Engine room watchkeeping officer must know what to do when the ship is about to enter a port or depart from one.
When the ship is about to enter port
Below things are to be done by the duty engineer on receiving one hour notice from the bridge while entering a port.
- Inform chief engineer regarding arrival
- The bridge will start reducing the speed to maneuvering speed
- Start additional generator in parallel
- Stop the steam turbine and shaft generator if fitted
- Ensure the power is available for deck machinery and bow thruster. The bridge will also start additional steering gear unit
- Take a round of steering gear room and check oil level linkages and motor current
- Start the boiler and raise the pressure, if exhaust gas boiler was running previously
- Close the dampers for exhaust gas boiler and open bypass
- Stop the fresh water generator
- Shut and lock sewage direct overboard discharge and start sewage plant or open valve for sewage holding tank
- Close the sea chest valve of the side of the ship which is going to face the berth
- Change over to high sea suction from low sea suction
- Drain the air receivers
- The engine is tested for ahead and astern direction from bridge
- The steering gear is also tested for full rudder angle
- When maneuvering ends, sea passage flow meter counter is taken for calculation of oil consumption from full away to end of sea passage
Things to do After the Ship Has Arrived at the Port
- When finished with engine is given from bridge, change over from bridge control to engine room control
- Stop additional running generator; However make sure that the generator that is running is able to take all the load
- Close main air starting valve
- Open indicator cock and turbocharger drain valve
- Engage turning gear and turn engine for 10 minutes
- Open the vent for exhaust gas boiler
- Activate the arrival program, if UMS, to stop the lube oil pump, cross head pump, shaft bearing and stern tube bearing pumps etc. or stop manually in manned engine room
- If manned engine room, stop pumps after 30 minutes of running after arrival
- Open heating for jacket water of main engine
- Take rounds of the engine room
- Inform bridge or ship control center that you are going to your accommodation or handover watch to next duty engineer in case of manned engine room
- Apart from these, perform all the duties as directed by the chief engineer
Things to do before ship departure
Things to do 24 hours notice prior to departure for the first time:
- Check the oil level or sound the bunker tanks to measure level and make sure that the temperature is maintained to about 40 degrees or as per analysis report by opening steam. This is done for the transfer of oil from bunker tank to settling tank. If the oil is kept cold the pump might get damaged due to very high viscosity
- Check the jacket water header tank for level and fill accordingly. Do not fill to much as when the engine starts running the water expands and it will start overflowing
- After checking the level start the jacket water circulating pumps if there is a separate system for main engine
- Check the jacket water temperature of the main engine and maintain it about 60 degrees as below this temperature it might start leaking into the scavenge space
Things to do at 6 hours notice period
- Check the oil level in the main engine sump, turbocharger tank
- The duty engineer will start the lubricating oil pump and the cross head pump (generally in Sulzer engines) and turbocharger pump.
- Check the oil flow through the sight glass of turbocharger outlet
- Check the pressure of lube oil pump and turbocharger pump and cross head pumps.
- Start the shaft bearing pumps and check the level of header tank
Generally in UMS there is a program for starting all these pumps in sequence. This program is started after taking the engine room rounds and the levels are checked.
Things to do at 1 hour notice period
- A quick round of engine room is taken and chief engineer has to be reported regarding the departure
- Check oil level, header tank level, cylinder oil daily tank level
- Check the pressure of fuel oil pump, booster pump, lube oil pump etc.
- Check sump oil level in air compressor
- Drain air bottles for any water inside
- Check that the turning gear is out
- Check parameters of the running machinery
- Start an additional generator so as to supply for additional demand of power from winches and thrusters
- Start exhausts gas boiler water circulating pump
- Check the telegraph for functioning in conjunction with deck officer on watch
- Telegraph is checked for local and remote panels
- Emergency telephones to be checked for functioning
- When the chief engineer is present in control room, go to the steering gear and check for any leaks and port to starboard movement
- Check the functioning of limit switches in steering gear
- Check gyro reading in steering gear and cross check with reading on the bridge
Things to do at 15 minutes notice
- Open the main air starting valve for main engine
- Ensure all air compressors are in auto and air bottles are full.
- Main engine is blown with open indicator cocks with air to check for any water ingress in main engine
- If no leaks or ingress is found chief engineer is reported and the indicator cocks are closed
- Close the turbocharger drain valves
- Chief engineer would report to captain on bridge that the engine is ready for use and control is transferred to the bridge from engine control room
- Flow meter counters of main engine, generator and boiler are taken for calculation purposes of oil in port
Checks made when the engine is running
- Engine room round is taken again
- Check for any abnormality
- Check all the parameters of the main engine like temperature of exhaust valve, jacket water etc.
- Close steam heating for jacket later if not auto controlled
- Once the ship is out from the port and pilot has left, open the other sea suction valve
Checks made when ship is full away
- Stop the additional generator
- Stop the boiler if exhaust gas boiler is fitted
- Start fresh water generator
- Open sewage overboard valve
- Start turbine and shaft generator if fitted
- Take flow meter counter again for calculation of fuel consumed from port to full away
- The watch is handed over to next duty engineer if watch has to be changed
- In case of UMS ship, the bridge is informed after taking rounds of the engine room, about your taking break
References
A Pocket Guide To Engine Room Watchkeeping on Ships - Anish Wankhede [2013]
