RECENT ASSIGNMENT

1.) You have been instructed by a ship-owner to carry out a damage survey for a vessel that has suffered fire damage in the accommodation.
Describe your preparation for this work, including the equipment that you would take with you.
Who would you consider to be key people to meet and discuss to carry out this work?
Outline the report to your principal on the survey carried out.
(Note this question does not require the full content of a written report, an outline of a formal report is required)
Answer: ( 300 – 400 words)
2. Select a recent marine system failure that has attracted your Interest. Collect information relating to the failure from different sources such as reports, statements, newspapers, magazines or journals. Include these sources with your answer.
A: Name and draw a system map to include all of the important components mentioned in the sources. Organise them into environmental factors, wider system factors and the system understudy.
Answer: ( 300 words )
B: Draw a Sequential Fact Diagram (SFD) based on the sources and the system map. Remember to include only those items for which evidence exists.
Answer: ( 300 words )
C: Write a short factual report based on your SFD
Answer: ( 400 words )
3. A ship of length 180 m and beam 20 m floats at a mean draught of 8.5 m when in water of density 1.025 tonnes/m3. Assuming her block coefficient is 0.5 and her waterplane coefficient of fineness is 0.6, calculate the ship’s displacement and her approximate draught when it enters water of density 1.010 tonnes/m3.
Continued…/
Answer: ( 200 words or more )
4. 10% A ship of 8,000 tonnes floats at a draught of 7 m with a freeboard of 4 m. A uniform weight of 65 tonnes on the deck is 4 m high and it is to be lifted by a crane with its suspension point 12 m above the deck. If the original KB = 4.25 m, KG = 6.75 m and KM = 7.65 m, find the reduction in GM when the crane lifts the weight from the deck.
Answer: ( 200 words or more )
5. Discuss four safety risks associated with 30 Bar Engine Air Starting systems and describe three safety devices which may be incorporated into such systems, including details of the inspections of these systems which you would perform as a surveyor.
Answers: ( 400 words )
6. Detail the tests which you would expect to witness during an annual survey of a 7 Bar Auxiliary Steam Boiler.
Answers: ( 300 words )
7. You have been instructed to carry out a condition survey for a handy size bulker, suffering from heavy weather damage resulting in the partial flooding of No,1 hold, list the following:
O the structural items you would check and the form of damage you would look for on the No 1 hatch coamings and No 1 hatch covers
Answers: ( 300 words )
o the structural items you would check and the form of damage you would look for in the No 1 cargo hold side shell structure, transverse bulkheads structure and upper wing tanks structure.
Answers: ( 300 words )
8. You have been appointed as cargo surveyor to attend a VLCC which has completed loading crude oil at an offshore SPM in calm conditions.
The SPM loading arm is fed by a 2 metre diameter undersea pipeline from the storage tanks some 1.5 Kilometres away on the shore. Transfer of the crude oil is by means of shoreside pumps.
The VLCC is double hulled and after completing this voyage the ship will proceed to a dry dock to undergo her first five year class renewal survey.
The vessel arrived at the loading SPM in ballast condition after a voyage during which she encountered severe weather with reports of unusually large swells.
On completion of loading the final figures were disputed by the terminal which claimed to have loaded 3000tonnes more than the ship claimed to have received.
A report from the Master states the tank recording equipment has always been reliable and that he is again confident in his readings.
a) Describe in detail how you would approach the problem and the preparations you would make. Include in your explanation your initial thoughts with regard to the likely causes of the discrepancy.
Answers: ( 750 words )
b) List the information you will need to assist your investigation and state the communications you will have to make with, for example, the Master, the Terminal authorities and the charterers etc.
Answers: ( 750 words )
c) Write a detailed professional report to the company’s senior management explaining the circumstances and giving details of your investigation and the results of your negotiations.
Answers: ( 1500 words )
9. You have been asked to attend a new customer’s ship to assist the ship’s staff in diagnosing problems that are occurring with the 2 stroke, crosshead design Main Engine. The ship’s staff are reporting difficulties in starting and uneven operation at manoeuvring speeds.
Your initial inspection includes both a scavenge space and crankcase inspection. From this you can see that some piston rings seem to be broken and the piston crown does not look in the best of conditions.
As your investigation progresses you find that the maintenance records appear to be complete but there has been no analysis of the readings such as identifying the steady rise in exhaust gas outlet temperatures.
Upon further discussion with the chief engineer and his staff they do not appear clear about what you are trying to explain. You then find that the crew has recently been changed and that the 'certificates of competency’ required by STCW95 are not held by the second and third engineering officers presently on board.
a) Describe your initial preparations outlining any logistical problems and obstacles that you might expect to encounter.
Answers: ( 450 words )
b) Draw up a check list of the equipment that you might reasonably expect to take with you.
Answers: ( 300 words )
c) Describe in detail the procedure that you would adopt to ensure that you collect accurate and sufficient evidence for you to draw a correct conclusion.
Answers: ( 750 words )
d) Provide a detailed format of a report to your principles using headings and bullet points only, explaining why this situation should not have come about.
Answers: ( 1500 words )
10. You have been instructed by an oil company to attend a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit during its next transit to a location thirty nautical miles away from its present position in the Caribbean sea. This rig is under contract to drill seven exploration wells in the oil company’s concession block. During the previous two moves there were a number of delays that, from the oil company’s point of view, caused the rig to incur three days of operational downtime.
The rig is supported by two 12,000 bhp Anchor Handling Supply Vessels which started their charter with the drilling rig and are due to stay for the entire drilling program. Both rig and the Anchor Handling vessels have worked with this oil company on previous occasions without any major problems but the vessels are much older now than they were at the start of the association between the two companies.
The rig moves are carried out under the direction of the oil company’s own marine department and as a consequence, the drilling department of the oil company has asked for your report, as an independent assessor, of the likely causes of the delays, and has asked for your recommendations and advice about the next move.
a) Detail the preparations you will make to conduct such an assessment listing the equipment you would take and the precautions required for working as a surveyor during a rig move.
Answers: ( 900 words )
b) Outline the possible problems you may encounter. In particular list the personnel you would wish to speak to. How will you overcome their possible defensive attitude?
Answers: ( 600 words )
c) Show a detailed format of a report that you would make into the delays using headings and bullet points only and give the possible reasons which are likely to cause such a delay.
Answers: ( 1500 words )
11. You have been requested by the owner of a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit to attend their non-propelled self elevating unit. The unit is named ‘UDOM-01’ The unit is afloat in the UK Sector of the North Sea. Access will be by helicopter and egress by ship.
The owner is concerned about the safety levels of the unit and requires to identify safety risks onboard. The primary methodology of doing so will be to ensure compliance with the MODU Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units’.
Also, the owner wishes to ensure that the unit is in a condition which will be satisfactory for the forthcoming annual survey. This is scheduled to take place four weeks after your visit.
As your principle the owner requires you to :
i) Arrive onboard the unit by helicopter, remain onboard for two days and depart by supply ship via man riding basket on day three.
ii) Verify compliance with the ‘MODU Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units’.
iii) Identify areas of the unit which do not comply with the Code.
iv) Report on any items which may prevent the MODU annual survey being endorsed.
The unit carries sufficient life saving equipment for 32 people. When you arrive there will be 32 people onboard (32 POB).
a) Detail the preparations you will make in order to conduct such a survey, listing the equipment you would take and, the precautions required for working as a surveyor under these circumstances.
Answers: ( 450 words )
b) During your survey the Offshore Installation Manager (OIM) advises you that the there are no problems with the unit. You later find that the engineering staff are aware that the fire detection system is not operational. Explain how you would deal with this situation and why the statement of the OIM is now a major concern.
Answers: ( 600 words )
c) During the survey you find that the freefall lifeboat mounted on the unit is damaged and unusable. The lifeboat capacity of the unit no longer satisfies the requirements of the MODU code and the unit is at sea. Explain how you would deal with this situation.
Answers: ( 450 words )
d) Produce a typical (fictitious) report based on the above situations which you would provide to your principle. Include structure, systems and equipment which you have surveyed and include five examples of situations where the survey has identified areas that do not comply with the MODU Code.
Answers: ( 1500 words )