensive alarm system must be provided for control & accomodation areas.

Automatic Start of Emergency Generator

Arrangement for starting of emergency generator and automatic connection to bus bar must

be provided in case of blackout condition. Apart from that following points are also to be

noted.

1) Local hand control of essential machineries like steering, emergency generator starting,

emergency start for main engine etc.

2) Adequate settling tank storage capacity.

3) Regular testing & maintainence of machinery alarms & instruments.

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0diggHome Marine Environment, Maritime Law

What is Nitrogen Oxides or NOx air pollution from Ships?

by Anish1 April 2011 No Comment

With more and more ships travelling each day to different parts of the world, the air pollution

caused by them is on the rise and is one of the major global concerns. The two main

pollutants from the ships emission are Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and Sulphur oxides (SOx).

These gases have adverse effects on the ozone layer in the troposphere area of the earthsatmosphere which results in the green house effect and global warming.

Both NOx and SOx are combustion products that are emitted in to the environment in the

form of smoke. MARPOL Annex VI is strictly followed to have the air pollution under

control limits.

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Nitrogen Oxides or NOx Pollution

Marine fuel in an I.C engine is burnt inside the combustion chamber by the correct mixture of

fuel and air in the presence of heat or ignition source.

The ignition source in the marine engine is the compression stroke of the piston, after which,

the combustion begins.

As the air mixture is 21 % Oxygen and 78% Nitrogen, nitrogen reacts with oxygen under

certain engine operating conditions to form Nitrogen oxides or NOx.

What Causes NOx in Marine Engines?

High Cylinder Temperature and Pressure during combustion proce Heavy Load on the engine or engine unit. Improper air and fuel ratio for combustion. High Temperature of intake or scavenge air inside the cylinder. Over heated cylinder jacket due to poor heat transfer by jacket cooler. Jacket water temperature is on the higher side. Bad quality of fuel used for engine.

Limits for NOx Emission For merchant vessel

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-17.0 g/kwh when engine rpm (n) is less then 130 rpm.

-4.50 x n(-0.2)

g/kwh when n is between 130 rpm or above 130 rpm but less then 2000rpm.

-9.8 g/kwh when n is 2000 rpm and above.

Where;

n- Rated engine speed

g/kwh- gram per kilo watt hour

rpm - revolution per minute

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Home Marine Electrical, Marine Environment

Electric Propulsion System for Ship: Does it have a Future

in the Shipping?

by raunekk16 May 2011 No Comment

With the increase in demand for alternate propulsion systems that not only improve the

overall efficiency of the ship but also reduce the carbon footprints, innovators in the shipping

industry are leaving no stone unturned to find a solution to this grave problem. With all the

options presently available at hand, electric propulsion system seems to have a promising

future.

But as everything comes with a consequence, this system has its drawbacks too. Will or will

it not make it to the engine room of every ship this only time can tell. But what we can do is

weigh its pros and cons and see if it has the very necessary X factor that everyone is talking

about.

The Electrical propulsion system has got a lot of advantages over the conventional engine

driven propulsion system, which is obviously increasing the demand for electrical propulsion

for merchant vessels. With advancement in technology and research, electrical propulsion

system is not limited to small boats and small vessels anymore.

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We managed to list the main advantage of electrical propulsion system. They are as follows:

- A large amount of power is generated by the system and the excess power can be

utilised by supplying it to cargo pumps, fire pumps and other important auxiliary

machineries.

- The space required for installation of electrical propulsion machinery is very less and

compact as compared to conventional system.

- There is no direct connection of propeller shaft and prime mover and hence

transmission of severe stresses such as torsional and vibration is restricted.

- There is more flexibility in installation of machineries.

- It provides improved maneuverability and high redundancy

- Increased payload through flexible location of machinery components

- Environmental benefits from lower fuel consumption and emissions

- High performance in tough ice conditions due to maximum torque at zero speed

- Reduces lifecycle cost by less fuel consumption and maintenance cost

- Better comfort due to reduced vibration and noise

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Yes, there are disadvantages of this system as well. They are:

- The efficiency of electrical plant is less than that of conventional system.

- The installation cost of electrical propulsion plant is much higher.

- Different and improved training for ships crew as the system is completely different

from mechanical system and involves major automation.

Putting advantages and disadvantages side by side, we can confidently say that the former

easily surpasses the later ones. From a long term perspective, we feel that electric propulsion

will not be a bad bet, keeping in mind the amount of initial investment that needs to be made,

and which we think will definitely pay-off at a later stage.

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Home Maritime Law

SOLAS Requirements for Remote Control of Propulsion

Machinery of Ships

by Anish14 February 2011 No Comment

It is important to learn about the basics of the engine telegraph system before operating one

(Read article). However, most of the ships are now provided with a remote control for

propulsion machinery and for controlling the pitch of the propeller (for CPP type) as they are

mainly operated in UMS mode. This gives the ease to the navigation officer to control and

maintain the speed and direction of the ship as per the navigational condition and

requirement.

The propulsion machinery order given from the bridge must be indicated in the engine

control room and at the local manoeuvring platform. For having a control of propulsion

machinery from navigational bridge, the system must comply as per SOLAS chapter-II with

the following requirements:

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1. Starting and control of the speed must be provided and performed by single starting lever

or a dedicated push button switch.

2. Remote control is possible from only one location at a time, with indication as to which

location is in control both in navigational bridge and in engine control room.

3. The transfer of control must be possible from engine control room only.

4. No significant thrust change to take place during change over.

5. Remote control failure must be indicated with an alarm and still allow the machinery

control from local control.

6. Manual override must be provided for local control.

7. Emergency stop of the Main engine must be provided on the bridge.

8. Following indications of the propulsion plant must be displayed on the bridge along with

the alarm for the same:

ME alarms Starting and control air. Direction of rotation. Pitch position (CPP system). R.P.M of the engine.

9. Alarm power to be automatically changed over to stand by mode (batteries) in case of

power failure of the ship occurs.

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Home Main Engine

What is Local or Emergency Manoeuvring on Ship?

by Anish30 March 2011 No Comment

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Most of the important machineries on ship are always provided with emergency backup or

standby system which can be used in case of failure of the main unit. Even power supplies of

the essential machineries are provided with emergency generator. Marine engine is also

provided with emergency manoeuvring control system in case the remote control system fails

to operate.

Main marine engine is responsible for propulsion of the ship and its direction and rotation are

controlled from either bridge or Engine Control Room (ECR) through telegraph and fuel

lever control. This control system is a remote control type used for both sea voyage and

manoeuvring of vessel.

If the remote control manoeuvring system fails to operate from both the remote stations, i.e.

bridge and ECR, or the governor of the main marine engine goes faulty, additional safety is

given to main marine engine by providing a local manoeuvring control system.

When the ship is in a narrow channel under manoeuvring, then it is very important for all

engine room crew to know the change over and operating procedure for local or emergencycontrol. Failure in knowing the remote control manoeuvring system, can lead to accident like

collision and grounding.

Procedure for Local or Emergency Manoeuvring

The changeover and operating procedure differs from engine to engine as different control

systems are adopted for different engine types; however the basic remains the same. When

there is automation or remote control failure alarm then changeover of control is to be done

from remote (either wheelhouse or ECR) to Local control stand.

The local control stand is normally located in the engine room near the fuel pump platform of

the main marine engine.

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Changeover Procedure

The change over procedure can be done with marine engine in stopped as well asrunning condition, but if the situation permits it is better to be done when the engine is

stopped.

First change control from wheel house to ECR and both the telegraph on wheel houseand ECR are to be in stopped position.

Bring the fuel lever of wheel house and ECR in stop position. A changeover switch is provided in the ECR. Operate the switch from ECR to

Local.

Go to the local control station and changeover the fuel pump control shaft from localto manual.

A cone clutch arrangement or a mechanical lever arrangement may be provided,depending upon the engine type, which acts as manual control when attached to hand

wheel for operating fuel rack.

A locking pin or clip may be provided for the above arrangement as an additionalsafety so that it should not come out in normal operation.

Operating procedure

After the fuel rack is attached to the manual hand wheel control, wait for the wheelhouse order.

Respond to the telegraph and give fuel and air to the engine via local control levers. If the engine fails to start, give extra amount of fuel and air as now it is controlled

manually and the linkage requires more push for the fuel supply.

Once the marine engine starts, follow the telegraph and maintain the speed from localfuel lever.

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Checks and Maintenance

The remote control failure alarm is to be checked regularly. Local telephone and communication system are also to be checked and maintained. Local Telegraph bell and indication light are to be checked and maintained. All the linkages to be oiled and greased at regular interval of time. The safety clips or pins in the cone clutch or any other type of arrangement is to be

checked.

Emergency manoeuvring drills should to be conducted every month. Share 0digg Home Equipments, Marine Navigation The Basics of Engine Order Telegraph by Hiteshk14 February 2011 No Comment In a sea going vessel, navigational officers control the ships navigation system from

bridge and engineering officers control the propulsion plant from the engine room.

Bridge is right on top of the ship, hence the officer on the bridge does not know about

the condition of the propelling engine and marine engineer in the engine control room

does not knows where the ship is heading as the engine room is situated below thewater line of the ship. Hence a fail-safe communication is required in between the

navigation and engineer officer to ensure smooth and safe sailing of the ship.

As the word describes, the telegraph on board ship is used as a communicating deviceto transfer orders of change in speed or direction from the bridge to the engine control

room. The engine order telegraph consists of a lever which can be moved over

different speed positions for ahead and astern direction.

Location of Engine Telegraph The telegraph and its bell, also known as telegraph bell, are located both in the engine

control room (ECR) and the bridge. A responsible officer from each of the

departments handles the telegraph from these locations. One more telegraph is located

on the emergency manoeuvring or local manoeuvring station of the main engine.

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There is a changeover switch located in the ECR for telegraph selection which can be

manually or automatically changed between the local control and engine control room

telegraph.

Different Position on Engine Telegraph Ahead Direction Movements: - Navigation full - Full Ahead - Half Ahead - Slow Ahead - Dead Slow Ahead - Stop Astern direction movements: - Dead slow astern - Slow Astern - Half Astern - Full Astern - Emergency Astern Engine Telegraph Operation The initial movement of telegraph is always from the navigation bridge and is done by

moving the lever in the required direction, which rings the telegraph bell of both the

locations (Engine room and Bridge). After hearing the bell, the engineer officer

acknowledges the telegraph of the engine room to the same position as that of the

bridge which stops the ringing of the bell. This ensures that the correct movement is

acknowledged and the engine speed and direction is controlled accordingly.

In modern ships with automation and controls, the bridge telegraph is directly

connected with the engine controls and it doesnt require involvement of engine roompersonnel. Such type of telegraph is called remote controlled telegraph device. A

provision is given to link both the telegraph so that manual operations can also be

carried out in case of automation failure.

Share 0digg Home Life At Sea, Marine Safety, Maritime Law Types of Lifeboat Release Mechanisms & SOLAS

Requirements for Lifeboats by Anish22 December 2010 No Comment

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Free Fall life boat release: In Free fall life boat, the launching mechanism is similar to on load release. the only

difference is that the free fall lifeboat is not lowered till 1m above water level, it is

launched from the stowed position by operating a lever located inside the boat which

releases the boat from rest of the davit and boat slides through the tilted ramp into the

water.

SOLAS and LSA code Requirements for lifeboat: -The size, number and the capacity of the lifeboat for a merchant vessel is decided by

the type of the ship and number of ships crew, but it should not be less then 7.3 m in

length and minimum two lifeboats are provided on both side of the ship (port and

starboard).

-The requirement for lifeboat of a cargo ship with 20,000 GT is that the boat must becapable of launching when the ship is heading with a speed of 5 knots.

-The lifeboat must carry all the equipments described under SOLAS which can beused in survival at sea. It includes rations, fresh water, first aid, compass, distress

signalling equipments like rocket etc.

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-The ship must carry one rescue boat for rescue purpose along with other lifeboats.One lifeboat can be designated as a rescue boat if more then one lifeboat is present

onboard ship.

-The gravity davits must be hold and slide down the lifeboat even when the ship isheeled to an angle of 15 degree on either side. Ropes are used to hold the lifeboat in

stowed position with cradle. These ropes are called gripes. -The wires which lift or lower the lifeboat are known as falls and the speed of the

lifeboat descent should not be more then 36m/ min which is controlled by means of

centrifugal brakes.

-The hoisting time for the boat launching appliance should not be less then 0.3 m/secwith the boat loaded to its full capacity.

-The Lifeboat must be painted in international bright orange color with the ships callsign printed on it.

-The lifeboat station must be easily accessible for all the crew members in allcircumstances. Safety awareness posters and launching procedures must be posted at

lifeboat station.

-Regular drills must be carried out to ensure that the ships crew members are capableof launching the boat with minimal time during real emergency.

Share 0digg Home Marine Electrical, Marine Safety Preferential Trips on Ship : Construction and

Working by Mohit17 December 2010 No Comment Preferential trip is a kind of electrical arrangement on ship which is designed to

disconnect the non-essential circuit i.e. non-essential load from the main bus bar in

case of partial failure or overload of the main supply.

The non-essential circuits or loads on ships are air conditioning, exhaust andventilation fans, and galley equipments which can be disconnected momentarily and

can be connected again after fault finding. The main advantage of preferential trip is

that it helps in preventing the operation of main circuit breaker trip and loss of power

on essential servicesand thus prevents blackoutand overloading of generator.

Construction and Working The preferential trip circuit consists of an electromagnetic coil and a dashpot

arrangement to provide some delay to disconnect the non-essential circuits. Along

with this, there is also an alarm system provided, which functions as soon as anoverload is detected and trips start operating. There are some mechanical linkages

also in the circuit which instantaneously operates the circuit and completes the circuit

for preferential trips.

The dashpot arrangement consists of a small piston with a small orifice and which isplaced inside a small cylinder assembly. This piston moves up against the fluid silicon

and the time delay is governed by the orifice in the piston.

Working of Preferential Trip

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The current passes through the electromagnetic coil and the linkages are kept from

contacting using a spring arrangement. As soon as the current value increases the

limit, the electromagnetic coil pulls the linkage up against the spring force and

operates the instantaneous circuit and the alarm system. The lower linkage completes

the circuit for the preferential trip circuit.

The current passes through the coil in the preferential trip circuit which pulls thepiston in the dashpot arrangement. The movement of this piston is governed by the

diameter of the orifice and the time delay made by the same. The preferential trip

operates at 5, 10 and 15 seconds and the load is removed accordingly. If the overload

still persists, then an audible and visual alarm is sounded.

Conclusion The preferential trip is one of those important electrical circuit diagrams which help in

removing the excessive load from the main bus bar, thus preventing situation like

blackout which is a dangerous incident to ship, especially when the ship is sailing in

restricted or congested waters.

Man Overboard Situation on Ship and Ways to Tackle it

by Anish4 April 2011 No Comment

Man overboard is a situation where in a ships crew member falls out at sea from the ship, no

matter where the ship is sailing, in open seas or in still waters in port. A seafarer has to be

very careful while performing his duties onboard vessel as it can never be taken for granted

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that a person cannot fall off the ship due to bad weather, swell in the sea, accidents, and due

to negligence during.

A man overboard is an emergency situation and it is very important to locate and recover the

person as soon as possible as due to bad weather or rough sea, the crew member can drown or

else due to temperature of the cold water the person can get hypothermia.

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a situation where in there is an extensive loss of body temperature due to

prolonged contact of body with cold water and the bodys normal metabolism and functions

get affected.

A person will get unconscious after 15 minutes in water with temperature of 5 C.

Alarm for Man Overboard

There is a dedicated alarm signal used onboard vessels and is same for all entire vessels

sailing in international waters.

Three prolong blast on the ships electrical bell and ships whistle is an alarm signal used for

man overboard emergency situation.

Action to be Taken during Man Overboard Situation

The initial and early sighting of the fallen crew plays a vital role in increasing the percentage

of saving his/her life.

Important actions to be taken when a man overboard is sighted are:

The first and foremost thing is Never to lose the sight of fallen person and informothers onboard by shouting Man overboard along with side of the ship i.e. port of

starboard side until someone informs the bridge and raises an alarm.

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As soon as bridge officer knows the situation, raise the man overboard alarm andhoist signal flag O to inform all the ship staff and other ships about the vicinity.

Throw a lifebuoy with smoke float, light (and SART if available) near to the fallenperson.

It is to be kept in mind not to throw more then one life buoy as it will distract thefallen crew who is already in panic.

Post a constant look out with binoculars for continuous watch on man overboard. Ships engine must be slowed down and ship should be turned toward the fallen crew

for recovery manoeuvre. Engine to be on stand by all the time.

Care must be taken to manoeuvre the ship carefully as not to hit the fallen crew withship.

Keep ready the rescue boat and muster the rescue team.

Rescue the man overboard and put the person in Thermal protective Aid (TPA) toavoid extra body heat loss.

Start the first aid as required.Always try to succeed in the first attempt as even a little delay can cause a human life

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Home Marine Electrical

What is Azipod Propulsion System on Ship?

by Mohit18 December 2010 One Comment

Azipod system used on ships is combination of both propulsion and steering systems. In

conventional propulsion system, a large two stroke engine is connected to a shaft, which

passes through shaft tunnel and stern tube and connects to the propeller outside the hull in the

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aft part of the ship. The steering of such system is done with the help of a rudder placed in the

aft of the propeller.

However, in azipod arrangement, the propulsion and steering systems are combined and

made into one part. The system consists of a propellerwhich is driven by an electrical motor

and the propeller is turned by the rudder which is connected to the system.

The motor is placed inside the sealed pod and is connected to the propeller. It should be noted

that the sealing of the pod should be perfect otherwise it can damage the whole motor and

make the ship handicap from maneuvering. The motor used for this system is variable

frequency electric motor. Using variable frequency, the rotational speed of the propeller can

be controlled i.e. the speed can be increased or decreased.

The azipod system is also known as POD drive system, where POD stands for Propulsion

with Outboard Electric motor. The whole azipod system is situated outside the hull in the aft

of the ship. The azipod can turn in all the directions i.e. 360 degrees with the help of a rudder,

and thus provides a thrust in any direction which is not possible in the conventional system.

The propeller in the pod system is moved by the rudder which is placed in the steering flat,

also the power module for the system.

Understanding the Azipod System

The azipod system is a type of electric propulsion system which consists of three maincomponents:

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1) Supply Transformer

The power produced from the

necessary voltage by the supp

the pod.

2) Propulsion motor

Propulsion motor is used to d

rotating the propeller and this

3) Frequency Controller/co

This is used to change the fre

motor can be controlled depe

Advantages of Azipod Syste

generators is as high as 6600 KV, which is s

ly transformer required and is provided to th

ive or to produce thrust. The system needs s

is done with the help of electric motor.

verter

uency of the supplied power so that the rota

ding on the requirement.

tepped down to the

motor placed in

me method for

ing speed of the

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1) Greater maneuverability as the propeller can be turned in all directions. This enables better

stop distance during crash maneuvering than that provided by the conventional system.

2) In case of ships having large breadth, two or more azipods which are independent of each

other can be used. This provides subtle maneuvering.

3) It saves a lot of space in the engine room as there is no engine, propeller, shafting and

other arrangements. The saved space can thus be used for storing more cargo.

4) The system can be placed below the ships height thus providing more efficiency than the

conventional system.

5) Use of side thruster is eliminated as the pods can be used for providing the side thrust.

6) Low noise and vibrations than the conventional system.

7) Low fuel and lube oil consumption.

8) Environment friendly as emissions are extremely low.

Disadvantages

1) Azipod system requires massive initial cost.

2) A large number of diesel generators are required for producing power.

3) There is a limitation to the power produced by the motor. As of now the maximum poweravailable is 21 MW.

4) Cannot be installed in large ships with heavy cargo which need a lot of power and large

motors.

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Home Futuristic Shipping, Green Shipping

Worlds First Zero Emission Vessel- E/S Orcelle

by Laxmi15 January 2011 No Comment

The shipping industry is leaning toward the eco-trend with several green ships being made

each year. One such idea that has stood out among these ideas is the one to produce the

worlds first ever zero emission vessel- the E/S Orcelle. Conceptualized by Wallenius

Wilhelmsen Logistics, the vessel is to rely on wind, sun and wave energy to run itself. Not

releasing any emissions into the environment, the highly advanced design of the Orcelle is

said to provide optimum cargo space to transport cars and goods round the world.

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The story of the Orcelle began in 2005 for the Expo Japan, when Wallenius Wilhelmsen were

requested to develop a zero emission vessel model. The resultant E/S Orcelle, named after an

endangered south-east Asian dolphin will run entirely on fuel cells, wave, wind and solar

power to propel the vessel. Consequently it will require no oil or ballast water. Developed in

order to stimulate research and development with relation to alternative resources, the E/S

Orcelle stands for an Environmentally Sound ship.

In design, the Orcelle combines sustainable forms of energy captured through sails, solar

panels and wave energy converters to generate the energy required by the vessel. This is then

used to extract hydrogen from water with the aid of fuel cell technology. The resultant fuel is

a clean fuel that can then be made use of. In this manner, there are zero emissions from thevessel as such. The subsequent electricity generated, can also be used immediately or stored

for times of no wind, sun or waves. The only byproduct of this is heat and water.

The pentamaran hull design and removal of the conventional stern propeller with rudderensures elimination of the need for ballast water. Ballast water is one of the 4 threats to the

ocean according to the IMO. Having an optimum cargo capacity of 85,000m2, Orcelle will

have 50% more space than conventional car carriers. This translates into a vessel capable of

transporting 6,500 vehicles with eight cargo decks that are capable of being adjusted. The use

of lightweight aluminum and thermoplastic composite materials further will give the Orcelle

the advantage of carrying 3,000 more tons of cargo than seen in traditional vessels.

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The E/S Orcelle, is still under development with the Wallenius Wilhelmsen group continuing

research on elements identified in the vessel. The vessel is slated to launch in the next 20

years, with the advent of renewable energy resources taking over around 2025.

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Home Marine Electrical

Electrical Propulsion System in Ships

by Anish14 May 2011 No Comment

The shipping industry has come a long way as far as R & D for reducing costs of propulsionwithout increasing marine pollution is concerned. The conventional propulsion system of the

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ship is efficient but requires high operating costs and increases the marine pollution. Among

all the prospective alternate power sources, electrical propulsion system is one of the best

tried out alternative in todays time.

Electrical Propulsion

Understanding the System

The electric propulsion system consists of a prime mover which may be of two types:

- Diesel driven

- Turbine or steam driven

Both the systems produce less pollution as compared to conventional marine propulsion

system, which involves burning of heavy oil.

The propeller shaft of the ship is connected to large motors, which can be D.C or A.C driven

and are known as propulsion motors. Power for propulsion motor is supplied by the ships

generator and prime mover assembly.

Arrangement or operation

The generator can be direct or alternating current type with diesel or steam driven prime

mover, depending upon the requirement or demand of the owner/ship.

In the electrical propulsion system, the direction of the rotation of propeller is governed by

either the electrical control of the motor itself or by changing the electrical supply.

Normally variable speed electrical motor is used for fixed pitch propeller system and constant

or variable can be used for variable pitch propeller or CPP.

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Applications

Normally electrical propulsion is used in small vessel but now a day shipping companies are

adopting this system for big size cargo vessel as well.

Generally electrical propulsion is fitted in

- Tug and trawlers

- Dredgers

- Dynamic positioning vessels

- Cable laying ship

- Ice breakers

- Research ship

- Floating cranes

- Vessels for offshore industries

What is Alternate Marine Power (AMP) or Cold Ironing?

by sharda10 May 2011 No Comment

Huge ships and tankers pollute the marine ecosystem considerably. The pollution caused

includes acid rain because of sulphur oxide and smog because of nitrous oxide. In order to

make sure that the levels of these pollutants do not increase further, there has emerged the

concept of cold ironing or alternate marine power.

Alternate marine power or AMP, as the name suggests, refers to the usage of other power

supply sources to feed power to the ship. Such AMP is used when the ship is halting at a port

so that the engines of the ship (working on diesel) do not need to be used unnecessarily. This

in turn reduces the emissions by the ships by a great margin. This process is also known as

cold ironing.

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The process of cold ironing can be explained with the help of a few simple steps:

When the ships and tankers are being loaded or unloaded in a port or dock, alternatemarine poweris supplied to them

This is done so with the help of supply cables that are plugged to an electricity supplyboard in the port on one end and to the ships power supply board on the other

The process is called cold ironing because in the olden days when the shipsmainframe engines used to be rested, they used to get cold while the power was being

transferred in this manner

The process leads not just preservation of the marine ecosystem but also contributesto lesser usage of diesel and other oily power supply materials

AMP provides power for lights, refrigerators, air-conditioners and other equipmentson ship

The power coming from the shore can be from a separate power generation unit orfrom the power plant supplying power to the port city or town.

However, even as cold ironing has a lot of advantages, there are quite a few disadvantages to

the process. The crucial disadvantages can be explained as follows:

Problems pertaining to cost. The consumption of electricity will be enormous owingto the size of the ships and tankers. This factor is the primary negative contributor to

AMP

Every port and harbour where such tankers and ships halt for the loading andoffloading of cargo and thereby for the cold ironing process, will require huge

investment to set up the equipments for AMP

Even certain tankers are not compatible and suitable for the process of alternatemarine power. The cost of equipping these tankers with the right kind of AMP gadgetwill also require an enormous investment

The reduction in pollution occurs only when the ship is stationary. When the ship isactually in the water, then because of the usage of conventional engines, pollution will

still spread in the marine atmosphere

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At present there are four different variations in the AMP that is provided from the port to a

ship or a tanker. The same can be listed as follows:

11000 Volts of AC (Alternate Current) 6600 Volts of AC 660 Volts of AC 440 Volts of AC

The concept of AMP has come a long way. In the initial days, cold ironing was used just as a

recharging accessory for the tankers. However, seeing that the usage has widened and grown

so much in these past few years, it can be assumed and hoped that alternate marine power

will become a tool far more vital and necessary than what it is today.

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Home Shipping

Duties of Electrical Engineer Officer On Board Ship

by Hiteshk2 May 2011 No Comment

All the machinery onboard ship is a combination of mechanical and electrical systems. Themodern day shipping is more reliable on automations and electronics whose knowledge and

maintenance can only be handled by an engineer expert in the electrical field. Marineelectrical officer engineers are perfect for such jobs and thats why they hold an important

role on ship and in offshore industry.

Electrical engineer is one of the most vital positions in the technical hierarchy of a ship and

engineer is responsible for his assigned work under the chief engineers instructions.

Some shipping companies do not carry electrical officers on their ship to cut down the

manning cost and the electrical duties are carried by some one from the engineers side,

normally third engineer. However, many companies realized that electrical and electronic

system requires some extra attention and therefore require an expert to attend them.

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As the technology is advancing, more and more automations and electronic circuit is

replacing conventional and electrical systems. Hence the international Maritime Organisation

(IMO) amended STCW 95 on 25th

June 2010 known as Manila amendment, to introduce a

certified position of Electro-technical officer in place of electrical officer.

The general duties of electrical engineer or Electro-technical officer are:

He is responsible for maintenance of all the electrical motors on ship i.e. in engineroom and on deck.

He is in charge of maintenance of all switchboard including main switchboard andemergency switchboard.

He is responsible for maintenance of fire detectors and fire alarm system. He has to maintain all the ships alarm system. He is responsible for the electronic system fitted onboard ship. He is responsible for the ships navigational lights and other navigational equipments. He is responsible for all the batteries that are connected to machineries onboard. It

includes:

- Emergency batteries for alarm and lights

- Lifeboat batteries

- Batteries for emergency generator

- Other batteries fitted onboard

He is responsible for maintaining refrigeration unit in the engine room He has to take care of air conditioning unit of the vessel.

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Electrical officer is responsible for maintaining refrigerated containers carried oncontainer ship.

He is responsible for cargo and engine room cranes electrical system. He has to carry out routine maintenance for main engine alarms and trips along with

the chief engineer.

During the time of manoeuvring, he has to be present in the engine room along withother engineers to tackle any kind of electrical and other emergencies.

Electrical officer can assist in watch keeping routines at desired time by the chiefengineer.

He has to assist ships engineer and deck officer in all kind of electrical problems.

Even the post of electrical officer is not a compulsion on a ship, but due to technicalities and

complex knowledge requirement of the electrical and electronic system, they are extensively

present in the shipping industry.