Protection of Fuel Tanks Safety ahead! - GL Group

More documents

Recommendations

Info

MARITIME SERVICES | EMSA nean were identified as sensitive areas for this purpose. Standby contracts have been concluded with private companies which will make their vessels – normally employed in commercial trade, but equipped with oil recovery and storage systems – available at short notice. This spill response capacity is available to coastal states on request and does not replace the prime responsibility of member states for fighting oil pollution. The Agency is at present studying whether the operational assistance can be extended to other pollutants like light oil and other chemicals. This is a complex exercise in view of the vast number of chemicals transported and their different properties. nonstop: What is the current state of maritime safety and pollution prevention in European waters? Have the Maritime Safety Packages Erika I and II and the controls by EMSA led to tangible improvements? de Ruiter: It is too early to judge the overall impact of EMSA’s activities. But there is a positive trend. EU waters are now generally safer than in the past. Ships inspected by EU-recognized organizations are doing well in Port State Control statistics. They are rarely detained for class related Willem de Ruiter deficiencies. The safety situation in the European Union will be further improved when the IT-system SafeSeaNet becomes fully operational. This will harmonize the maritime data exchange between member states and enable them to monitor the more than 20,000 ships operating in European waters at any given time. nonstop: Where does EMSA see the major risks for maritime safety and clean seas? Is the technical quality of the ships or the human factor the crucial point? de Ruiter: It is estimated that around 80% of the accidents at sea occur as a result of human error. But it is difficult to draw general conclusions from accidents because accident investigation in European countries follows different methods and results are not comparable. This is why EMSA argues in favour of an EU marine ac- EMSA: THE SAFETY EXPERTS 18 nonstop 4/2006 HEADQUARTERS. From Lisbon EMSA fi ghts for environmental protection and safety. Photo: EMSA “A cause of concern is the increasing oil tanker traffi c in enclosed waters such as the Baltic Sea.” Headquartered in Lisbon, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is the technical and operative body of the European Union dedicated to promoting shipping safety and pollution prevention in European waters. The beginnings. Two oil tanker disasters, “Erika” off the French coast in 1999, and “Prestige” near Spain in 2002, severely affected the inhabitants of the coastal areas and the environment. In cident database which would contain data supplied by the member states in a common format. This would be an important source of accident information in Europe and would assist in future decisions on maritime safety. Apart from this, a cause of concern is the increasing oil tanker traffic in enclosed waters like the Baltic and the Black Sea. The worldwide shipbuilding boom also begs the question whether high output of newbuildings and quality will go hand in hand. nonstop: How does EMSA organize its cooperation with IMO in London in order to maintain IMO’s position as a global regulator of shipping? de Ruiter: Merchant shipping is international and needs global standards. EMSA represents the EU Commission in IMO’s technical work. It helps the Commission and the member states to prepare European positions and initiatives for IMO’s regulatory framework. nonstop: What are the priorities for EMSA’s future work? de Ruiter: The future agenda will be influenced by the Third Maritime Safety Package which is being discussed by the European Parliament and by the Council of Ministers. It deals with many issues with which EMSA concerns itself: flagstate responsibility, Port State Control, classification societies, traffic monitoring, accident investigation, liability. It remains to be seen which additional tasks for EMSA will flow from decisions about this package. Other priorities include the conclusions of additional contracts for standby oil recovery vessels and setting up a satellite surveillance system to monitor large sea areas to detect illegal discharges and accidental oil spills. nonstop: And when will EMSA move into its permanent purpose-built headquarters in Lisbon? de Ruiter: We hope to be able to open our new office at the waterfront in the historical centre of Lisbon towards the end of 2007. nonstop: Mr de Ruiter, thank you very much! ■ CH response, several EU institutions launched initiatives to enhance safety. The result: the EU established EMSA which began its work in 2003. The issue. The European Union’s 25 member countries operate more than 600 important seaports. Roughly 90% of the EU’s imports and exports, and about one-third of its internal trade volume pass through these ports. An increasing number of the ships sailing on European waters are oil tankers. The objectives. EMSA advises the EU Commission and the member countries on all issues surrounding maritime safety. It also monitors the implementation of, and adherence to, the respective EU laws and regulations by the member countries and organizations. Furthermore EMSA audits port authorities, classifi cation societies and training facilities, and assists the EU member countries in coping with oil spills.
Cool Transport The shipping of perishable goods in refrigerated containers is booming. Sophisticated refrigeration and ventilation systems inside the vessels help to reduce operating costs ASalmon from Alaska, lamb from New Zealand, bananas from Honduras: the food on dining tables in Germany and elsewhere has often travelled thousands of nautical miles. According to statistics from Drewry Shipping Consultants, 57.1 million tons of refrigerated cargo were shipped across the seven seas in 2005 – more than twice much as 25 years ago. The bulk of perishable goods is now transported in refrigerated containers – which poses a big challenge for designers and shipbuilders alike: if the refrigeration units in the containers are to work efficiently, cool air must be pumped into, in particular, the ship’s hold and the warm air pumped out. Germanischer Lloyd’s new simulation system enables ship designers and shipyards to construct effective ventilation systems for any ship type. GL Vent simulates different operating, load distribution and temperature situations. The software provides the necessary data for the installation of effective and economical ventilation systems and analyzes the weaknesses of fitted systems. Enormous Cost-Saving Potential Demand is growing. Although around half of all bananas are still being transported on reefer vessels, hardly any new vessels have been built for years, and the trend towards refrigerated containers is stronger than ever before. The annual transport capacities in this sector are now rising by 14% on average, which is even faster than the overall market for refrigerated cargo. Ten years ago, capacity was 267,000 TEU; this figure has now reached 746,000 TEU. Currently there are 2200 vessels worldwide that transport CONTAINER. The refrigerating set needs a suffi cient ventilation. Source: Drewery Shipping Consultants refrigerated containers. The largest of these, the ‘Monte Cervantes’ owned by the shipping company Hamburg-Süd, has a total loading capacity of 5100 TEU, of which 2450 TEU can be used for refrigerated containers. There are still two different container types in operation: integrated containers with an inbuilt refrigeration unit, and porthole containers without any additional refrigeration. However, most shipowners have gone over to using integrated containers. In 2002, the proportion of porthole types on the world market was less than five per cent. As for container loading capacities, the trend is towards a larger volume inside the container. Traditional 40-foot standard containers with a height of 8’ 6” are increasingly being replaced by high-cube containers (height: 9’ 6”). Nonetheless, 20-foot containers are still just as important as before. Heavy reefer cargo, such as meat and fish, would soon exceed the maximum weight of 30 tons if stuffed in larger containers. As the number, size and weight of refrigerated containers grow, they are increasingly being stowed in the ship’s hold rather than on deck. To make sure there is sufficient cooling, the ambient air temperature may not exceed 45 degrees centigrade. A 40-foot container requires 4,500 cubic metres of air per hour, and a 20-foot container needs 3,100 cubic metres. This is because, depending on the goods and room climate, a stand-alone 40-foot container produces between 7 and 15 kW of heat. These values increase even more depending on how many boxes are in the hold. GL calculations prove the economic importance of sophisticated and optimized ventilation systems: if there are 700 TEU in the ship’s hold and the ambient air temperature drops by one degree, the energy consumption of refrigerated containers with frozen cargo is reduced by 3.8 per cent and that of containers holding frozen fruit by 2.1 per cent. According to these calculations, the ship operators save approx. EUR 50,000 per year in the operation of their ventilation systems – and salmon, lamb and the rest are sure to reach their destinations in perfect condition. ■ JH For further Information: Hanspeter Raschle, Piping Systems/Tanker, Phone: +49 40-361 495 69, E-Mail: hanspeter.raschle@gl-group.com 15 10 5 0 Bananas Meat Citrus fruit GL VENT | MARITIME SERVICES Development of refrigerated cargo transport millions of tons 20 Saisonal fruit Fish products Diary products nonstop 4/2006 1981 2005 19
Page 1 and 2: The Magazine for Customers and Busi
Page 3 and 4: Dear Readers, The year 2006 will be
Page 5 and 6: News from the Maritime Services ECO
Page 7 and 8: VIETNAM Two New Offi ces November w
Page 9 and 10: MILESTONES New Agreement Hapag-Lloy
Page 11 and 12: Germanischer Lloyd’s Carefree Sof
Page 13 and 14: ments for cargo oil tanks, the prob
Page 15 and 16: Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 tanks, placing
Page 17: It gives technical advice for updat
Page 21 and 22: Fortunately, the emergency service
Page 23 and 24: Fluids in Motion What can earthquak
Page 25 and 26: Photo: istockphoto.com ULTRASOUND.
Page 27 and 28: ed to gather more experience in age
Page 29 and 30: EAST ASIA | MARITIME SERVICES Quali
Page 31 and 32: BACKGROUND Finite Elements: Computi
Page 33 and 34: Waste Overboard? Proper waste dispo
Page 35 and 36: Sassnitz 14 ° 15 ° death sentence
Page 37 and 38: Dr Gottfried Braun, Quality Managem
Page 39 and 40: WINDENERGIEZIRKEL HANSE Bracing the
Page 41 and 42: This year it is 2,000 MW. So we tru
Page 43 and 44: © Maciej Dominik - FOTOLIA Just A
Page 45 and 46: Fotos: Istockphoto.com (2) INSPECTI
Page 47 and 48: Rules for Classifi cation and Const

Protection of Fuel Tanks Safety ahead! - GL Group

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?