Enclosed space entry permit to work

Further to technical bulletin 8/2003, the managers are
concerned to note a heightened frequency of incidents resulting
in the death of both crewmembers and visitors as a consequence
of entry into enclosed spaces, or through the release of noxious
gases in enclosed spaces. These include:
Spain, April 2008
The cargo receiver’s surveyor died on board after entering an
untested hold via an opened access hatch. The incident occurred
despite the surveyor having been strictly advised by the chief
officer and another crewmember to remain out of the holds
until clearance was obtained.
Indonesia, June 2008
Two shore-based contractors boarded the ship with the
intention of removing sludge from a tank. Unknown to the crew,
they gained access to the tank. They were not using breathing
apparatus, had not taken any measures to determine the
composition of the atmosphere within the tank, and they were
overcome by fumes and died. It is likely that one of the
contractors entered the space in an attempt to rescue his
colleague.
USA, June 2008
A bulk carrier was discharging a coal cargo in Mobile, Alabama,
when a stevedore entered the hold via an ‘Australian ladder’.
The bottom of the ladder compartment was blocked by coal and
it was later determined that the oxygen level was well below
normal. The stevedore died. A crewmember, using only basic
equipment, was lucky to escape with his own life after he had
courageously, but recklessly, entered the area in the hope of
helping the stevedore. It was later determined that the stevedore
had fallen and broken his neck as a result of losing
consciousness.
Members are encouraged to ensure that there is an onboard
system which ensures that all shore-based personnel are aware
that they must not enter an enclosed space without prior
permission of the master. Rigorous enforcement of the ship’s
ISPS system should ensure that the business of all visitors to the
vessel is known and understood by the ship’s senior officers.
Enclosed space entry system
The basic minimum standard for entry is contained in the 2007
edition of the MCA publication The Code of Safe Working
Practices for Merchant Seamen. A more thorough system is
explained below, which is usually seen on tanker vessels but

Example – a blank form is shown

continued over
could be adopted on any type of vessel. It encourages safe
enclosed space entry for all concerned.
1 Issuing permit
At the space to be entered carry out the required testing and
other procedures to complete an ‘entry permit for enclosed
spaces’, which must then be signed by the responsible officer
who carried out the checks and the team leader of the work
team, who must be present to witness the tests being carried
out. The permit, which must be completed in ink and not on the
computer, is finally approved by the master who appends his
signature to it. Until this is done, no person, visitor or crew
member, may enter the enclosed space.
This permit to work is then posted in a perspex holder for all
to see until revoked, when it is filed.
No initial permit should be valid longer than four
hours. It can be extended a further four hours butthe space must be re-tested in order for the extension to be
permitted. Permits should not be made for any longer period
because, even under proper ventilation, gas concentrations in a
space may change rapidly.
2 Location entry tags
After the main permit has been displayed, and prior to entry into any
space under that permit, a local ‘enclosed space entry permit’ plastic
tag for each location that is covered by the main permit to work
should be made. Each of these tags is then tied on to the entrance
of the permitted spaces whilst the work is carried out. Permit details
are marked on the tag using permanent ink. The tag is filed with the
permit, for at least one year, when the permit expires.
Initially the tag is valid for four hours and can be extended by four
more hours if required.
Plastic enclosed space entry tags ID entry tags for personnel
3 ID entry tags
Each man on board has a permanent plastic yellow tag and visitor
tags are also provided. Anybody entering an enclosed space must
first hang their tag on the board at the entrance of the space with
the entry permit. Only when all tags are removed, including the entry
permit, can the lid/hatch be closed.
This procedure may seem time consuming but it is very risk averse
and ensures good safety measures are in place for all enclosed space
entries on board ship. It ensures that the level of oxygen, toxic and
flammable vapours has been tested before entry. It ensures
continuous monitoring thereafter because Permits are only issued
for four hour periods. With constant monitoring maintained, safety
is enhanced for all personnel.

Are the Ballast Water Stars Finally Aligning?

Ballast water was first recognized by the scientific community as a vector for transfer of potentially invasive marine species more than 30 years ago. It took a number of years, and acceptance that zebra mussels had reached the Great Lakes in the ballast water of ships arriving from the Black Sea, before the maritime industry generally acknowledged that they were part of the problem. Initially, high seas ballast water exchange was the only available means for removing potentially invasive species from the tanks. That methodology presented risks to the stability of the ship (and the safety of the crew), as illustrated by the near-loss of the car carrier Cougar Ace in 2006 in waters of the North Pacific Ocean just south of the Aleutian Chain.
The search for alternative means of reducing the risk of introduction of invasive marine species commenced immediately, but problems quickly arose. Environmental advocates could not agree amongst themselves as to how low the risk should be and what methodologies should be acceptable. Some environmentalists contended that the ballast water should be sterilized before discharge, making it much more pure than common tap water. Some in the marine industry tried to deny that a problem existed or that, if it did, existing vessels should not have to be altered. Some nations (and in the United States, some states, and one city) adopted independent standards, resulting in a patchwork of requirements that continue to vex the marine industry.
Finally, on February 13, 2004, Party States approved the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (BWM Convention). There is a big difference, though, between getting attendees at an international conference to sign a document as they head out the door and getting the governments that sent them to formally ratify and agree to be bound by a new convention. This has been particularly true with the BWM Convention, where many of the provisions were aspirational in that technology for achieving the goals of the Convention did not exist in 2004. The BWM Convention did, though, establish standards for measuring the acceptability of ballast water control devices. As a result, engineers now had a clear goal and began the process of designing and testing various technologies for meeting those control standards. It took several more years, but technologies were finally shown as meeting the BWM Convention standard. Now, there is a critical mass of approved technologies, providing ship owners an opportunity to select the system that works best in their particular situation. As of August 9, 2011, 34 ballast water management systems that make use of active substances have received basic approval under the BWM Convention approval process and 20 such systems have received final approval.
There is a fly in the ointment of the BWM Convention. Seven years after its promulgation, the Convention is still not officially in force. The Convention provides that it will come into force 12 months after the date on which not less than 30 states, the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less than 35% of the gross tonnage of the world’s merchant shipping, have ratified or otherwise accepted the Convention. As of November 30, 2011, the BWM Convention has been ratified by 31 states with 26.44% of the required gross tonnage. There are strong indications, though, that the threshold for implementation will be met during 2012, such that the Convention can officially come into force during 2013. Based on this expectation, ship owners increasingly are installing approved ballast water management systems in their existing vessels and new vessels are being designed to include those systems.
In the meantime, the US Coast Guard worked to develop a standard for vessels operating in US waters. The political will necessary for the United States to ratify the BWM Convention was lacking. After much consensus building, the Coast Guard finally proposed a domestic standard consistent with the international standard, with the proviso that the domestic standard would be tightened when it was shown that technology had improved to a significantly higher level. As of the writing of this article, the Coast Guard final rule is undergoing review at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with publication in the Federal Register expected for early 2012.
After a federal court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate ballast water discharges through its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), some commentators lost hope that the federal government could develop an internally unified standard. After much consideration, though, the EPA recently proposed that, commencing in 2013, covered vessels implement as part of the Vessel General Permit (VGP) program the same standard as that proposed by the Coast Guard.
Things are not quite as smooth at the state level. The good news is that Wisconsin recently changed its position and will only enforce the standard found in the BWM Convention. California continues to cling to its very high standard, despite evidence that that is no technology in existence that can achieve the required level of purity. California, though, has extended its deadline in the past and is expected to do so in the future unless and until a technological breakthrough is achieved. New York State is now the lightning rod on the ballast water management issue. It conditioned the state’s approval of the EPA VGP program on the inclusion of a ballast water discharge standard for New York waters similar to that of California but with a harder deadline. New York has grudgingly granted one brief extension of deadline, but will provide no signal that further deadlines should be anticipated. Meanwhile, despite all the evidence to the contrary, it contends that there is technology available to meet its very high ballast water discharge standard.
Some members of Congress have finally decided to address the issue directly. The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2011 (H.R. 2838) as approved by the House of Representatives on November 15, 2011, includes a provision that would limit the ability of the individual states to impose more stringent ballast water discharge standards on commercial vessels than those imposed by the federal government. The bill is now under consideration by the Senate.
It is possible, albeit unlikely, than none of the potential breakthroughs discussed above will come to fruition in 2012. It is more likely that the BWM Convention will acquire that requisite ratifications to allow it to come into force; that the US Coast Guard will promulgate its ballast water management regulation mirroring, in large part, the BWM Convention standards; and that the EPA will publish its 2013 VGP program standards following the Coast Guard lead with respect to ballast water management. The fate of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act is less certain. The coming year will see a highly contentious national election campaign, which may provoke legislative gridlock on Capitol Hill. Developments at the state level are even less predictable.
Over all, though, 2012 may be the year in which stars align for ballast water management and things finally get beyond top dead center. These developments will result in even more vessels installing modern ballast water treatment equipment and will encourage manufacturers to develop improved ballast water management technology.

Bulk Carrier Design Delivers 14% Fuel Oil Reduction

Lloyd’s Register supervised the design appraisal, build and sea trials, verifying the performance of a new, modified 57,000 dwt ship based on a SDARI design. The M.V. Aquila, first in a new series of supramax bulk carrier designs, optimised to burn less fuel oil has been delivered in China on the eve of the Lunar New Year holidays. The efficiency improvements have been achieved by carrying out a number of straightforward – but effective – changes including: de-rating the main engine, a new propeller design which has been optimised for the de-rated engine, and fitting a mewis duct. The daily main engine consumption at a speed of 14 knots at ballast draft, which would have been about 29.4 tonnes, is now about 26 tonnes and the daily main engine consumption at a speed of 13.5 knots at design draft, which would have been about 29.8 tonnes daily, is now about 26.30 tonnes. The engine’s output has been reduced by nearly 1,000 KW to 8,500 KW.
Commenting on the delivery, Meng Cheng Jun, President of the Jiangsu Hantong Group, said that:
“This vessel is the fifty-fifth vessel to be delivered since the establishment of our Hantong shipyard, and also the first vessel with the optimized design to be delivered. Based on the SDARI design, Hantong completed the design optimisation and the tank test independently, which also brings us the patent right of our own part. Hantong is taking note of the market environment requests and listening to the owners’ needs on vessels, now therefore, Hantong will keep on strengthening the optimisations of our vessels, and is endeavouring in building the vessels to be eco-friendly and more fuel efficient than previous ones, for our honourable clients.”
Ship designers SDARI said that the structure of this new type BC57K has been, “optimised, satisfying the latest requirements in the Common Structural Rules for bulk carriers, especially to accommodate the severe strength requirement of steel coils. The new ship will be able to load about 54,000 tonnes of steel coils during one voyage with little increase of light weight. Now, the vessel also meets the requirements of EEDI-PHASE I.”
Nick Brown, Lloyd’s Register’s Area General Manager and Marine Manager, Greater China, said: “Owners and operators are looking for efficiencies and now shipyards and designers are responding to this demand. Emissions regulation and higher energy prices are the two leading factors changing our industry. New technologies and innovation will play a vital role in the immediate and long term future of shipping. New fuels, new engines and new designs are becoming available. The difficulty for shipowners, builders, equipment makers and, don’t forget, financiers is not only what technology to support but when to invest. At Lloyd’s Register we have a key role to play in helping the industry appraise designs as well as verifying and measuring performance to help support the decision making process.”
“This new ship is evidence of the shift towards new, eco designs.”

Turkish Tanker Sinks in Albanian Waters ! This is Serious, at least 1 Dead !

DURRES, Albania (AP) Albanian police in a coastal town say a tanker has sunk after unloading fuel. One sailor has been found dead and at least two others are missing.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the Sierra Leone-flagged Edirne to sink Sunday about three miles (five kilometers) from a harbor in Durres, a day after unloading more than 3,000 tons of fuel there.

Police spokeswoman Ornela Cako says a sailor's body was found and it is believed two others, including the captain, an Azerbaijan national, are missing. Twelve crew members, most of them Georgians, have been rescued.

Cako says smoke was spotted before the ship sank. Authorities are continuing a search-and-rescue mission. They gave no details of the ship's capacity and where it was coming from.

Costa Concordia ran aground

A photograph taken on January 14, 2012 of the

after the cruise ship with more than 4,000 people on board ran aground and keeled over off the Isola del Giglio, and Italian island, last night. Three people died and several were missing Saturday after a cruise ship with more than 4,000 people on board ran aground and keeled over off an Italian island, sparking chaos as passengers scrambled to get off. The ship was on a cruise in the Mediterranean, leaving from Savona with planned stops in Civitavecchia, Palermo, Cagliari, Palma, Barcelona and Marseille,' the company said.

World Sea Piracy Dropped in 2011, First Time in Last 5 Years

With news of piracy attacks reverberating in the media the whole of last year, it is hard to believe that the actual Sea Piracy incidences in 2011 dropped when compared to those of last 5 years. This is definitely shocking yet favourable news for the global Shipping industry.
The Piracy report of International Maritime Bureau stated that there were total 439 attacks on ships with 802 crew member taken hostages. This actually dropped from 445 reported cases and 1181 hostages in 2010.

The involvement of international naval forces and security measures taken by the private companies are the two major reasons for the dip in sea piracy crimes. But the Somalia pirates became more aggressive last year as compared to 2010 with reported incident of 237 cases, the number going up from 219 in 2010.
Though the year 2012 is hard to predict as far as Sea piracy is concerned; however, we still have a forecast for you on the International Maritime Piracy claiming a Somalia Free of Sea Pirates announced by EbyanMahamed Salah, ambassador of the Republic of Somalia in India in our free e-book –“Maritime industry in 2012”.

Update on 201 Indian Crew Members of Costa Concordia

According to the latest reports all the 201 Indian crew members working on the ill-fated Costa Concordia are safe. The Indian Embassy in Italy revealed the details of the crew members who were on board the Italian cruise ship.
First Secretary at the Embassy, VishweshNegi announced that 25 of the 201 Indian crew members were likely to take flight for India. Also, all the 6 Indian women in the crew are safe.

Out of 201 Indian crew members, 186 have been taken to Rome, and the remaining 15 will be staying on at the Tuscan Coast in Italy to help the police in investigation.
According to Mr.Negi, the cruise company has arranged for the flight tickets of the Indian crew and the first lot of 25 crew members were already on their way to India.