Tag: Lloyds 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 ...

New IMO regulations Lloyd's Register has developed a guidance note to explain the options included in new IMO regulation regarding Corrosion protection of crude oil cargo tanks.Following incidents resulting from structural failure in oil tankers, the IMO developed requirements aimed at inhibiting corrosion in cargo oil tanks by way of performance standards.These performance standards are now being made mandatory by an amendment to SOLAS: regulation II-1/3-11, Corrosion Protection of Cargo Oil Tanks of Crude Oil Tankers, adopted by Resolution MSC.291(87).For more information, click here.Source: Lloyd's Register

Requirements for new fast rescue boat launching appliances IMO Resolution MSC.218(82) introduced requirements for new fast rescue boat launching appliances, which entered into force on July 1, 2008.One of the new requirements was that fast rescue boat launching appliances be fitted with a 'wave compensator' device. These are automatic high-speed tensioning devices which prevent the davit wire fromgoing slack when launching fast rescue boats in adverse sea state conditions.In 2010 there was an incident on board a cargo ship, in which several crew members sustained serious injuries when trying to launch a fast rescue boat. The injured personnel were crewing the fast rescue boat when thelaunching appliance wave compensator device caused the boat to descend rapidly and hit the water, from height of approximately 18 metres. The accident was investigated and found to be caused by faulty installationof the wave compensator device.Recently, during installation testing of a fast rescue boat launching appliance, produced by a different manufacturer, the appliance was found to have a similar problem. This problem was also found to be causedfaulty installation of the wave compensator device.What should owners and operators do now?Owners and operators of ships should check if their vessels are fitted with fast rescue ...

Reducing the risks Scandpower and ModuSpec, a sister company in the Lloyd's Register Group, are working with leading owners and operators in the oil and gas sector to improve current methods of monitoring the performance of blow-out preventers (BOP) and reduce the risks relating to one of the industry's most safety-critical pieces of equipment.Scandpower and ModuSpec are pooling their resources with industry to develop a 'BOP Monitor' that is expected to significantly improve current processes of assessing risk during operations. The monitor will be a new application for Scandpower's proprietary RiskSpectrum software, which has already proved its value at one-half of the world's nuclear power plants."The BOP is a critical component in any hydrocarbon drilling operation and is often the final line of defence for protecting life and the environment. So there is high demand for a transparent and well-structured risk assessment approach that helps owners and operators to monitor the BOP's performance," says Duco de Haan, CEO of ModuSpec. "Because ModuSpec has been a global leader in helping to ensure the reliability of drilling assets for more than 25 years, we recognise the importance of industry participation in developing a product of this calibre."BOPs were thrust into the public ...

M.V. Aquilato has been delivered in China 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 ...

Lloyd's List video David Osler and Liz McMahon speak to Lloyd's List Editor Richard Meade about the further implications of the grounding of Costa Concordia

Health and Safety Golden Rules published by Lloyd's Register The Lloyd's Register Group has published a set of Health and Safety Golden Rules which our employees must follow to keep themselves, and those people around them, safe. Some of these Rules, together with ourInstructions, are related to working over water, in particular the conduct of boat transfers. We would like to bring these to your attention so you can appreciate the requirements we are placing on our surveyors.Our surveyors and inspectors are required to do the following:1. Confirm that the risks are acceptable before starting work and if conditions change while they are workingThey will do this through survey planning meetings and discussions, identifying the main hazards and establishing the controls are appropriate. This activity will continue as they start the job and as they carry out the work so that any changes, including weather-related issues, are monitored.2. Undertake the work in the safest available way, for example using a heaving line to transfer equipment during a boat transferOur surveyors and inspectors have been trained in hazard identification and risk assessment and will therefore be following our hierarchy of controls which requires them, at all times, to work in the ...