Navigation standards slammed - Tanker Operator

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p35-38.qxd 09/05/2006 12:07 Page 4 TECHNOLOGY EMERGENCY RESPONSE Drew’s inspection system reaches a milestone Over 1,000 vessels are using some or all aspects of Drew Marine’s vessel inspection planning system (VIPS). Drew has applied for a patent and is waiting to see what happens. The system is claimed to help shipowners manage the inspections of safety equipment on board, such as fire extinguishers and liferafts. Basically, the system warns operators and managers when inspections are due and helps them schedule the inspection at the most cost effective location. After the inspection, the system is automatically updated so that an operator/manager can keep track of any inspections coming uncomfortably close to the due date. Inspection certificates are automatically generated and an archive is available of past inspection history. Drew continuously monitors the changing IMO, flag state and class regulatory requirements, plus the guarantee requirements of different manufacturers. Inspection intervals can be updated automatically if there is any change. Allowing safety inspections to lapse can be very costly, particularly if the vessel is not allowed to leave the port until the inspection can be arranged. Most of the interest in VIPS is being shown by chemical tanker operators, Drew's Mike Cassaras said. "I think the tanker operators are very sensitive to safety," he commented. "Not to say the entire industry is not - but they have considerations and hazards which the other industry does not." Norsafe reports record orders Norsafe, a leading provider of maritime rescue systems and highspeed rescue boats, has announced record sales for 2005. In addition, the company acquired 90% of Watercraft Greece SA, a producer of lifeboats, highspeed rescue boats and davits based north of Athens. During the last two months of 2005, Norsafe received orders valued at more than NOK150 mill (Eur44 mill), a record for the company. According to Norsafe owner and managing director Geir Skaala, orders have come from across the world. A significant order book in 2005 of NOK260 mill (Eur32 mill), represented an increase of 30%, compared to 2004. This year promises to be another good year; the company (including subsidiaries) expected to deliver approximately 600 lifeboats and rescue boats and approximately 275 davits. "We are confident that we can continue to build on this success," Skaala said. Explaining the Watercraft Greece purchase, Skaala said. "Watercraft has been a key sub-supplier to Norsafe for several years, and we look forward to working more closely with them in the future." At present, the Greek company has 40 employees. Norsafe ad - printers to drop in How it works There are around 17 different systems on board a vessel, all of which need to be certificated at various intervals (for example, annual, bi-annual), and the inspection time scale calculated. These include inspections for firefighting, safety, rescue and lifesaving equipment, including (among other things) inspections of lifeboats, liferafts, fire extinguishers, foam systems, EPIRB batteries, foam analysis programmes, and others. In addition, all of the fire and safety equipment on board needs inspecting, including safety breathing equipment, immersion suits, and other equipment. When a shipowner contracts to use the "With this investment, Norsafe will have the capacity to improve production of davits, which we can distribute throughout Europe," explained Skaala. He noted that by establishing a presence in Greece, Norsafe would not only be closer to key customers in Greece, but also have improved access to dynamic markets in the region - including Turkey. Following the purchase of Watercraft, lifeboat production will take place at Norsafe's facilities in Norway, China and Greece. In addition, certain boat models will be produced by license manufactures in Mexico. The Davits will be manufactured in a separate factory in Greece, using sub-suppliers in Norway, China and Mexico, when appropriate. • Barry, another RGB ad which need your help... file name Fairplay CMYK.pdf (despite the name, it’s NOT in CMYK!) service, Drew will e-mail an information sheet directly to the vessel. The seafarers then complete the sheet and return it, listing all the equipment on board together with its last inspection date. Drew will contact the shipping company by e-mail 90 days before inspections are due, listing which inspections are required by which specific date. The shipowner can then list the next three ports the vessel is due to call at. Drew works out the most cost effective port and commissions the inspection. For example, the company has found that inspections cost 50% more in Australia than in Singapore. Another example is that an operator/manager might wish to schedule inspections at the same time as a drydocking. The inspections can then be made without the pressure of needing the ship to sail on time. The first time a Drew inspector visits the ship, he will also verify everything the shipping company has said about the equipment on board and will confirm when the next inspection is due. He will then return to the office and update the Drew system on the internet, entering all inspections that have been made. The inspectors will still fill in the standard tags on the equipment to show when the last inspection was made. Drew also employs one person full time to monitor all the possible safety rules, including class, flag and the IMO. If there are any changes, any affected operators are notified. The company also maintains information about the requirements of specific manufacturers. For example, if a manufacturer requires that equipment is inspected at certain intervals as a criteria for the guarantee. Shipowners can logon to the Drew Marine website secure area, view their fleet to check that the inspections are up to date, and to see which are due. Drew audits the service providers in major ports once per year and in minor ports every two years. Outsource service Drew claimed that the service is akin to being an outsource safety management service. The company keeps track of which inspections need to be made, and co-ordinates the inspections. Drew does not necessarily undertake all of the inspections itself, but has a network of vetted service providers. The company has its own marine safety shops in Singapore, Rotterdam and Houston, plus a network of sub-contractors. Drew said that its ambition is to be a 'one stop shop' for shipowners/operators/managers by looking after all kinds of technical equipment and services. It can also provide fuel treatment and water treatment services, handles welding and maintenance equipment, packing and jointing equipment, plus refrigerants. TO TankerOperator May/June 2006 page 38
p39-42.qxd 09/05/2006 12:12 Page 1 TECHNOLOGY BALLAST WATER TANKER Operator Missing procedures almost in place Centres prepare to deliver type testing certification for ballast water treatment systems, discovers Brian Warshaw. As previous articles in TankerOperator have demonstrated, there is no lack of conceptual designs for the treatment of ballast water, in order to remove or to render harmless invasive sea-borne species of organisms and pathogens. Chemical, mechanical and physical equipment and processes have been built, operated and evaluated; but for these to become endorsed for service on vessels operating internationally, two pieces of the procedure have been missing. First has been an internationally defined test outcome, and second, recognised facilities where the tests could be undertaken. The first of these, a standardised test outcome was resolved in July last year, when the IMO's Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) agreed to Resolution MEPC 123 during its 53rd session. Under the general heading of 'Guidelines for Ballast Water Management Equivalent Compliance (G3)', Annexes 3 and 4 provided the missing information. Annex 4, 'Guidelines for the Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems (G8)', provided the procedure for the administration of designated bodies which will assess whether ballast water treatment systems meet the requirement of Regulation D-2 of the convention governing the control and management of ships' ballast water and sediment. The document also gave guidance to manufacturers and shipowners as to how equipment should be constructed, controlled and monitored. Testing will have to take place at both land-based facilities and at sea. If the system is successful in meeting the targets, the administration will issue a type approval certificate relating specifically to the system tested. Land-based testing of the ballast water management system (BWMS) can be undertaken at a laboratory, an equipment factory or a pilot plant, including a moored barge, or on a test ship. The G8 guidelines provide details of the pre-evaluation documentation required from the manufacturer, the test and performance specification, the requirements for the environmental evaluation, and the analytical methods to be used to determine the biological constituents in the discharged ballast water. For the sea-trials, a fullscale BWMS must be installed on the vessel undergoing testing. Under certain criteria, the G8 document has indicated that the equipment used for land-based testing could be scaled in size. For those systems that use an active substance, that is one that uses an organism, including a virus or fungus that acts against harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens, Annex 4, 'Procedure for Approval of BWMS that make use of Active Substances (G9)', also received approval. This provides similar information to that of G8, but relates also to the storage, handling and testing of the active substances. For some time, a programme to construct suitable testing centres has been ongoing, especially in the US. Towards the end of 2001, the US Coast Guard, together with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asked for privately owned test and research facilities that could participate in testing ship ballast water treatment (BWT) technologies. The two organisations have agreed to cooperate in using the environmental technology verification (ETV) programme to assess the performance level of BWMS that are commercially available. The programme was looking for facilities that could provide a natural body of marine or fresh water, which included natural assemblages of organisms sufficiently large to permit sample collection and system operation, together with a pump delivery and discharge system. Flow temperature, pressure and sample monitoring were required, as were sample holding tanks, and a water tank that could The next chapter of dependability... TankerOperator May/June 2006 page 39 Control panel for the OptiMar Ballast System interfaced with the main control system. mimic a typical shipboard BWT. A professionally staffed biological testing laboratory was also a requirement specified in the enquiry, and as a desirable Introducing the 5100 Marine Portable Gas Analyser feature, they asked for suitable port access to allow for offloading ballast water from an operating ship. In the event, the Naval Research Continuing Servomex’s reputation for reliability, long life and global support the new 5100 Marine launches at Posidonia 2006. Approved to the latest electrical and mechanical hazardous area safety standards the new unit replaces the trusted OA 262 oxygen analyser. With ease of operation designed in right from the start, operations such as gas freeing can now be made even safer. Based on the same non-consumable paramagnetic technology used in our 1800MV inert gas system analysers and 1900MV vapour control system analysers, you can depend on it being ready for use whenever you need it. www.servomex.com See us at Posidonia stand stand 557/4 557/4 ©2006 Servomex Group Limited
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Navigation standards slammed - Tanker Operator

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