Download - Royal Australian Navy

Introduction to Report by
POMT Melody
Merchant Ship Secondment
– MV Iron Chieftain
A number of years ago as a LEUT engineer working at the Amphibious
and Afloat Support Systems Program Office, I was given the opportunity
to spend several weeks on secondment to a BHP operated merchant
ship. I found it a very worthwhile experience in that it allowed me to
observe some different ways of operating and maintaining a ship in a
minimum manned environment. After that attachment I wrote a report
about my experiences which was forwarded to the then category sponsor
DEP-N. I also presented a shortened version to the MEAG in 2000. Since
that time I have also arranged similar secondments for two other ME
officers.
Now I find myself as the MEO of
HMAS TOBRUK, a ship that has
much in common with the type of
main and cargo machinery found
on a MV. As I write this
introduction, the RAN ME
community is about to implement
some revised watch keeping
qualifications and routines that
aim to release more manpower
resources for maintenance by
better utilising existing C&M
technology on our ships. As a
preliminary to this, I could see
some benefits being gained by
giving one of my senior sailors
Sir,
It gives me great pleasure to
submit this report on completion
of 10 days onboard MV Iron
Chieftain. The 10 days involved
the ship loading iron ore in
Whyalla sailing to Sydney for
bunkering (refueling) down to Port
Kembla for discharge of the iron
ore, once discharged, load coal to
sail back to Whyalla to discharge
the coal and reload iron ore.
(and hopefully others later) the
same opportunity I had to be
exposed to other ways of doing
business.
When I selected POMT Melody for
the secondment, the purpose was
to:
a. provide him with a unique
opportunity to further develop
his own professional and
technical competence in
Marine Engineering by
observing and participating in
some different ways of doing
business, and
I worked mainly with the
engineering crew onboard both
observing and contributing in
ships evolutions and onboard
maintenance. I found the whole
crew to be very accommodating
with little to no effort in fitting in
with them and the ships routine. I
thoroughly enjoyed the trip and
recommend it to anyone within
the technical branch onboard. I
believe I have come away with a
NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 2003
b. encourage him to consider
how we in the HMAS TOBRUK
might apply certain aspects of
merchant practice to improve
our performance and
efficiency in maintenance and
operation of plant.
PO Melody’s report follows which I
hope you will agree provides
some tangible evidence of the
benefits that can be gained by the
RAN by continuing this program.
R.A. ARTHUR
LCDR, RAN
EO HMAS TOBRUK
MERCHANT SHIP SECONDMENT REPORT
– MV IRON CHIEFTAIN 22MAR – 31MAR03
greater knowledge on engineering
practices and look forwarded to
implementing them in the way I
do business on board TOBRUK.
The Vessel:
The Iron Chieftain has a
displacement of 62,757-tonne, it
is a self-discharging built carrier,
with five cargo holds and
conveyor belt discharge
machinery.
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