Technical – Officer of the Watch

Avoiding the APPS Magic Pipe Trap

November 14, 2012 by Officer of the Watch 1 Comment

During the 3rd annual SAFETY4SEA forum held in Athens in October 2012, George A.Gaitas, Attorney at Law in Houston Texas Chalos & Co. gave a very interesting speech on how a shipping company may get caught in a whistleblower situation and end up paying heavy fines and/or other penalties without ever committing an actual oil pollution. More than a decade has passed since the United States Department of Justice launched a vigorous campaign to enforce the observance of MARPOL 73/78 Annex I regulations by foreign ships calling at U.S. ports. Some ten years later, one would think that ship owners and ship managers would have caught-on, and found ways to effectively deal with it. Unfortunately it hasn’t worked out that way.

German Shipping Companies Guilty for Illegal Dumping of Oil at Sea

November 9, 2012 by Officer of the Watch 5 Comments

Two German shipping companies pleaded guilty in early November in federal court in Houston to criminal charges that they concealed the illegal dumping of oil at sea from U.S. Coast Guard inspectors. The operator and owner of the commercial cargo vessel MV Susan K, will pay a $1.2 million dollar criminal penalty, $200,000 of which will go to the National Marine Sanctuaries Fund as a community service payment for projects aimed at preserving and restoring the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary located off the Texas coast. As a condition of probation, all vessels owned or operated by the defendants will be prohibited from entering U.S. ports or waters for five years.

IMO Tier III NOx-compliant Marine Diesel Engine by MAN And HHI-EMD

November 8, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

MAN Diesel & Turbo, together with HHI-EMD, the engine and machinery division of Hyundai Heavy Industries, has presented last October the first IMO Tier III-compliant diesel engine MAN B&W 6S80ME-C9 utilising EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation). The EGR system enables the engine to meet IMO Tier III NOx regulations, which will be introduced in ECAs (Emission Controlled Areas) from 2016.

Assessment of Regulated Slow Steaming in the Maritime Industry

November 6, 2012 by Officer of the Watch 1 Comment

On February 2012 the Clean Shipping Coalition (CSC) released a report on the impacts of vessel speed on emissions, technical constraints and other experiences with slow steaming and current speed regulations, analyzing at the same time the legal feasibility of regulated slow steaming. Currently, fleet average ship speeds vary as the shipping sector adapts to changing market circumstances. In recent years, speeds have been reduced in a response to an increasing supply of ships, a slower increase in demand for maritime transport and rising fuel prices.

Eniram Hull Fouling Study

October 30, 2012 by Officer of the Watch 1 Comment

This month Eniram released a study regarding hull fouling. Increased regulations and fuel prices are forcing operators of all vessel types to tackle inefficiencies in their operations. Hull fouling is a key contributor to higher fuel consumption. According to the study depending on the coating applied to a vessel, the financial impact of operating in areas with a high risk of developing fouling can be up to $500,000 a year for a single cruise vessel.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: Biofouling, Eniram, fuel consumption, hull, Technical

Marine Boilers Oil Contamination

October 25, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

In early October DNV released a technical newsletter focusing on the immediate and consequential impact of oil contamination on auxiliary boilers. This kind of leakage in coil flanges or broken gaskets in plate heat exchangers frequently occurs. If the problem is not observed in time, the boiler could be completely destroyed due to overheating of the furnace because of reduced water flow and minimised heat transfer/cooling of the boiler tubes.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: Boiler, coil flanges, gaskets, heat exchanger, marine boiler, oil contamination, Technical, tube

New Aframax Tanker Design by Wärtsilä

October 22, 2012 by Officer of the Watch 2 Comments

Wärtsilä Ship Design has developed a double hull, single screw crude oil tanker featuring a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) optimised hull to provide less resistance with higher propulsion efficiency. The minimum time at the terminals is ensured by the high loading/discharge rate. The CFD optimisation of the hull form has carefully considered the flow lines and pressure distribution along the hull, while the cylindrical bow accommodates a range of operational draughts even in rough weather conditions.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: CFD, double hull, scrubbers, ship design, tanker, Technical, Wärtsilä, X62 main engine

MPA Enhances Quality of Bunkering

October 21, 2012 by Officer of the Watch 2 Comments

During the opening ceremony of this year’s SIBCON in Singapore, Minister Lui announced the introduction of an information sheet on licensed bunker suppliers and an industry guide for the use of mass flow metering system. Minister Lui said that MPA will publish an information sheet on licensed bunker suppliers in the Port of Singapore in its efforts to allow shipowners to make more informed decisions in appointing bunker suppliers. Minister Lui also shared that MPA has developed an industry guide for the use of mass flow metering system.

Vessel Detained Due to Incompliant ECA Fuel

October 5, 2012 by Officer of the Watch 1 Comment

The UK P&I released a bulletin today regarding a vessel which was detained for breaching the North Sea SECA regulations despite receiving bunkers which appeared, according to the bunker delivery note, of being within the required limits.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: bunker fuel, dete, ECA, eca fuel, Rotterdam, SECA, Technical

MHI Air Lubrication System Installed on Ferry

October 4, 2012 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has installed its innovative “Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System” (MALS) for the first time on a ferry and confirmed over 5% improvement in fuel consumption.