Two shipping companies to pay $10M in 'magic hose' case

Two shipping companies to pay $10M in 'magic hose' case - violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships

                                      1.M/T Cape Taft

                    2.M/T King Emerald

                  The following is the text of a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice:(WASHINGTON) -- 

Two shipping firms based in Germany and Cyprus today pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of justice charges and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships related to the deliberate concealment of vessel pollution from four ships that visited U.S. ports in New Jersey, Delaware and Northern California, announced the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in New Jersey and Delaware, and the U.S. Coast Guard. 

                                       

            U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Paul J. Fishman and U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Commander of the Delaware Bay Sector Capt. Todd Wiemers announced the plea agreement – which includes a $10.4 million penalty, $2.6 million of which will be used address environmental damage caused by Hurricane Sandy – at a press conference in Newark, N.J.

According to a multi-district plea agreement arising out of charges brought in the District of New Jersey and District of Delaware, Columbia Shipmanagement (Deutschland) GmbH (CSM-D), a German corporation, and Columbia Shipmanagement Ltd. (CSM-CY), a Cypriot company, have agreed to pay a $10.4 million penalty and be placed on probation for four years.  During probation, the companies will be subject to the terms of an environmental compliance program that requires outside audits by an independent company and oversight by a court appointed monitor.  The shipping firms admitted that four of their ships (three oil tankers and one container ship) had intentionally bypassed required pollution prevention equipment and falsified the oil record book, a required log regularly inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard.  

Answers for 15 questions on "TITANIC FACTS"

            

1.Titanic Was Built at Harland and Wolff, Belfast.

2.Titanic Had 24 double-ended and 5 single-ended boilers
3.No Number during old days
4. No
5. SOLAS and International Ice Patrol
6.The Center Propeller had 4 blades and the wing propellers both starboard and port had 3 blades each.
7.RMS Olympic and HMHS Britannic were sisterships of Titanic.
8. White Star Line
9.2 Dynamos of each 30 kW was Titanic's emergency source or auxiliary source     of power.
10.The Main Power Generation system was 4 Dynamos producing 400 kW each.
11.one port, one starboard, one in the centreline and two kedging anchors
12.It had unbalanced rudder right behind the center propeller
13.She was Propelled By 2 steam Engines and a steam turbine
14.She was a Triple screw Vessel
15.Port of Registry: Liverpool, UK.

Take a test on TITANIC and test your level ? Titanic - Actual Facts -QUESTIONS

Take a test on TITANIC and test your level ?

Titanic - Real Facts -QUESTIONS

      This year being the 100th year after the sink of TITANIC,this post is made such a way to test my readers rgarding the knowledge about TITANIC with 15 questions....the answers along with explanation are displayed at the bottom of the post ....so readers guess for answers in the comment box....

Question 1

Where Was Titanic Built?

A	Belfast
B	Liverpool
C	Southampton
D	London
Question 2

How many main Boilers did Titanic Had?  

A	24 double ended Boilers
B	26 double ended Boilers
C	20 double ended Boilers
D	12 double ended Boilers

Question 3

What Was the Hull Number (or) Ship Number designated for Titanic when it was under Construction?

A	399
B	400
C	401
D	No Number during old days
Question 4

Did Titanic Had Bulbous Bow?  

A	Yes
B	No

Question 5

Which Convention Originated After Titanic's Disaster?

A	MARPOL
B	SOLAS
C	COLREGS
D	International Ice Patrol
E	SOLAS and International Ice Patrol
Question 6

How Many Propeller Blades did the Wing Propellers had?

A	same as center propeller
B	4
C	3
D	2

Fuel leakage from main engine fuel pump

                    A product tanker was proceeding on a long voyage after the completion of drydocking and associated surveys. During the ocean passage, the fire alarm suddenly activated in the engine room. Instead of a fire, the cause of the alarm turned out to be a large leakage of fuel oil from a flange on the inlet pipe of the main engine no. 4 fuel injection pump.

Result of investigation

1.The fuel system had been overhauled, but no senior ship’s engineer supervised its refitting in drydock. As they did not have a new spare, the yard workers had reused the gasket of the flange connection on the suction side of the fuel injection pump even though it was damaged;

2.The insulation and leakage containment cover over the fuel line had not been renewed/refitted.

Lessons learnt

1.Proper planning is necessary in drydock and during major repairs 

to ensure that responsible officers are delegated to supervise the 

refitting of critical components;

2.The condition, integrity and tightness of piping should be 

regularly checked, especially on critical equipment and fuel oil 

systems;

3.The vessel must ensure that adequate quantities of original spare

 parts are available at all times, and that all gaskets are renewed 

whenever pipelines are opened up and reconnected;

4.Wherever appropriate, lagging and containment covering must 

always be refitted, or renewed, if damaged;

5.All defective parts discovered after an incident must be 

carefully preserved to allow detailed investigations and to 

establish the underlying cause(s) so that effective corrective and 

preventative actions can be taken.

ACCIDENT & INVESTIGATION

Hand injury from pneumatic needle gun

          Whilst carrying out chipping / descaling / derusting 

operations on deck with a pneumatic hammer, a crewmember 

was trying to direct the tool into a crevice of a deck structure

 while it was running. Due to inattention, he inadvertently 

laced his finger in way of the needles. He reported the 

incident only after the finger had become painful and swollen.

Result of investigation

1.Proper PPE was in use;

2.A momentary lapse in concentration resulted in the finger coming into a hazardous zone;

3.Difficult access to a restricted space requiring the operator to manually guide the needle gun.

Lessons learnt

1.It is important not to lose concentration when operating 

power tools and to keep body parts away from exposed 

moving components;

2.The operator must never grip the needle guide of a running 

pneumatic needle or chisel hammer gun;

3.Incidents must be reported as soon as they occur.

SAILORS DO CRY ! -POETRY..

SAILORS DO CRY ! 

   This is taken from the Captain VADAIKEL collection...He mentioned this as his friend's true story while onboard......

I remember the days , you threw your love on me strong

I was the typical sailor on shore leave— full of life

You were eager to walk with me,  on the wild side

You kept pouring love into my heart

Till I looked at you,  with eyes of love

It was love on a two way lane

Remember those seven day weekends

When we ate nothing but soul food



Then came the shipping recession, and my world crumbled

King Midas in reverse , I was in the middle of a heart ache

Slowly , but surely, you drifted away when I needed you the most

You had no use for knights in rusty armour

I tried dancing some more with you, on the jagged edge

Though I knew well , that it takes two to tango

I still remember the night you called it a day

Even while I desperately tried lighting candles in the rain

I cried all the way home—yes , sailors do cry!



You broke my heart in more places than I could ever find out

I had nobody to help me pick up the broken pieces

There was no sunshine for long after you left

It was permanent rainy season for my heart

My lips smiled , my eyes never did

I lived in a daze , in a black and white world

Sometimes I wondered, where all the flowers had gone

Yes baby, I loved you so much , it hurt ed

My friend hastened to tell me “ you need a vacation from love!’



Then my bewitching new love waltzed into my life

She knew all, but let me be her third world country

Her kisses were sweeter than wine

She had the chord of my heart go TWANG!

Let me tell you, you are nobody till somebody loves you

She wove my broken dreams and got me hummin’ again

Then BANG came the shipping boom, out of the blue

King Midas on overdrive, I became all over again

My cup of happiness overflowed like never before



Now you are on the other side of goodbye

You are just another faceless person in the crowd

“No parking for you” says the road signs in my heart

Now I can give you anything , but love

I thank god , you could not draw my well of love dry

Our love ghosts tango no longer

Our song has ended , the melody does not linger

My lovely dream weaver owns this heart, I once hung up for you

Please don’t talk about me , now that I am not yours

Different Phases of COMBUSTION in 

an Diesel Engine?

                      This was the question asked in RLINS - 
I.C.Engine paper this month,here is the solution for this....


                 Diesel and gasoline engines function similarly in that they both use atomized fuel and internal combustion to produce power. 

                 The difference lies in the phases of the power 
explosion. A gasoline engine injects an air-fuel mixture into the cylinders, then is ignited for combustion. A diesel engine first must compress the air, then the fuel is injected. The compression heats up the air to increase the efficiency of ignition. There are three main phases of diesel engine combustion.

First Phase of Combustion - Ignition delay period

Ignition delay period is the time span between commencement of injection and the start of ignition.

·   The fuel emerges into the cylinder as small liquid particles, which are surrounded by hot compressed air. 
·   They receive heat from the air and more volatile constituents of the fuel vaporise. 
·   During the ignition delay period a large part of the fuel charge is prepared for combustion.
·   During the ignition delay, the injector continued to inject the fuel and, if this has built up a sufficient quantity, the rapid combustion and pressure rise will be quite violent, causing detonation and shock loading creating a noise termed diesel knock.  

Second Phase of Combustion - Flame spread

Rapid or uncontrolled combustion usually occur just after the ignition of the fuel vapours. 

·    After ignition commences flame propagation proceeds very quickly in the fuel vapour or air mixture, accompanied by rapid temperature and pressure rise.

·    Towards the end of the rapid pressure rise a point is reached where the rate of pressure rise falls away quickly, and the curve flattens out towards the maximum pressure point.

·    The point where the rate of pressure rise changes near and approaching the maximum pressure point is the end of the second phase of combustion.

Combustion Process

                Combustion Process

1.    Start of Injection

2.    Beginning of Ignition

3.    Maximum Pressure

4.    End of Injection

5.    End of Ignition

6.    End of After Burning

1 - 2 : Ignition - Delay Period

2 - 3 : Rapid / Uncontrolled Combustion

2 - 4 : Ignition Period

3 - 4 : Controlled Combustion

5 - 6 : After Burning

Third Phase of Combustion - Direct burning

Controlled combustion is regulated by the rate at which fuel continues to be delivered.

·    This shows only a small pressure rise, as the rate is decreased due to downward movement of the piston.

·    The end of injection occurs approximately at or slightly beyond the maximum pressure point.

After Burning

             After burning is said to occur when the third phase of combustion extends over a long period.

              It may be caused by incorrect fuel grade, bad atomization, poor or excess penetration, incorrect fuel temperature, incorrect injection timing, insufficient air supply, or any combination of these.

           Slow burning, high viscosity, high density, high carbon content fuels may also cause after burning of a serious nature leading to engine damage.

Effect of After Burning

             After burning creates high exhaust temperatures and may cause overheating of the engine in severe cases. Some drop in the maximum firing pressure usually accompanies this. There is a loss of thermal efficiency when after burning occurs, due to greater loss of heat to exhaust gases and the transfer of large amount of heat to the cooling water. There is a risk of damage to exhaust valves and scavenge fires.

For posting articles like above please send me the queries to rethu.mariner@gmail.com.........

Battery damage caused by charger failure

Edited from Marine Safety Forum Safety.

          

                

             A ship’s engineer was carrying out planned maintenance of the emergency generator. When he started the generator, he heard a loud bang from the battery container. On investigating, he discovered that one of the starter batteries had exploded, with the top of the battery detaching from the body. The battery was safely removed and the engine was temporarily left in the manual starting mode. 

                

             

                             

Cause

           On investigation, it was discovered that for an unknown period of time, the vessel’s emergency generator battery charging system was wrongly set up in such a way that two chargers could be charging the battery simultaneously. This resulted in excess evaporation of the water content in the electrolyte, substantially lowering the liquid level and exposing the plates. It is thought that internal arcing occurred across an air gap, triggering an explosion.

                                 

Lessons learnt

1. All charging systems should be checked to ensure that the charging current cannot exceed the specified safe range;

2.All battery containers / receptacles should be checked for tightness of fixtures and overall integrity as part of planned maintenance.

       Keep reading for such these articles.....this is posted upon request by one of my blog reader(jacob,Indonesia)......

Russian Captain fined in US for violating BAC limit

                         On a routine examination of the vessel flying the flag of Malta by the Coast Guard Port State Control examiners from Marine Safety Unit Portland, they found the Russian captain of the freighter Valeriy Sharikyn, 62, found him under the influence of alcohol, four times the legal limit. His violation was confirmed by the breathalyzer test. The incident took place on April 8, 2013.
                            

      
            The captain pleaded guilty to operating the commercial vessel under the influence of alcohol, class A Misdemeanor while in the Port of Portland. He has been sentenced in Oregon to pay a $1,000 fine for operating his ship with BAC four times more than the legal limit.

            According to the court documents, Sharikyn was a licensed Vessel Master on the Adfines East. The vessel is a 602-foot commercial vessel and it weighs over 24,000 gross tons.
The US Attorney General Amanda Marshall called the captain’s act as ‘reckless’ and ‘potentially deadly’ and also thanked the Coast Guard for their prompt action. Captain Bruce Jones, Sector Columbia River Commander, said: “The Columbia River is a vital transportation mode, source of economic prosperity for the entire Pacific Northwest and an environmental treasure which the Coast Guard is committed to protecting”.

            He also commended the young “but very competent and dedicated Petty Officers for their diligence and thoroughness in the examination of Adfines East which led to today’s arrest”.


    Keep reading to keep updated with the recent issues within the maritime industry.........