On Board Practical Advice

On an entered vessel it was observed the vessels crew had made a secure frame for the chemicals to be stowed in - hence less risk of spillage during adverse weather. Also note that the local chemical station is provided with PPE.

It has been noted that in several visited ships that the PPE equipment is usually missing from local chemical stations.

One entered vessel had replaced all its safety harnesses with fall arrestor type safety harnesses. 

This style of safety harness breaks the fall of the user gently, leaving no shock damage after the fall

This well laid out PPE station was found at the entrance to a locked chemical store on an entered vessel. 

Locking the store promotes a change of thought before proceeding into the store at this point the crewman will be well aware of the PPE on entry to the store and will likely use it. 

PPE should always be used when handling Chemicals.

As seen onboard one of the Clubs vessels, a clear well defined welding area complete with welding curtain.
areas such as these are potentially very dangerous. Good practise here will help prevent any incident.

When the engine room "blow tubes" ie injecting high pressure steam through the tubes the after deck is normally covered in soot particles. In addition the ships after mooring ropes on the drums often suffer from either sulphur burns or in some extreme cases actually catch fire. This simple protective measure was seen protecting the mooring ropes. Simply, It is a half drum placed over the ropes. Another method of protecting the after ropes is to cover them with fire retardant canvas. 

One of the Club's members has devised a system of deterring pirates when transiting high-risk areas. This fence can be deployed and removed as the Master sees fit to provide protection. Click on an image to enlarge.

The Ozilite Automatic Cigarette Lighter is a wall or post mounted flameless device for lighting cigarettes, recently seen on board one vessel entered with the Association. It is a popular device intended for installation in locations where the use of portable cigarette lighters or matches is not allowed - where a naked flame is to be avoided but smoking is acceptable.

The image shows how, on one entered ship, overboard and sea valves in the engine room are clearly labelled using day-glo paint. The purpose of the high visibility labelling is so that the valves can easily be identified in a flooding / blackout situation.

One of the Club's ship inspectors recently found a HiFog fire extinguishing system being installed in the engine room of a vessel. This system is not only more environmentally-friendly than a CO2 system but also allows crew to escape while it is in operation.

The image shows a white board seen on a Club ship, detailing the training schedule for the month. This initiative demonstrates a proactive approach to on board training and safety, and also gives the crew the opportunity to see the training that will be undertaken.

Engineers on this ship manufactured a stand for chemical drums used on board. The stand is an excellent way of supporting chemical drums that are in use, and will prevent spillages and free movement of the drum. Click on the image to enlarge. 

Colour-coding the oxygen and acetylene lockers is a good idea to reinforce the message that it is important to keep these gases separate. The images here show an example seen on board one entered ship. This initiative is particularly useful as some crewmembers may not realise the significance of the different colours of the gas cylinders.

Colour-coding lifting gear greatly assists in the prevention of unsuitable equipment being used for a heavy lift. The images below show colour-coding on shipboard equipment, and a reference chart painted on the bulkhead.

When a ship enters drydock there is often a rummage around in the engine room to try and find the correct size flanges. The image shows how, on one entered ship, the crew had fitted a plywood board in the steering gear compartment to which all flanges were temporarily secured and labelled.

During ship visits the Club inspectors always look for the SOLAS training manuals that are supposed to be prominently displayed in public rooms, such as the officers TV room and Crew TV room. Sometimes these manuals are found stowed away in draws, cupboards or under a pile of newspapers/magazines.

The images show how the problem is solved on one entered ship. A perspex document rack is fixed to the bulkhead for the purpose of stowing training manuals. This also creates a good impression with Port State Control Officers and ISM surveyors. Click on an image to enlarge.

Scupper plugs are inserted during bunkering and some cargo operations. When removed, any water on deck can drain away - including any oily water. Oily water can easily be present on deck when, for example, plugs are removed from savealls during bunkering operations to drain rain water, in the event that it rains during bunker operations, or when loading/discharging dirty dry bulk cargoes.

The crew on one ship entered in the Association have devised and built a filter for fitting over each scupper. When the scupper plugs are removed, water can drain away from the decks only after passing through the filter. Click on an image to enlarge.

Recent advertisements in the UK and USA claim that fires from cigarettes cause more deaths than any other kind of fire, and this risk also exists on ships.

The crew on one ship entered with the Club have taken preventative measures by ensuring that all ashtrays in communal areas on board are filled with a small amount of water. This initiative increases the likelihood of cigarettes being properly extinguished when put out in ashtrays. Click on an image to enlarge.

The Club's Good/Bad Practice Poster No.12 explained the dangers of forcing sounding pipes to remain in the open position. Taking note, the crew of one ship put notices by engine room sounding pipes to ensure this practice does not occur on board. Click on an image to enlarge.

The two images below show access to a discrete area on board a ship. At least one person could stowaway in the space using this access point, and could easily be missed in a stowaway search. The second of the two images shows a bar put in place by the crew to restrict the size of the opening and prevent access.

Click on an image to enlarge.

The first image below shows how reefer cables have been rigged on one ship: dangerously hung on the securing lugs of a series of doors, including emergency exits. The second image below show how the cables should be neatly coiled and stowed. Click on an image to enlarge.