Intermittent Critique and Resumption Survey of a Merchandise Tanker - Research Paper Example

Periodic Survey and Renewal Survey of a product tanker Introduction The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has undertaken and implemented various international shipping regulations by developing a coordinated system of surveys and certification and international conventions. These surveys are being made mandatory and imperative for the marine industry to adhere to. Further, such regulations are also enforced stringently so that the safety of the vessels at the sea is ensured at the highest degree. This paper outlines the various procedures that are carried in the periodic and renewal surveys to find out whether the vessel is safe enough to undertake interstate of overseas travels. The survey helps in conducting an overall inspection of the vessel, together with various tests of the equipments and machinery. These surveys helps the ship owners in maintaining the ships in proper condition for the next scheduled surveys as well as conducting interim surveys to renew their certificates after a repair or before the expiry of the certificates. In this study, the researcher is being asked to prepare a report on conducting periodic and renewal surveys for a new 37000mt dwt product tanker with the following particulars: Draft-11.5m LOA-180m beam-26m tanker-14 (12+2 slops) GRT-20300 NRT-10150 double hull construction However, even before understanding the periodic and renewal surveys, it is important to understand the premises of various ship surveys and certification and the significance of implementing these surveys in the shipbuilding industry. Therefore, the paper traces the history of the creation of various ship surveys and certification. The paper especially focused on the development of harmonized surveys adopted by the IMO. It also provided a brief overview of various types of surveys such as the annual survey, the initial survey, the additional survey, along with the periodic and renewal surveys. The report thereafter concentrated on the renewal survey. The report found that such a survey is being carried out mostly at an interval of 5 years or before the end of the validity of the certificate. Further, such a survey is also being carried out after any major work to renew the certification. Most of the times, such survey are being done for a particular part of the vessel. In this paper, the researcher focused on the survey of the outside bottom of the ship and the hull and the tailshaft surveys, as they form the most important components of a vessel. This kind of survey is being requested by the ship owner in order to make the vessel operational before the time for the next examination of the tailshaft and hull. The second part of the report focused on the periodic survey. It was found that this type of survey has the same scope as renewal survey, although the name periodic survey has been introduced newly. This type of survey is generally undertaken to provide and check the equipment safety and radio safety certificates. This kind of survey is undertaken every year for providing the safety certificates for the equipments and radio. However, such surveys are also undertaken to understand the current condition of the vessel and take in-depth survey of the hull, tailshaft, body of the vessel and other such important components. However, this type of survey is voluntary in nature, and the surveyor does not provide any certification related to the survey of the vessel components. They nonetheless, provide recommendations which the ship owner can implement to keep the ship in proper condition until the time of the next scheduled survey. Ship surveys and certification The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted various international shipping regulations by developing a coordinated system of surveys and certification. Such a system was implemented by IMO on February 3, 2000. The international shipping regulations covered under this system include the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, or the modified form by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL 73/78), the International Convention on Load Lines, (LL) 1966 and the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (IBC Code). This system also consists of the regulations of Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code) and Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (BCH Code) (Harmonized system of ship survey 2000). However, in order to obtain these instruments one needs to get certificates that would indicate the vessels have fulfilled the requirements. To get these certifications, the ship needs to undergo various surveys, which might take several days and make the ship out of service during that period. Therefore, the adoption of a coordinated system of surveys would help in tackling with the problems caused during the surveys and during the time between the surveys. This means that the surveys should be timed in such a manner that all the repair work on the ship is being carried out before the surveys rather than doing a survey after each repair to obtain various certifications. A harmonized survey system helps in coordinating the dates of the surveys in such a manner that all the surveys are staggered according to the condition of the ship (Branch 2007). The different types of surveys undertaken through such a harmonized system include the following: Initial survey: Before the commissioning of a ship, the vessel undergoes a complete inspection of each and every item. This helps in ensuring that the ship is in a satisfactory condition and can be commissioned for service. Every vessel needs to go through the initial survey to obtain the relevant certifications and permission to operate. Periodic survey: Such a survey is carried out related to an individual certification or inspection of a certain part of the ship to ensure that these parts and related instruments are working satisfactorily and is fit for the work that it is commissioned for. Renewal survey: It is similar to that of periodic survey; however such a survey is carried out to provide new certifications. Intermediate survey: This survey is carried out to inspect some specified items. Annual survey: This is more of a general inspection of the instruments related to obtaining a particular certificate. This survey ensures that the instruments related to this certificate are being maintained properly and the ship is in a satisfactory working condition. Additional survey: According to the circumstances, this survey is carried out to inspect the ship in a partial or general manner. This type of surveys is generally made after a repair work due to casualties or after any important repairs for which renewals are sought. In this paper, we would focus on the periodic and renewal survey aspects. Renewal survey The renewal survey is mostly carried out every 5 years, before the end of the validity of the certificate. Such a survey may include the inspection of each and every instrument, equipment and the structural strength of the vessel. In case the surveyors are satisfied with the examination of the vessel, they issue a new certificate valid for another period of 5 years. However, the ship owner also needs to make certain that annual surveys are also being carried out to keep the renewal certificates valid (House 2004). Further, in case the periodic and the intermediate surveys are also not carried out as per the time schedule, the validity of the renewal certificate would also loose its effect. The ship owner can get any of their required certificates extended through the renewal surveys. Further, the society with which the ship is being affiliated with can also ask the ship owner to conduct the survey for renewing certificates, whenever the time for such surveys is overdue. Such a type of survey should follow the procedure of inspections and tests, whenever deemed necessary of the relevant machinery and equipment parts. These inspections ensure that the vessel is complying with the requirements needed to obtain or renew the certificates to continue using the service for its intended purpose. This type of survey also check whether all the relevant certificates, record books, manuals as well as other documents and instructions that are being specified by the certificate under its requirement list, are being kept on the ship (House 2004). Survey of the outside bottom In order to obtain the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate (PSSC), it is imperative to get the outside of the ship’s bottom inspected during the renewal survey. This has been specified in the SOLAS Chapter I. The inspection of the ship’s bottom is usually conducted in a dry dock. During the entire five year period, at least twice the outside of the ship’s bottom should be inspected in dry dock. Further, the period between these two inspections should not be more than 36 months. Such an inspection of the ship’s bottom to obtain PSSC certificate can also be carried out while the ship is in the water. However, whether the ship’s bottom is being inspected in water or in dry-dock, the ship owners should ensure that the inspection is being carried out within the time frame allowed obtaining the PSSC renewal certificate. In case of PSSC, this time frame is within 3 months before the expiry date (Survey of machinery installations 2004). Further, the outside of the ship’s bottom should only be inspected while the ship is afloat if the condition of the vessel is in satisfactory working condition and proper equipments and well-qualified surveyors are being available for the task. However, clearances related to rudders may not be carried out at the time of in-water inspections. In order to conduct an inspection in-water for the outside bottom of the ship, the ship owner must fulfill certain conditions during the time of submitting the application. The owner is required to request to a recognised organisation for getting approval from the required administration for conducting an inspection in-water. This request needs to be given at least around four weeks before the date of the possible inspection. The recognised organisation needs to accept the projected schedule and the conditions listed by the ship owner to conduct the in-water inspection. It is only after this acceptance that the planning and execution of conducting in-water inspection can be allowed (Survey of machinery installations 2004). Further, the owner is also required to confirm to the recognised organisation in writing that the vessel has not being grounder or received any damages since the last inspection of the ship’s outside bottom. Further, such a written statement should also mention that any unusual event related to the vessel which might have damaged the ship’s bottom has also not taken place. The recognised organisation is required to go through the various survey records of the vessel to find out about the current condition of the machineries and the hull. This would help in determining the eligibility of the vessel to undergo an inspection in-water. Further, in order to establish the efficacy of the inspection of the ship’s bottom, the recorgnised organisation also needs to the administration about the details of a ship on which the bottom of the ship has been inspected in-water. Such a notification also needs to include mention of certain relevant survey reports, which should be submitted along the application or are uploaded online for easier retrieval (Survey of machinery installations 2004). The survey report should carry forward an inspection of the coating done on the hull, the structural strength as well as of the parts that are submerged underwater. Hull surveys As per the regulations of the IMO, a vessel needs to undergo a thorough inspection of the tailshaft and hull during the renewal survey, initial survey as well as the annual survey conducted in between the renewal surveys. The inspection of the tailshaft and hull include the examination of not just the tailshafts and the hull but also of the propellers, rudders, various fixtures and fittings. Further, the strength and the penetration power of the hull are also examined. It is also needed to draw the tailshaft so that the various parts of the shaft including the shaft tubes and bearings are also being examined properly. Further, the propeller should also be taken off from the shaft in order to carry forward the inspection of the key and the keyway. The ship owner should also ensure that the main valves of the hull should be opened up completely in order to carry out the inspection of the valve seats, gates, body and spindles of the hull properly (Hull and structural surveys 2004). The ship owner should also ensure that the surveyor is able to access the maximum length of the hull’s interior during the inspection. Generally, such an examination of the tailshaft and hull is being conducted on an annual basis. In case the annual examination of the hull and tailshaft shows that the ship is in a proper condition without any damages, than the inspection routine can be changed accordingly. The ship owner might request to conduct a renewal survey of the hull and tailshaft in order to make the vessel operational for three years before the time for the next examination of the tailshaft and hull. However, such an examination is not applicable in case of passenger ships that undertake international travel. Such ships still need to undergo annual examinations of the tailshafts and hull. Similar to the inspection of the outside bottom of the ship, the tailshaft and hull should also be examined at least twice anytime during the five year period (Hull and structural surveys 2004). Survey timetable The renewal survey to obtain certification for operation can start two months prior to the expiry of the certificates. However, the final examination of the ship should take place within a month of the date of expiry of the certificate. After the inspection, new certificates would be issued. The validity of these certificates would depend on the type of the vessel. For instance, for an international passenger ship, the validity would be for a one month, while for all other ships, the validity is for five years. This means that the ship owner would not have any window period or inactive time period between the expiry of the certificate and the renewal of the certificate. However, if the survey gets delayed and the certificate is issued after the expiry of the old certificate, the new certificate would still be issued from the date of expiry of the old one. This means that the ship owners would not receive any benefits from extending the renewal survey (Schoenbaum 2001). Reporting While carrying out the annual, initial or renewal survey, the ship owner is required to submit Form IA-1 along with other survey checklist to the head office of the relevant recognised organisation. After completing the renewal survey, the International Register of Shipping issues an interim certificate known as Cert IA-I, which has a validity of around five months. In case the survey finds that there are damages in the ship or incomplete documentation, the interim certificate notifies these issues and gives a conditional comment in the certificate. Further, such survey defects are also noted at the back of the interim certificate. Such an interim certificate is only issued for that much validity that it would permit the ship to reach the next port. However, the journey should not take more than two months. In case of the ship lacking only of a few manuals or documentation, than the ship might be given the extension of another month, and the ship might undertake a journey of three months time period. The ship owner must fax a copy of the conditional certificate to the head office of the recognised organisation (Schoenbaum 2001). Periodical Survey The name periodic survey has been introduced newly and has the same scope as renewal survey. This type of survey is generally undertaken to provide and check the equipment safety and radio safety certificates. This kind of survey is undertaken every year for providing the safety certificates for the equipments and radio. The difference between the initial survey and periodical survey is that the lack of issuing the certificate. The international societies for ship classification are the ones that form and establish standards known as rules for designing, constructing and conducting periodic surveys for ships and other such marine vessels. The field surveyors and the technical staff carry out the surveys to certify that the particular vessel is adhering to the rules prescribed by these international societies. These rules are also known as classification and are used to describe the structural strength and mechanical fitness of the ship for the purpose of its service (Gold et al 2003). Due to the way these societies are formed and operate, the class societies are considered to provide an impartial survey and conduct classification functions globally maintaining the same standards. Therefore, the entire marine industry world over are able to endorse such surveys performed by these classification societies. Therefore, these societies also operate as self-regulatory organisations within the industry (Pamborides 1992). The rules developed by these classification societies are based on the principles of various engineering disciplines such as marine engineering and naval architecture. Such principles help in conducting a systematic analysis of the vessel. Most of these societies also update their rules on an annual basis by formulating a committee that consists of experts from the field of marine engineering, naval architecture, designing, ship building, manufacturing etc. Even the ship owners, representatives from the government and other experts recognised internationally in related field of marine industry are also included in such committees. The members of these committees do not receive any compensation. Such a committee helps in assimilating the view points of every stakeholder involved in the marine industry to develop the rules concerning vessel survey on a periodic basis. Due to this fact, the rules and regulations are considered to be authoritative but impartial at the same time. Further, such rules can also be applied universally all over the world. Thus, the experts from the marine industry helps in determining the classification standards, which are thereafter, written and are provided as published rules by the various classification societies (Gold et al 2003). Once the rules are being classed and published, the classification societies follow these while conducting the surveys. The rules require that the ship owners apply for conducting periodic surveys on their vessels, as a part of fulfilling the condition of the class. Further, in case the vessel sustains damage during an incident, the ship owner should present the ship for a periodic survey. Such a survey helps the classification societies to find out whether the ship is being maintained properly or not and whether the ship owners are meeting the rules correctly. Further, it aids the society to determine whether the ship is fit mechanically and structurally to carry out its intended purpose. Most periodic surveys are carried out annually, while concentrated surveys are undertaken once every four or five years. It has been seen commonly intermediate surveys are carried for most of the ships (Gold et al 2003). International conventions and codes and periodic surveys Various international conventions and codes were being formulated and established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a part of the United Nations. During the early 1960s, the IMO which was at that time known as the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization or the IMCO gained prominence to formulate various international regulations concerning the marine industry at the government level. It was during this time that the various classification societies decided to liaise with the IMCO for formulating various rules regarding vessel surveys. In fact such a collaborative effort among the societies already commenced in 1930 with the formulation of the International Convention on Load Lines. This new regulation helped the societies in understanding the process to formulate more such rules that would be standardised and can be applicable on a global basis (Commercial maritime information 1981). After the formulation of the International Convention on Load Lines, more such other rules were also established through cooperative efforts. These include the Working Party on Hull Structural Steel in 1957 and the Working parties on Electrodes and Equipment in 1959. In the year 1968, a major event in the history of marine industry took place with the establishment of the International Association of Classification Societies or IACS, a formal group of members that had most of the international classification societies as its members. Some of the prominent members included Bureau Veritas, American Bureau of Shipping, Det norske Veritas, Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, Registro Italiano Navale and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai. Later on, the Korean Register of Shipping, Polski Rejestr Statkow and the USSR Register of Shipping have also become the member (Commercial maritime information 1981). As per the IACS charter, the central aim of the association is to look after the standards of the vessels to ensure their safety at sea. The association further provides consulting services and ensure cooperation between various international as well as national marine orgnisations. Every society also promotes the central aim of the IACS on individual level as well. Importance of periodic surveys The main intent of the classification society behind conducting a periodic survey is to prevent a ship from becoming substandard and to maintain the quality of the ship as per the rules specified by the society. The requirement for this type of survey is usually based on the number of years the ship is in service. As per the industry requirements and developments, these rules are being continuously reviewed and updated. Further, such kind of survey helps in pointing out a problem in a vessel, especially the structural strength, and can help the ship owners to rectify the problem before any major survey such as an annual or a renewal survey. It is also the ship owners’ responsibility to keep the vessel in a proper condition. The field surveyor would only keep a record, give a report and provide recommendations on the condition of the ship at the time of the survey. In case the ship is not found to be in order, the surveyor makes various recommendations to correct the condition. However, in case these corrections are not made by the ship owner, the classification society reserves the right to terminate the classification of the vessel as well (Gold et al 2003). Conducting periodic surveys The IACS realised that older and larger tankers would require careful survey of in the long run in order to recognise the problems plaguing the vessel. Therefore, the association decided to unite the classification societies to carry out various periodic surveys to determine the health of the ships still in service. Some of the ship owners wanted these societies to carry out a through survey to help them maintain the ship in a better manner. However, many ship owners only wanted the surveyor to verify the name of the vessel so that it is reported correctly in the documents. In the contemporary world, it has been found that most of the ship owners want the classification society to undertake a through examination of the condition of the vessel and recommend various repairs so that the vessel can be kept in proper condition till the time for the next scheduled survey. This also helps the ship owners to fulfill their requirements to maintain the ship as per the rules of the classification society. Most of the ship owners have expressed their satisfaction in the way these societies operate. The classification society conducts the survey for the various parts of the ship including the boiler, the tailshafts, the ship's bottom, rudder and the sea chests (Pamborides 1992). Hull surveillance The survey of the hull is a critical function in a product tanker. The classification societies therefore take extra care while conducting survey on the hull. In the current scenario, the surveillance of the hull is focused towards finding out the loads put on the hull girder as well as on the slamming area for a particular period of time. Such a technique is used to find out about the overall hull strength. However, these days a much more accurate technique of measuring the hull strength is being used by taking gauging. This type of hull survey and monitoring of the condition of the vessel helps in improving the overall quality of the ship and maintaining it in proper condition till the next scheduled survey. It would take considerable amount of time to automate such a survey system, as such surveys are greatly dependent on the judgment and expertise of the surveyors (Hull and structural surveys 2004) . Conclusion The paper found that the IMO has undertaken various international shipping regulations to keep the vessels at sea safe. The organisation has particularly given emphasis to various surveys that are being conducted on the vessels to find out about their current condition during their in-service period. Such surveys helps the ship owners in assessing the condition of the ships and finding out if any major repairs needs to be undertaken to keep the ship in proper order and avoid any major mishaps. Thus, the IMO has given critical place to these surveys. Most of these surveys are mandatory in nature; however, surveys such as periodic survey are voluntary in terms of undertaking an in-depth examination of the vessel. Nonetheless, the paper recommends that these surveys should be followed stringently and carried out at regular interval to ensure the safety of the vessel at the sea. This paper outlined the various procedures that are carried in the periodic and renewal surveys. These surveys help the ship owners to conduct an overall inspection of the vessel, together with various tests of the equipments and machinery. These surveys also help the ship owners for maintaining the ships in proper condition for the next scheduled surveys as well as conducting interim surveys to renew their certificates after a repair or before the expiry of the certificates. The paper also traced the history of the creation of various ship surveys and certification. The paper especially focused on the development of harmonized surveys adopted by the IMO. It also provided a brief overview of various types of surveys such as the annual survey, the initial survey, the additional survey, along with the periodic and renewal surveys. The report found that renewal surveys are mostly carried out at an interval of around 5 years or by the end of the validity of the certificate. This type of survey inspects the instruments and equipments of the ship as well as validates the structural strength of the vessel. If the surveyor is satisfied with the condition of the vessel, a renewal certificate is issued for the next 5 years. However, it was found that in order to keep the renewal certificate valid, the ship owner should make it certain to carry out annual surveys as well. It was also found that most of the time, such surveys were conducted for a particular part of the vessel. The report also focused on the periodic survey. It was found that although, the scope of the periodic survey is similar to that of renewal survey such surveys are more voluntary in nature. The concept of periodic survey has been introduced recently. Such a survey is generally undertaken by the ship owners to find out about the condition of the vessel and whether any major repair work is needed on the vessel or not. The surveyor for this type of survey does not provide any certification, however, they do provide recommendations to the ship owners related to various repair work. These recommendations can help the ship owner to keep the ship in proper condition until the time of the next scheduled survey. Periodic surveys are really based on the expertise and skills of the surveyor of the classification society. The society is also responsible to update the rules from time to time and imbibe various rules as per the current development in the marine industry. Although, many ship owners have raised concerns over the working of these societies as they are completely dependent on the judgment of the surveyor, the contribution made by these societies towards maintaining the vessels cannot be undermined. These periodic surveys no doubt help the ship owners to closely look after the condition of their ships and maintain it on a periodic basis. This also helps them in undertaking any repair work at the onset itself rather than letting it go undetected and then spending a lot of money later on for the repair work. Further, such a survey also helps the ship owners to keep the ship in proper health for the more important surveys such as annual and renewal surveys. References: “Harmonized system of ship survey and certification enters into force,” Press briefing, International Maritime Organization 2000, viewed on May 16, 2010, < http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/contents.asp?doc_id=559&topic_id=68>. “Hull and structural surveys”. International Maritime Organization. IMO Publishing, 2004 “Survey of machinery installations: compendium”. International Maritime Organization. IMO Publishing, 2004. Branch, Alan E. “Harmonization of Surveys.” Elements of shipping. 8th Edition. 2007. Commercial maritime information: a critical appraisal. National Research Council (U.S.). Maritime Information Committee, National Research Council. National Academies, 1981. Gold, Edgar, Chircop, Aldo E. and Kindred, Hugh M. Maritime law. Irwin Law, 2003. House, D. J. Seamanship techniques: for shipboard & maritime operations. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2004. Pamborides, G. P. International shipping law: legislation and enforcement. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1992. Schoenbaum, Thomas J. Admiralty and maritime law. West Pub. Co., 2001. SOLAS (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea). 1974. London: 1 November 1974. Published in United Nations Treaty Series1184: 2. Read More