1584177041148 Lecture FOUR DMTL 2 PDF

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LECTURE THREE. CONTAINER HANDLING EQUIPMENT   

Ship based container handling equipment Evolution of container handling equipment Maintenance of container handling equipment

SHIPBOARD HANDLING EQUIPMENT The derrick The simplest form of cargo handling equipment used onboard a ship is the derrick, which was developed from the spars of sailing vessels as a means of lifting and transferring cargo from ship to quay and vice versa. It is essentially just a mast and a swinging boom that allows a load to be lifted and moved sideways. While there are some improved modern versions of derricks in use they have mainly been replaced by gantries and winch cranes on modern vessels. Deck cranes Although cranes existed in ships from the beginning of the twentieth century, it was not until the late 1960s that more vessels started to operate with them. At the beginning, cranes were expensive compared with derricks, were slower to operate, the capacity and outreach was limited, and they required highly skilled drivers. With the increase in the carriage of unitized cargo, the practical value of the cranes’ accurate ‘spotting’ ability became more apparent. Therefore cranes, often with a capacity of 25 to 40 tones and enough outreach to plumb two holds as well as over side, are now commonly found on ships. Gantry cranes Certain types of container/RO-RO ships and barge carriers are equipped with travelling-portable gantry cranes that straddle the full width of the ship and move along the weather deck on rails situated outboard of the hatch coamings. Such gantries can only be effectively employed in full form ships with extensive parallel body because the rails on which they run must be parallel with each other. The hoist can be slewed to port and starboard and plumb over any part of the area under the gantry. With the gantry being able to move fore and aft, all the weather deck can be utilized for stowing cargo. Once the cargo (e.g. a container) has been lifted clear of the deck, it is placed onboard a trailer and driven off the ship via a ramp. Containers are usually handled by shore terminal equipment, but gantry cranes can be seen occasionally, either in large ships as an interim measure

while port facilities are still being developed, or in smaller ships for selfsufficiency when operating to less well-equipped ports.

Container ship cargo cranes operation and maintenance procedures Vessels fitted with cargo cranes will always be described accordingly in charter parties and will, on most occasions be required to load/discharge using this equipment. Any breakdown or substandard operation of the ship's cranes will inevitably result in a claim for off-hire time from the Charterers. This always proves to be very expensive for the Owners and, if regular breakdowns of cargo cranes occur, the vessel's reputation will become tarnished, and may eventually be reflected in the vessel's future earnings.

Containership mounted with deck crane Responsibilities

The Master has the overall responsibility for ensuring that the vessel's cargo cranes are being adequately maintained and that he receives regular updates from the Chief Engineer and Chief Officer on their condition. Any defects which affect their operation or efficiency are to be reported to the relevant Management Office immediately, who will decide what course of action is to be taken. In most cases however, repairs and maintenance are to be carried out by the ship's Officers and crew. The Chief Engineer is directly responsible for all crane maintenance and under his supervision and assistance, the Electrical Engineer and other ship's Engineer Officers are to carry out all necessary repairs and maintenance to ensure that the vessel's cranes are always in good working order during the loading and discharging operations with due regard to safety. It is the joint responsibility of the Chief Engineer and the Chief Officer to ensure that all moving parts are adequately greased, machinery being the Chief Engineer's responsibility, and wires, sheaves etc. the Chief Officer's responsibility, although they must liase closely to determine a proper and suitable greasing Programme, always taking into account the amount of use the cranes have been or will be subjected to. General maintenance of the crane exteriors and fittings is the responsibility of the Chief Officer. Before commencement of cargo operations, the Electrician must make a hand over to the crane driver and all tests to be passed on. A handover protocol shall be signed on commencement/completion cargo operation and to visually inspect the cargo cranes for damages (wires, sheaves – especially top sheaves condition) In case damages are noted, the stevedores to be immediately notified, a stevedore damage report to be completed and the Fleet Superintendent to be contacted. It may be cases where the Hull and Machinery &Class Surveyor must be notified. Wires - Greasing - Protection Apart from the mechanical stresses placed on crane wires during operation, the factors most affecting their working life are:  Weather Protection  Lubrication Regular application of good quality wire rope grease will fulfil both purposes. It is the responsibility of the Chief Officer to ensure that enough stocks of suitable grease are held on board. Because most wire greasing will be done with the jibs in the stowed position, there are certain parts of each wire which will be less accessible. These are

those parts of the hoist and luff wires which lie on a sheave, and those parts which lie inside the crane structure. Attention must be paid to the ends of the wires where they are secured, as this part of the wire is often very inaccessible and overlooked. It is essential that any extra time required, is taken to ensure adequate protection in this area. Wires- Mechanical Damage Provided that the grooves in the sheaves are in good order and that the wire can run free and not be dragged over coamings, the crane wire should not suffer mechanical damage. The Duty Officer must always be on the lookout for bad practices by crane operators and stop any abuse of the ship's equipment. The Chief Officer must be informed immediately if such bad practices have been witnessed in order that an appropriate claim can be made. Standard regulations dictate that a wire must be replaced when 10% of the visible strands are broken within a length of nineteen times the diameter. This is a fair guideline and is to be the worst condition into which the wire can fall, before replacing it. Before arrival at loading/discharging ports, the wires must be checked for broken strands, by sighting along the length of the wire in both directions. It is inexcusable for any vessel to arrive in port and suffer a failure of port/inspection due to a faulty wire. This must be discovered early enough to change the wire in time to commence cargo operations without delay to the vessel and is the responsibility of the Chief Officer. Crane Windows / Access Time has been lost in the past through vessels arriving in a port where cargo is to be worked, using ship's cranes, and the stevedores have refused to drive them due to dirty windows, untidy and dirty cabs, broken seats and operating levers, faulty ventilation and/or heating, slippery oily accesses and ladders and hand rails in poor or unsafe condition. It is the duty of the Chief Officer to inspect the cranes prior to arrival with respect to the above items, and it is also his responsibility to ensure that any such defects are rectified before the stevedores come on board. During cargo operations it is the responsibility of the Duty Officer to ensure that the cranes remain in good condition throughout the load/discharge and any subsequent defects are brought to the attention of the Chief Officer. Marks The S.W.L. of the cranes must be clearly marked in a conspicuous position

on the crane jib, and it must be ascertained by the Chief Officer that all parties concerned with the load/discharge operation are aware of the maximum capacity of cranes, and that this is not exceeded. The weight of grabs, spotters, or other cargo handling equipment attached to the hook must always be considered. Documentation All crane wires are supplied along with a test certificate which pertains only to that wire. The certificate must be kept on file, and ready for inspection by the appropriate authorities at all times. The certificates must be marked with the position of the wire, i.e. on which crane the wire is situated and its use, e.g. luffing or hoist wire. If the wire is held on board as a spare, the certificate must be marked along with the stowage position of the wire. The wire itself is to be tagged and marked with the applicable certificate number. It is the responsibility of the Chief Officer to ensure that this is done correctly, but the Master must keep the file of certificates in his possession along with the chain register. A certificate must be held on board for every wire on board whether in use or as a spare. If two wires appear on the same certificate, the supplier is to be notified, and asked to supply separate certificates. This is perhaps easier carried out by the Company; therefore, on receipt of a crane wire, which has no separate certificate, the Master must inform the relevant Management Office who will arrange to have separate certificates issued as soon as possible. Tests and Statutory Inspections The Master must ensure that these are always carried out as required by notifying the relevant Management Office well in advance of when such an inspection, test or survey is required to be carried out. The attendance of the appropriate surveyor will then be arranged in a suitable port in ample time. When reviewing survey status on cargo lifting gear, due attention must be paid to the local government regulations of the vessel's destination; many countries require the cranes to have been tested during a certain time limit prior to arrival in their ports. The age of the vessel is often a factor in determining whether the cranes require such extra tests and the agent and or Charterers representative should always be consulted to determine if any special regulations are in existence. An example is the regulations imposed by the Saudi Arabian authorities which require all cranes to be inspected by a class surveyor

within the previous six months prior to the vessel's arrival at a Saudi Arabian port, if the vessel is over ten years old. If such an inspection is required, the Master must inform the relevant Management Office in ample time to arrange this. These inspections often require the issuance of a special certificate on behalf of the authorities involved. This must be confirmed beforehand to ensure that the correct paper work is organised in advance. All statutory inspections, tests and surveys of cargo handling equipment must be entered in the chain register and duly stamped and signed by the attending surveyor. These surveys are to include all permanently attached hooks, swivels etc. It is the responsibility of the Chief Officer, under the direct supervision of the Master, to ensure that all the permanently attached equipment is always in accordance with that stated on the test certificates, and they are to be clearly marked as such. Quadrennial Through Examination Normally the quadrennial thorough examination will be carried out at the drydocking immediately prior to the expiry date of the quadrennial period. The following is a guide to what will be involved:   

A visual examination of the crane cargo gear and its associated structure, wires etc., for signs of fracture, wear, etc. A load test of the gear, usually using static weights. The test weight will be S.W.L. In some cases the yard will insist on drawing the shafts and examining 25% of the working sheaves.

On completion of the examination, the Cargo Gear Register will be endorsed, and entry stamped. This will always be countersigned and stamped by the appropriate class surveyor who attended the examination/test. Where hooks, swivels, chains etc. have been re-stamped, it must be ensured that: 1. Where a new test number is used, a new certificate bearing the new number is issued. 2. 3. Where the existing marks are used, they must be re-stamped, and the numbers verified. On completion of the survey, the Cargo Gear Register must be properly endorsed on the page reserved for quadrennial surveys, and the marks on the relative crane cargo gear matches the certificates. To this end, it is the responsibility of the Chief Officer to ensure that these requirements are met.

Cargo Gear Book The Cargo Gear Book is a legal document of similar standing to the official log book or oil record book and must be treated accordingly. It is a declaration on the ship's part that her cargo gear complies with the regulations. The book must always be ready for inspection by surveyors who may wish to inspect it prior to taking the ship's gear into use and the Master shall be responsible for ensuring that this is always the case. In the event of an accidence caused through failure of the ship's gear, it would almost certainly be called in evidence. Inspections By Ship's Personnel In addition to the above statutory inspections, tests and surveys, it is the Company's policy that the cargo gear is subject to more frequent inspections by a responsible member of the ship's staff, which, for the purpose of these inspections, is to be the Chief Officer for wires, shackles, hooks, swivels, ponder balls etc., and the Chief Engineer for the lifting machinery and plant. It is of paramount importance that the numbers on all shackles, hooks, chains etc. be cleaned up and made legible. Any faults found during such inspections must be rectified and defective parts replaced. The period between these inspections must not exceed six months and should be more frequent if deemed necessary. The Lloyds Register pocket book “Survey and Examination of Ships’ Lifting Appliances” is supplied to all vessels and this should be consulted by the inspecting officer. The inspecting Officers are to make a report on their findings and pass this to the Master who will keep them on file in his possession as a record of ship's staff crane inspections. The Master is responsible for ensuring that these inspections are carried out to his satisfaction and with the appropriate frequency....