Operations – Officer of the Watch

Iron Fines that may Contain DRI (C) Fines

February 6, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

The process of manufacturing Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) from iron ore and the subsequent hot briquetting procedures generate unwanted by-products in the form of dust and broken chips during most of the stages. Some manufacturers recover these materials and offer them for shipment. Historically, such cargoes have mainly originated from Venezuela and Trinidad, although shipments have also been made from the United States, Mexico and Libya. This cargo has been responsible for a number of casualties in the past, most notably the bulk carrier YTHAN in 2004 in which six crew members lost their lives during explosions that occurred in four of her five cargo holds and which also resulted in the loss of the vessel.

Radical New Bridge Design

November 19, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

Focused on creating better, safer and simpler solutions for deck officers, Ulstein has come up with what it claims to be a ground-breaking concept for bridge design. The new bridge design redefines how users interact with complex bridge-based systems. The ambitious scope of the project called for a collaborative approach prompting the Ulstein team to engage industrial, graphic and interaction designers from The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO).

Panama Canal Bridge Visibility Requirements

October 10, 2012 by Stavros Kairis Leave a Comment

Vessels arriving at Panama Canal waters, must comply with the visibility requirements from the conning positions on the Bridge deck, in order to be granted safe passage through the canal and ensure the navigational safety of the vessel. Non-compliance with Panama Canal rules and regulations may subject vessels to unnecessary delays or denial of transit or even the imposition of fines. Non-compliant vessels will need to take further risk control measures such as additional pilots or tugs (decided on a case by case basis by the ACP).

Photo: justinsomnia.org

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: ACP, bridge, conning positions, Operations, panama canal, visibility

Asian Gypsy Moth Infestation

August 22, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

During June and July the United States and Canadian authorities intercepted a large number of commercial marine vessels with live Asian gypsy moth (AGM) egg masses on the superstructures of ships and cargo. There have been information that this year high numbers of AGM adults are flying in some port areas at time of pre-departure inspections. Inspection certificates indicate large numbers of egg masses have been removed and crews report removing hundreds of egg masses post certification.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: AGM, Asian Gypsy Moth, egg masses, infestation, Operations

BIMCO Solid Bulk Cargoes that can Liquefy Clause for Charter Parties

August 20, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

The safety implications of loading bulk cargoes that may be subject to liquefaction but are, nevertheless, not categorised as such under the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code 2009, are known to the maritime industry. Carriage of iron ore fines and nickel ore has been a matter of particular concern. In many cases, and sometimes under extreme pressure or intimidation, shipowners and their representatives have been denied the opportunity to sample cargoes for moisture content prior to loading.

NOAA’s New Alaska Navigational Chart

May 27, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

NOAA presented on 22/05/2012 to Alaska officials a new nautical chart for Kotzebue Sound in the Alaskan Arctic, a sparsely charted region that is seeing increased vessel traffic because of the significant loss of summer sea ice.

The new chart depicts the full range of depth measurements and object detection acquired during a full ocean bottom survey last summer by the NOAA hydrographic survey ship Fairweather. It replaces a chart showing depth measurements last taken in the 19th century spaced three to five miles apart, leaving room for possible undetected dangers in between.

The new NOAA Chart 16161.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: Alaskan Arctic, Kotzebue Sound, navigational chart, NOAA, Operations

Cargo Residues in Hold Bilge Systems

February 18, 2012 by Stavros Kairis Leave a Comment

Before loading the cargo hold of a bulk carrier or a general cargo, appropriate inspections should be conducted in order to ensure that all the systems related to the cargo hold are in good working order. One of the key common issues is the cleaning of the hold from cargo residues. Various debris have the “ability” to find their way into the systems of hold bilges making manual removal of such debris imperative. Debris (especially foodstuff) which have been left in the bilges will decay over time giving some of the most unpleasant smells. Hold bilges are usually cleaned using a shovel and afterwards they must be lifted out of the hold. Once the bilge area has been cleaned the next thing to do is to verify and ensure that the rest of the hold bilge systems are in good working order. Therefore the following should be checked and tested if possible: bilge sounding pipes, bilge suctions, bilge non return valves.