JUNE 2018

EXAMINATION OF MARINE ENGINEER OFFICER

Function: Controlling the Operation of the Ship & Care for Persons on Board at Management Level

SHIP SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND PERSONAL CARETIME ALLOWED - 2 HOURS

Instructions: -

1. Answer FIVE Questions only. Not more than TWO from any section.

2. All Questions carry equal marks

3. Neatness in handwriting and clarity in expression carries weightage

4. Illustration of an Answer with clear sketches /diagram carries weightage

5. All unused pages of the answer script must be cancelled out by two lines (X) across the page

Q1. A. The fire protection provided for the propulsion motor and generator of a diesel electric drive vessel is usually one of the following methods: i. Fixed foam extinguisher; ii. Fixed CO2 system; iii. Steam smothering system; iv. Dry Chemical Powder. B. Briefly state in a comparative analysis, how each one of these methods has some disadvantages when used with propulsion system as stated above.

Answer:- Repeat question.

Q2. In engine rooms that are operated under UMS conditions describe with the aid of sketches how the following are monitored:

A. The perforation of a high-pressure fuel pipe; B. The imminence or possibility of a scavenge fire;C. Condition that may be conducive to a crankcase explosion.

Answer:- (A) The high pressure fuel pipe connecting the fuel pump to the injector can get holed or punctured during operation of the main engine which results in the spray of oil contacting the exhaust manifold , especially at a location where the insulation is damaged and the bare steel of the manifold is exposed. This can lead to a fire which can be disastrous especially in unmanned machinery spaces. Hence as a safety measure the fuel pipe is protected by a casing pipe, connected to a leak off tank fitted with a level probe connecting to the alarm system. The individual lamps indicate the particular pipe damaged whereas the sound alarm is a single general alarm to draw the attention of the wagch keeper. The leak-off tank drains into the overflow tank from where the leaked oil can be recovered.

(B) The scavenge fire warning device is a temperature sensor fitted in each scavenge space of each unit of the main engine. the alarm gets energised when the temperature crosses a predetermined temperature as determined by the instrumentation requirement and give warning much earlier than when the fire occurs

(C) Crosshead type slow speed diesel engines use the comparator type of mist detector ,which is described as herewith. The comparator type uses an average oil mist density as the datum. Qil mist is continuously drawn by a motor driven fan through pipes connecting the detector to the engine.Small bore flexible pipes connect the detector to each crank. Chamber,A rotary sampling valve joins each sampling pipe in turn to the measuring tube.Another sample of oil mist from the remaining tubes (average value) is passed to the reference tube..The measuring tube thus

receives a sample of oil mist from each crank chamber. In turn and compares the density of that with the reference tube which receives the average oil mist sample from all the remaining crank cases,In addition ,once during each scanning cycle the rotary valve passes the average sample to the reference tube and compares with a sample of clean air drawn through the measuring tube., At position ‘O’ ‘’clean air is admitted to both reference and measuring tubes for ‘O’ caliberation.. Light from an exciter lamp is reflected by mirrors along the axes of both reference and measuring tubes energising the photo electric cells at the end of each tube.. Under normal working condition the oil mist density is he same in both tubes and hence the outputs from photo cell are balanced and the indicator reading is ‘ O’ or very near to it.

If an increase in oil mist density of an individual chamber is detected the meter needle will advance and the alarm , visual and audible will operate. The obscuration of light beams in the tubes is then unequal, a current flows in the external circuit to operate the alarm. Simultaneously the rotary valve will automatically be stopped by a magnetic control. This indicates the crankchamber where the hot spot has occurred.

Q3. With reference to an automatic water sprinkler, fire detecting alarm and extinguishing system for accommodation spaces: - A. (i) Sketch a typical system; (ii) Describe the operation of this system; B. State the sources of water available; C. Describe the sprinkler head and its operation; D. State how the temperature rating of the sprinkler head is determined.

Answer:- Repeat question.

Q4. Explain the following terms/statements: - A. Categories of Noxious liquid substance; B. Special Areas as defined in MARPOL 73/78; C. Double hull tanker;

Answer:- (A):- The categories in which noxious substances are divided into four substances as follows::

Category X: Noxious liquid substances, if discharged into the sea from tank cleaning or deballasting operations, are deemed to present a major hazard to either marine resources or human health and therefore justify the prohibition of the discharge into the marine environment.

Category Y: Noxious liquid substances which if discharged into the sea from tank cleaning or deballasting operations, are deemed to present a hazard to either marine resources or human health or cause harm to amenities or other legitimate uses of the sea and therefore justify a limitation on the quality and quantity of the discharge into the sea.

Category Z:Noxious liquid substances which , if discharged into the sea from tank cleaning operations or deballasting operations ,are deemed to present a minor hazard to either marine resources or human health and therefore justify less stringent restrictions on the quality and quantity of the discharge into the marine environment.

Other substances are outside the scope of the categories X,Y and Z , which if discharged into the sea will not cause any harm to the marine environment.

(B Special area means a sea area where for recognized technical reasons in relation to its oceanographical and ecological condition and to the particular character of its traffic the adoption of special mandatory methods for the prevention of sea pollution by oil is required.For the purposes of this Annex, the special areas defined as follows:

1. The Mediterranean sea area means the Mediterranean sea proper including the gulfs and seas therein with the boundary between the Mediterranean and the Black sea constituted by the 410 N parallel and bounded to the west by the straits of Gibraltar at the meridian of 005036’ W;

2. The Baltic sea area means the Baltic sea proper with the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the entrance to the Baltic sea bounded by the parallel of the Skaw in the Skagerrak at 57044’.8N;

3. The Black sea area means the Black sea proper with the boundary between the Mediterranean sea and the Black sea constituted by the parallel 410 N;

4. The red sea area means the Red sea proper including the Gulfs of suez and Aqaba bounded at the south by the rhumb line between Ras si Ane and Husn Murad

5. The gulfs area means the sea area located north-west of the rhumb line between Ras al Hadd and Ras al Fasteh

6. The gulf of aden area means that part of the Gulf- of Aden between the Red sea and the Arabian sea bounded to the west by the rhumb line between Ras si Ane and Husn Murad and to the east by the rhumb line between Ras Asir and the Ras Fartak

7. The Antarctic area means the sea area south of latitude 600 S ; and8. The north west European waters include the north sea and its

approaches the lrish sea and its approaches, the celtic sea, the English channel and its approaches and part of the-north east Atlantic immediately to the west of Ireland

9. The Oman area of the Arabian Sea means the sea area10. The southern south African waters

(C) The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) introduced the regulation 13 F of Annex 1 of MARPOL, which effectively mandated double hulls for new built oil tankers of 5000 dead weight tonnage and above. The Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster also led U.S. Government to make double hulls compulsory for all new tanker ships coming to the U.S. ports. After the sinking of Erika off the coast of France in December 1999, IMO proposed accelerating phase out of single hull ships. Single Hull Tankers Phase-out time table can be found here.

Difference between Single Hull and Double Hull TankersIn double hull tankers, the space between the two layers is used as dedicated ballast tanks for ensuring ship’s stability.The ballast spaces extend for the full length of the cargo carrying area, providing an extensive safety measure. Single hull tankers do not have such ballast spaces.

In comparison to single hull design, double hull design is said to have less stability as it raises the centre of gravity and reduces the meta-centric height of the ship. Moreover, there is a risk of loss of stability because of free surface effects in cargo and ballast tanks. Single hull ships are considered more stable as compared to double hull tankers.

Corrosion is considered one of the main reasons for failure of hull structures in tankers. Improper maintenance of ballast tank structures and failure to maintain the integrity of protective coating and cathodic protection in ballast tanks have lead to structural failure in the past. In double hull tankers, the surface area of the tanks is more than double than that of single hull tanks. Thus they require more maintenance during the

operating life.As compared to the ballast tanks of single hull ships, those of the double bottom tanks are easily accessible because of their increased height and width. This makes the work during inspection much easier. However proper precautions must be taken into consideration while entering confined spaces of ballast tanks.

Structures of ballast spaces in double hull tankers are more susceptible to hull fractures and minor failures as compared to single hull tankers. Double hull tanker operators have often complained about cargo leakage into ballast tanks as a result of stress concentration, fatigue, or construction defects.

Tanker ships with single hull design often faced problems of leakage of ballast water into cargo from ballast water pipes passing through cargo tanks. This problem also increased the risks of pollution during ballasting and de-ballasting from single hull tankers as leaking pipes passing through cargo tanks can contaminate the clean ballast water. The double hull design removed this problem with different piping systems passing through only the respective tanks.

The surface area of ballast tanks is higher in double hull ships as compared to that of single hull. This is because of longer and narrower double bottom tanks which increases the surface area two to three times as compared to single hull tanks. However the design of the double hull ships makes the access to the confined spaces of the tanks more difficult as compared to the spacious ballast tanks of single hull ships.

According to a research, stresses in the structure of double hull ships are much higher than that in single hull ships.

Thus double hull ships are more susceptible to minor structural failures as compared to the single hull tankers. This can also be a matter of concern during accidents which cause oil spill as a result of structural failure.

Ventilation is of utmost importance in double bottom tanks of double hull tankers as they need inspection from time to time. As double bottom tanks are free from any internal structure, it is easy to access them. However, they are not so friendly when it comes to close-up inspection, or accessing side tanks or deck head areas; whereas though tanks of single hull are difficulty to access, their confined areas much more ‘inspection friendly.’

Q5. With reference to oil content monitoring of bilge or tanker discharges: A. Describe with the aid of a sketch the general arrangement of an oil monitoring system; B. State the inputs that are recorded; C. Differentiate between monitoring chambers using direct light and those using scattered light d) Explain the problem to be overcome in the design of monitoring systems.

Answr:- Repeat question.

Q6. A) As Second Engineer of a new ship, prepare standing orders for all future bunkering operations; B. i State why it is very important to obtain a representative sample of heavy fuel bunkers taken – ii. State how a representative sample is obtained; iii. What information is provided in bunker Delivery note (BDN).

Answer:- Repeat question.

Q7. With reference to a bank of emergency lead acid batteries: A. State the conditions of the battery bank if the specific gravity of a number of cells in the bank is in the region of 1.11 with an ambient temperature of 160 B.Describe a systematic procedure for checking the conditions of the battery bank if it is divided into section for charging; C. Describe the necessary routine maintenance; D. State safety precautions for entry to battery room.

Answer:- (A) Battery Hydrometer Correction by Addition and Subtraction

Another way to make corrections is to simply add or subtract 0.004 to your reading for every ten degrees of difference between 80 degrees and your actual temperature.  The result will provide you a hydrometer reading when not using a temperature compensated hydrometer.

Subtract 0.004 for every ten degrees when the temperature is below 80Add 0.004 for every ten degrees when the temperature is above 80Example 1

According to the above correction rule, the actual density is 1.11 - .008 = 1.102. This means that the battery bank is not fully charged and needs more charging.

(B) The procedure is as follows:-

* The concerned bank double pole switch connecting to the circuit must be shut off(opened)

* the cap of each cell in each battery must be opened , the level checked and topped up with distilled water. Filling should be done using a beaker so the water does not spill on the battery case or body. The filling should be done to the correct level which is covering the plates inside.

* using the hydrometer and the casing with rubber bulb suck a sample of the electrolyte and note the density recorded.

* this should be repeated for every barttery in the bank.

* the terminals should be cleaned and Vaseline applied to the terminals

* the bank to be brought to charging or discharging mode as required.

(C) The routine maintenance is the cleaning of the battery connections, checking the level of the electrolyte in each cell, topping with distilled water wherever require , measuring the density of the electrolyte and finally arranging the banks for charge or discharge.

(D) * Whenever entering the battery room ensure that the exhaust fan is on.

* use insulated tools especially pliers and screw drivers.

* smoking in the battery room is prohibited.

* use rubber gloves when handling acid for making electrolyte.

* it is a good practice to use safety goggles when handling the electrolyte mixture to prevent any electrolyte from entering the eyes.

* don’t place any tools on the battery as they may cause shorting between terminals which leads to heavy sparking,

Q8. A. Draw a plan to deal with fire in accommodation, including co-ordination with shore facilities in port, taking account of the ship’s fire control plan; B. Explain how drills and practices should be-organized with reference to the above.

Answer:- When dealing with an accommodation fire the action plan is as follows assuming ship is in port.

Inform the master / officer in charge and sound the mustering alarm.

Await all concerned at the mustering station If engine room is approachable through main

deck entrance, ring the watch keeper in the engine room to start the fire pump.

Two concerned personnel to Rig up two hoses with nozzles and connect to two hydrants on the main deck close to the accommodation. Keep ready one portable water extinguisher which maty be sufficient to extinguish the fire in the cabin.

The fire may be still confined in a particular cabin. One officer to try to open the cabin door. If

cannot be opened, the fire axe to be used to break the ventilator at bottom of the door through which the lock inside can be accessed and opened. If the person is inside carry him

outside. One or two officers should ensure he recovers if he is fainted . If not successful the master should ask for medical assistance from the port if ship is in port, along with ambulance.

In the meanwhile the other persons should deal with the fire according to the roles they are assigned. If the fire is not still under control the port should be requested to send their fire tender . This should be done by the master. ,

If the fire is extinguished , a chronological statement of action taken is to be prepared by the chief officer or officer in charge and the same may be logged also for any future enquiry.

The material damage is to be assessed also.

The plan explained above is according to a drill prescribed under emergency preparedness in the SMS.

Q9. With reference to “ISM Code” write short notes on; A. Management Review; B. Advantage of drills and procedures; C. Master overriding authority.

Answer:- (A) Management review:- There are the six monthly and annual review meetings on board which evaluate the progress made in implementation of the SMS. These meetings are held on board ship with the master chairing the meeting. In these meetings the the results of the past internal audits are reviewed and any corrections or amendments of operation as well as omissions of important checks are reviewed to improve the effectiveness of the SMS.

Similar meetings are held in the management office to improve their effectiveness of their contribution to the SMS.

(B) The Company should identify potential emergency shipboard situations, and establish procedures to respond to them.

2 The Company should establish programmes for drills and exercises to prepare for emergency actions.

3 The SMS should provide for measures ensuring that the Company's organization can respond at any time to hazards, accidents and emergency situations involving its ships.

This is essential so that the [personnel on board are prepared to meet any eventuality of similar nature which they have become accustomed by continuous drilling. The effectiveness comes by continuous drills being performed.

(C) The Company should ensure that the SMS operating on board the ship contains a clear statement emphasizing the master's authority. The Company should establish in the SMS that the master has the overriding authority and the responsibility to make decisions with respect to safety and pollution prevention and to request the Company's assistance as may be necessary.

According to the above section the master is to be given the freedom to deviate from the documented SMS at times when the situation warrants a different method of handling than what is given in the SMS or instructions from the company as he is the best judge of the situation.