OOW FOCUS – Officer of the Watch

Ballast Water Treatment Systems Selection and Use

July 11, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

If someone wonders why to install a Ballast Water Treatment System, the answer is that it has to do with legislation; one comes from IMO and the other one from USCG. These two are the driving force for all of the suppliers to develop a system and for the shipowners to install a system at some point from today until 2016 and onwards. But before choosing a system, the available technologies have to be checked. I dare to say that nowadays the technologies are pretty mature and there are quite a few of them, so many choices exist for different shipowners, types of vessels and trading routes.

Fact Section of PSA Norway Annual Report for 2012

July 10, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

PSA Norway released during last April the fact section of its annual report dealing with important results from the PSA activities and brief information on personal injuries, work-related illness, leaks, fires, damage to structures and pipelines etc. No fatal accidents occurred during 2012 within the PSA area of responsibility offshore and on land. Three people have died in occupational accidents over the past 10 years, most recently in 2009. A brief summary of the most important developments for accidents and injuries in 2012 is provided in this post.

Gas Exporting Countries Gathered in Moscow for Influential Forum

July 9, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

Members of the influential Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) gathered in Moscow 1-2 July 2013. Long-term contracts and infrastructure projects were high on the agenda. The GECF is an international club of major natural gas exporters including Russia, Iran, Qatar, Libya and Venezuela. Exporters strive to guarantee the stability of gas supplies, open new markets for this clean energy source and provide a balanced risk sharing mechanism between producers and consumers.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: Commercial, gas, GECF, moscow

Fatal Injuries in Offshore Oil and Gas Operations US 2003–2010

July 9, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

During 2003–2010, the U.S. oil and gas extraction industry (onshore and offshore, combined) had a collective fatality rate seven times higher than for all U.S. workers (27.1 versus 3.8 deaths per 100,000 workers). The 11 lives lost in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion provide a reminder of the hazards involved in offshore drilling. To identify risk factors to offshore oil and gas extraction workers, US CDC analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), a comprehensive database of fatal work injuries, for the period 2003–2010. The following findings of US CDC report describe the results of that analysis, which found that 128 fatalities in activities related to offshore oil and gas operations occurred during this period. Transportation events were the leading cause (65 [51%]); the majority of these involved aircraft (49 [75%]). Nearly one fourth (31 [24%]) of the fatalities occurred among workers whose occupations were classified as “transportation and material moving”.

Incident Information on Severe Bearing Damage in the Main Engine due to Spark Erosion

July 5, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

This incident information refers to bearing damage in the main engine of a tanker due to spark erosion. A tanker for oil was on a voyage in the Mediterranean Sea in loaded condition. The crew noted and monitored an abnormally high temperature in one of the main engine’s crankshaft bearings. Suddenly the lubrication oil pressure sank, the oil mist escalated in the crankcase and the engine had to be shut down immediately. The ship experienced a loss of propulsion and drifted for several hours. Finally, the cargo had to be unloaded from the vessel, which was then towed to a repair yard.

Memoirs of a Seaman

July 4, 2013 by Officer of the Watch 3 Comments

The following video is the “trailer” of a book to be published recording the memoirs of a Greek seaman. Capt. Nicholas Raissis memoirs are an ode to the simple things in life. Onboard and onshore he tells his story of achievements and failures, heroic times and moments of personal humiliation with wit and honesty. Capt. Nicholas nephew Panayotis Raissis is publishing the autobiography of Captain N.H. Raissis, a hard man who sailed the world for 40 years and lived to tell the tale. Anyone wanting to support the campaign of publishing the memoirs of Capt. Nicholas can find more information in www.indiegogo.com

Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: Capt. Nicholas Raissis, Crew, memoirs, seafarer

UK Oil Industry Salaries Set to Increase in 2013

July 3, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

A survey of more than 900 Oil and Gas companies has revealed that they are concerned that the average wage in the industry will rise 15% this year from £64,000 to £73,600. A survey, undertaken by Oilandgaspeople.com, found that 70% of oil and gas companies were worried that wages were rising too fast.

Monitoring of Bunker Fuel Consumption

July 2, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

Monitoring of fuel consumption and GHG emissions from international shipping is currently under discussion at the EU level as well as at the IMO. There are several approaches to monitoring, each with different characteristics. Important differences exist with regards to the costs of the equipment, operational costs, the accuracy of the measurements, and the potential to monitor emissions of gases other than CO2. Moreover, some approaches offer more opportunities to improve the operational fuel-efficiency of ships and fit better to possible future policies than others.

Incident Information on Cracks in Propeller Hub

June 28, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

This incident refers to cracks identified in a vessel’s propeller hub. When carrying out hull renewal survey in drydock, two open cracks were found during the visual inspection of the propeller hub. The propeller was a 4 bladed mono-block fixed pitch manganese aluminium bronze propeller fitted with cone and key and with diameter: 5205 mm.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: boss-cracking, corrosion, cracks, DNV, Propeller Hub, Technical

Thirteen Seafarers Stuck on Abandoned Ship Appeal for Help

June 26, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

In about two months from now the Maritime Labour Convention will enter into force, nevertheless even as the MLC entry into force date draws near, there are still incidents of abandoned seafarers such as the one mentioned in this post. Last April thirteen Russian seafarers stuck on a ship that has been abandoned and anchored off the coast of the Phillipines since the owner company went bankrupt have appealed to the governor of Primorye region for help in returning home.