Tag: Lloyds Register

Lloyd's Register Safety Alert In its Classification News No.12/2012, Lloyd's Register has issued a safety warning telling of a failure of the diaphragm fitted to the fuel excess pressure regulating valve actuator. The alert reads as follows:"Following an engine room fire on board a Lloyd's Register classed vessel (in way of the auxiliary engines), the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) concluded that the diaphragm fitted to the fuel excess pressure regulating valve actuator failed, resulting in pressurised fuel leaking onto an exposed high-temperature surface.Examination of the failed diaphragm revealed signs of excessive wear, creasing and some delamination of the rubber. There were also signs of tearing of the reinforcing fabric layer.The actuator diaphragm in the excess pressure regulating valve perished and ruptured as a result of prolonged exposure to marine fuel oils. The diaphragm rubber was made from ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) M-type synthetic rubber, which is unsuitable for use with oils.The standard Samson excess pressure regulating valve 2413 is supplied with a single EDPM diaphragm. Samson also provides oil-resistant fluorocarbon rubber (FPM) rubber diaphragms.Lloyd's Register recommendationLloyd's Register recommends that operators should verify that the diaphragms fitted to pressure regulating valve actuators used on fuel oil systems are checked ...

Effective from 1 August, 2012 The North American Emission Control Area for SOx and particulate matter (ECA-SOx) enters into effect on 1 August, 2012.From this date, the same requirements will apply as for the existing Baltic and North Sea ECA-SOx, including the requirements for recording data on entry and exit.The North American ECA-SOx covers three distinct areas:1.off the North American Atlantic/Gulf coasts;2.off the North American Pacific coast; and 3.around certain parts of Hawaii. It also includes the St Lawrence Seaway, the Great Lakes and rivers (such as the Mississippi) which are accessed by shipping.The ECA's exact co-ordinates are contained in the IMO Circular MEPC.1/Circ.723Ships operating in or entering the North American ECA-SOx on or after 1 August, 2012, will need to have on board sufficient compliant fuel oil (1.00% m/m maximum sulphur content) and bring it into use as required. Ships entering the ECA-SOx before this date will need to ensure that compliant fuel oil is brought into use no later than 00:00 hrs on 1 August, 2012.Lloyd's Register recommends that this fuel change-over is recorded in the same way as if the ship was entering an ECA.Source: Lloyd's Register

Growing commercial opportunities in the far north boost demand for customised shipping solutions The first dedicated set of rules for stern-first ice-class ships has just been published by Lloyd's Register, answering demand for technical support as industry continues to explore the potential of polar transportation routes and the new energy reserves in the far north.The timely release of the rules comes as more and more ships are being ordered with options such as podded propulsion systems and azimuthing thrusters - products that can improve icebreaking capability and reduce resistance -- allowing them to navigate stern first through ice."These practical rules are answering a growing demand in the market and include the use of standard operational scenarios to provide designers with a basis for prescriptive rule applications that have been validated with designers and operators of these specialist ships," said Robert Tustin, Lloyd's Register's Technical Manager for New Construction in Asia.Lloyd's Register has had a long involvement in the development of this class of ships. Mastera and Tempera - two 106,000 dwt "double-acting" tankers owned by Neste -- were built to its class in 2002 and 2003 at Sumitomo's yard in Japan. The ships were deployed to the Baltic, where they ...

Emission Control Areas: THE GUIDE Fathom and Lloyd's Register, the maritime classification society and independent risk management organization, have announced the launch of Emission Control Areas: THE GUIDE.Emission Control Areas, or ECAs, in Europe and North America are set to have a profound effect on how vessels are operated, including hugely impactful implications on the cost of fuels when operating within ECAs.The 111-page guide, which is accompanied by an onboard ECA manual, details the full scope of challenges of operating within an ECA, from analysis of compliance options to the practical steps of implementing ECA measures onboard, and capturing and recording data for Port State Control requirements.The 0.10 percent 2015 ECA sulphur emission requirements are approaching, and the August, 2012, 1.00 percent North American ECA is only months away. Yet, in some cases, ship owners and operators are still unsure of the operational practices required to meet the legislation; and, currently crews, when required to do so, are implementing these practices sporadically and without strategy. With the imminent North American ECA and the clock counting down to the more stringent requirements of 2015, Fathom and Lloyd's Register have worked to compile one comprehensive reference manual for what owners, operators and ...

Organised by Lloyds Register Lloyd's Register is offering Machinery Damage and Repair workshops to support marine superintendents and engineering personnel.Mechanical breakdowns are a serious problem for shipowners and having competent engineers on board can quite literally mean the difference between success and failure for a shipping company.The new workshops are unique to Lloyd's Register and give even the most experienced engineers the opportunity to analyse and resolve some the most common mechanical problems found in the merchant marine environment."The workshops are an innovative way to present real-life engineering problems with a variety of solutions in a controlled but time-pressured environment," said Steve Robson, Lloyd's Register's Senior Technical Training Specialist. "Attendees will be given the opportunity to use their skills and learn new ones in an environment that is designed to challenge and motivate."They will help delegates to develop the skills to make early assessments of mechanical damage and conduct timely repairs in a technically correct and cost-efficient way and in accordance with the appropriate classification rules and regulations for ships.There are three individual one-day workshops that can be booked separately to offer maximum flexibility to fit in with the busy schedules of engineering personnel.The courses are aimed at superintendents, flag ...

Rob Whillock discusses the classification and statutory considerations Rob Whillock discusses the classification and statutory considerations specific to vessels in the offshore wind industry.Rob discusses considerations specific to both wind turbine installation vessels, and service vessels, with particular reference to the SPS "special person" designation and whether we need to change SOLAS Chapter One.Rob also discusses the upcoming guidance notes to be released by Lloyd's Register.

A tool to assist with strategic planning for SOX compliance with MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 14 Lloyd's Register (LR) recently introduced an ECA Calculator, a tool which is claimed to assist with strategic planning for SOX compliance with MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 14.At present, the majority of vessels choose to comply with the current 1% ECA requirement by operating with a fuel of lower sulphur content where required. In the majority of cases this is residual fuel oil.In the future, however, in order to meet the 0.10% and 0.50% maximum allowable sulphur contents required within an ECA from 2015 onwards and in all other areas from 2020/2025 respectively, distillate fuel is likely to be used.Crucially, however, MARPOL Annex VI allows, under Regulation 4, the use of an equivalent compliance method, which is at least as effective in terms of emissions reduction as the levels required by regulation 14 (which limits the sulphur content of fuel). One of these methods is the use of an exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS).As a result of the current and impending situation, (ie 2015 = 0.10% limit within an ECA and 2020/2025 = 0.50% outside an ECA) operators may need to evaluate their position in ...

Energy Management in Shipping Stavros Meidanis, LRQA Marine Business Centre Manager is giving a presentation regarding Energy Management in ShippingThe Safety4Sea Energy Efficiency Forum, a PRO BONO event, successfully completed on 8th of March 2012 in Athens, covering a wide range of Technical, Operational and Market Based Issues regarding Energy Efficiency in Shipping.The event has been well attended by over 250 delegates at the venue representing more than 140 companies. The event organized by IBS Marine Consulting Group and sponsored by MARORKA, Dorian Hellas and Transmar Shipping.For more information about the Forum visithttp://www.safety4sea.com/forum/3For more information about Safety4Sea visit the official site http://www.safety4sea.com

LR issues statutory alert Lloyd's Register issues Statutory Alert re Equipment servicing within survey range dates - a reminder of SOLAS requirements as follows:The SOLAS Convention requires various navigation equipment, life-saving appliances (LSA) and satellite EPIRBs to be serviced and tested within the safety equipment survey range dates. There have been cases recently of servicing and testing mistakenly being carried out outside the relevant survey range dates.This has led to unnecessary expense and inconvenience for ship operators due to the need for repeat servicing and testing and further confirmation surveys.The following is a reminder of the relevant SOLAS requirements.Regulation III/20.11 - launching appliances and on-load release gearSOLAS Regulation III/20.11 requires periodic servicing of launching appliances and on-load release gear forlife-saving appliances (LSA) on all cargo ships and passenger ships within the safety equipment survey rangedates.Survival craft and rescue boat launching appliances are required to be examined and tested, by competent persons, annually within the safety equipment survey range dates. Survival craft and rescue boat on-load release gear (including free-fall lifeboat release systems) and davit-launched liferaft automatic release hooks are required to be examined and tested, by competent persons, annually within the safety equipment surveyrange dates.Launching appliances and on-load release gear ...

Lloyd's Register Safety Alert Following an incident involving loss of steering on a Marshall Islands registered bulk carrier, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada issued a Marine Safety Advisory Letter No. 07/11. The information obtained indicated the ship experienced a loss of steering control when the No.2 servomotor's wheel potentiometer failed while the rudder was at 10 degrees to starboard. The ship then ran aground.It was established that the control system manufacturer had published a service document recommending potentiometers to be replaced at five-yearly intervals on their similarly equipped steering consoles. Thisdocumentation was not found on board nor was the information present in the ship's steering gear manual.There was also no document to indicate that the potentiometer had been replaced since the ship was constructed in 1986. Lloyds Register has now conducted a search of its defect database and identified a number of similar failures in the last five years. These failures have occurred on various makes of steering gears with the majority being after more than five years of service.It is strongly recommended that owners and operators ensure all service bulletins are maintained up to date with a copy retained on board, and that necessary maintenance procedures are ...