"Marine Surveying is a tough job. It demands a high level of fitness and stamina. It requires keen observation, scrupulous honesty, an eye for detail, an open mind and ears, a closed mouth and common sense" (John Guy)
CONTENTS (for full stories, select a headline)
- At the bow - Registration is free! Upcoming conference.
- Spindrift - ISM lip service, exhaust hazard, box traffic.
- Contributions - Coatings.
- Scuttlebut - Fairplay Solutions.
- Insurance News - New P&I kid on the block?
- Epistles - Group of Surveyors?
- People - Peter Nation, Peter Austin, Seafacs.
- Useful web sites - mainly for marine surveyors.
- Conference reports - None this month (two next month!)
- Future events - Details of upcoming marine survey related conferences.
- From the Poop Deck - Good questions.
FLASHLIGHT is a free monthly emailed newsletter for Marine Surveyors, this month being the publication's first birthday. It is circulated to anybody who wishes to receive a copy, eg, Marine Surveyors, P&I Clubs, their correspondents, Underwriters, Professional Institutes, Admiralty Lawyers, etc. Please pass it on to any of your contacts who you feel might be interested in receiving it. If you do not wish to be included in the circulation list, please contact the Editor at the email address below. Past editions can be viewed on http://msnews.blogspot.com Letters, opinions and articles on our profession are welcomed for including in the newsletter.
Greg Gant, Guy Matthews & Associates, Inc. USA
Mel Smith, Lairds.
Steve Beale, Rodds Bay Maritime, Gladstone, Queensland, Australia.
Kevin Bryant, Pacific Horizon Petroleum Services, Seattle, USA
Wayne Matulis, Chicago, USA
Yoram Golan, Isreal
Gary Reay, Master Mariner & Surveyor, Gulf of Mexico.
Paul Sansom & Christian Kuepers, WK Webster, UK
Upcoming Conference
The '2002 SCMS Third Asian Marine Surveying and Loss Prevention Forum' will be held at the Nan Hai Hotel, Shekou, PRC, on Mon/Tues 28/29 October this year. There will be cocktail party on the evening of 28 October sponsored by Thomas Miller P&I for delegates and speakers. Organisers are also hoping to hold a Speakers' dinner on the evening of Sunday 27 October.
Shekou is just across the border from Hong Kong, accessible by means of a 50 min catamaran ferry trip. There is also a direct bus service from Hong Kong International Airport to the Nan Hai Hotel. The cost will be $535 including 2 nights accommodation, or US$390 without accommodation. Delegates will need to obtain a China visa before travelling to Shekou which may also be arranged in a day in Hong Kong.
China has the largest merchant shipping fleets and increase in annual GDP, having just entered the WTO. With deregulation, many new independent survey firms have opened up, with some expatriate companies setting up representative offices. This is an excellent opportunity to market your services and find out more about the largest economy in the world.
Prestigious companies who have already submitted papers and confirmed their participation are: Galatea Underwriting, Ince & Co, the NKK Research Institute, RB Offshore Marine Consultants and Smit Salvage amongst others.
This is an international conference with speakers/delegates from Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Italy, UK, Korea, PRC, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iran, Taiwan attending.
Asia Conferences Ltd., the organiser for this year's event, is a brand
new maritime conference and exhibition group set up by professionals who
have been working in, and with, the maritime industry for many years.
For more information contact
Ms Astor Tang, Conference Co-ordinator
Asia Conferences Limited
504 Cosmos Building
8-11 Lan Kwai Fong
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2537 4807
Fax: +852 2869 5674
Email: marine@asiaconference.biz
ISM lip-service
The UK MCA recently detained a 37 year old, 1,242 GRT general cargo ship with numerous deficiencies, as illustrated on the front page of the NUMAST Telegraph, September 02 edition. Having been previously detained four times in European ports during the previous year, the MCA accused the vessel of making a mockery of safety management and paying only lip service to the ISM Code requirements.
The Russian crew could not identify the company responisible for theoperation of the ship, the designated person ashore, or produce SMS documenation in their working language. None could redall whether any external or internal audit had been carried out, even though ISM certificates had been issued to the vessel in July to the operators, Belize Bureau of Shipping (Istanbul), by the Korean based Comsmos Bureau of Shipping.
In another case, a Brazilian flagged bulk carrier which had been covered
by ISM since 1998 was found with 42 deficiencies.
Exhaust hazard
Following a major engine room fire aboard a 35,000 DWT product tanker
in the Atlantic, the USCG has issued a special safety alert over the maitenance,
repair and insulation of fuel and exhaust systems. Although there were
no injuries, the incident caused significant damage to the main engine
and machiney space equipment. Preliminary results of investigations showed
that none of the 112 bolts securing the fuel pump fittings on the vessel's
two engines were safely wired. Investigators also found 'a general absence
of i nsulation' throughout the exhasut system and 'numerous areas where
intermediate fuel o il had contacted tehse hot surfaces'.
Box traffic
According to BRS Alphaliner, ten shipping companiescarried half of the
world's 6.55 m TEU container traffic last year. The four biggest carriers,
Maersk, P&O Nedlloyd, Evergreen and the Mediterranean Shipping Company,
together transported 30% of the total.
Coatings
Coatings have come a long way since the days when men first went to sea. From tar on wooden boats to SPC coatings on steel, coating manufacturers have met the challenge of keeping all types of vessel protected from the harsh environments experienced at the various stages of a ship's life, from the individual steel plate in the shipyard to all areas of the final product on the high seas, whilst meeting statutory requirements imposed on them.
The building of a new vessel represents a significant investment for the owners and a labour intensive process for the shipyard. Coatings make up a relatively small part of the total vessel cost, but are a key factor in asset protection, safe operation and maximising revenues when the vessel is in service. Correct coating choice and application at the newbuilding stage is the easiest and most cost effective way to ensure that coatings are applied which will provide optimum protection, whilst improving vessel efficiency and reducing maintenance costs. The choice of coating at this stage is becoming more important as crew sizes are reduced with the consequent reduction in on-board maintenance.
The capital value of a ship declines with age as normal wear and tear take their course. The marine environment in which ships operate, above and below the waterline, encourages corrosion. Finishing coatings should be aesthetically pleasing, stop the steel rusting away and tolerate heavy wear, tear and exposure to sun, sea, rain and ice. Specific coatings are designed to counter facets of operational practice, eg, abrasion and impact resistant coatings for decks, shell plating and cargo holds, antifouling for underwater hull, etc.
Well maintained vessels are generally easier to place on the charter market, are readily chartered for higher value cargoes, with resultant higher earnings, and maintain their value in the second-hand market. Consequently, good coating maintenance can be shown to be cost effective. Whilst maintenance at sea by ship’s crew is the most cost effective, the vessel's schedule and location may prevent regular attention. With periods between drydocking increasing, coating selection is again critical to maintaining a smooth and clean bottom shell. Research has shown that the Self Polishing Copolymer coatings can save more in fuel costs than waste heat recovery systems or propeller polishing.
Other areas are also difficult to reach during operational phases, eg, superstructure, holds, masts, derricks, double bottom tanks, etc, so coatings selected for these areas must fulfil their function for the longer periods between maintenance.
Interior spaces occupied by people, machinery and stores also need to be protected and in passenger vessels will be extensive with the need for aesthetically pleasing colour schemes. They must give good corrosion protection, be odourless and easy to maintain, with cosmetically pleasing colours and the ability to minimise surface flame spread. Key spaces are the living and working quarters of the crew/passengers and the engine rooms. Whilst much of the internal spaces will be covered with wall linings the steel behind linings will also need to be protected.
Ballast tanks form an integral part of the ships structure with very large areas needing protection, being exposed to seawater and air, the seawater being of varying quality and pollutant content. Steelwork must therefore be maintained in good condition. As this is one of the areas which may be inaccessible during the vessel's operational periods, the correct choice of coating at building will have an impact on the structural integrity of the vessel. Whilst not so significant, fuel tanks will also need protection to prevent corrosion when tanks are partially full, the higher temperatures and moist air accelerating corrosion.
Drinking water tanks vary with the number of people carried, being fewer and smaller on smaller cargo vessels, whilst cruise ships require larger storage volumes. Whether on a cargo ship or cruise ship the fresh water tank coatings must meet strict criteria for purity and taint free water storage.
Holds are often subject to extreme conditions in service ranging from mechanical damage caused by cargo operations to chemical attack from aggressive cargoes and high temperatures from hot cargoes. In the case of tankers, cargo tank coatings must fulfil two objectives, they must protect the steel from the cargo and protect the cargo from the steel. Coatings can also have a significant impact on the earning capacity of the vessel, affecting the range of cargoes the vessel can carry and the turnaround time.
The Technology
Paint consists of pigment which is dispersed in a liquid called the 'vehicle'. When it is spread out thinly, the vehicle changes to an adherent dry film. Vehicles originally included solvents and oils, eg, linseed. However, more recent coatings involve a chemical reaction between two constituents after application to produce a dry paint film, hence the name of 'two pack paints'. Epoxy resins are produced from petroleum or natural gas chemicals, having very good adhesion and excellent chemical resistance, hence their use in chemical and oil tankers. As may be appreciated the wide range of coatings for the many different applications necessitates varying constituent relationships which are too many to detail here.
Thickness
For full protection over a certain period the coating should be of an optimum thickness, ie, it should be thick enough to last the appropriate period and not so thick as to be redundant. The need to measure the thickness has bred a large number of companies offering paint thickness gauges of varying accuracy, quality and price. Such gauges use the magnetic properties of the substrate material to determine the coating thickness, ie, the distance the sensor face is held off the steel by the coating. Many marine survey firms have purchased the equipment, occasionally being called upon to carry out independent measurements in disputes between the paint supplier, shipyard and Shipowners.
Legislation
In the early days of sailing ships, lime and later arsenic were used to coat ships' hulls, until the modern chemicals industry developed effective anti-fouling paints using metallic compounds.
These compounds slowly leach into the water, killing barnacles and other marine life that have attached to the ship. Studies have shown that these compounds persist in seawater, killing sealife, harming the environment and possibly entering the food chain. One of the most effective anti-fouling paints, developed in the 1960s, containing the organotin tributylin (TBT), causes mutations in oysters and sex changes in whelks. As a consequence, IMO has introduced The International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships which was adopted on 5 October 2001.
The EU Commission has proposed a world wide ban on application on EU flagged ships from 1 January 2003. The Commission also proposes that non-EU flagged ships which have TBT-based antifouling applied after 1 January 2003, and those registering under an EU flag after that date, must seal or blast off the TBT based paint.
Although the effective date for the IMO Convention is unclear most major paint producers have announced that they will stop production of TBT based antifouling after 1 January 2003. Hempel, IMC and Jotun have announced that they will stop, these three companies producing around 70% of antifouling coatings.
When the Convention enters into force ships trading internationally must have an International Antifouling System Certificate (IAFSC). The national maritime organisation of the ship's flag state has the responsibility of issuing the IAFSC for each vessel, breeding more work for the Classification societies.
Research and Development
Paint manufacturers have had to keep up with the rapid change in developments as a consequence of chemicals research and legislation All paint producers have had to develop new TBT-free antifoulings. In TBT days all products were more or less the same. The new generation of TBT-free products are different, there being three different technologies: Metal Acrylate, Silylated Acrylate and Fibre-reinforced Zinc Carboxylate. The first two evolve from Japan, whereas the latter evolves from space technology, eg, Hempel's Globic. These coatings have many benefits including excellent performance, high mechanical strength, high volume solids (60%), service time up to 60 months, being available in four different polishing rates depending on speed, activity and trading waters. The antifouling also has an active ingredient which has a half-life of only one hour after polishing off the surface. This means that after one hour only 50% is left in the marine environment and after 24 hours 98% has degraded into much less harmless substances and thereafter into simple natural minerals. International Coatings Ltd., part of the Akzo Nobel group of companies, has also introduced Interswift® 655, a new, patented Hybrid TBT free antifouling incorporating unique Copper Acrylate technology.
The manufacturers understandably guard their market share figures, but it is believed that the marine sector makes up the lion's share of most of the companies production.
As a consequence of the necessary large range of paints, intricate technology and research required to keep up with paint development, a large proportion of profits are fed back in to R&D. Coatings may thus be seen by some as an expensive necessity. Those who factor in the costs, considering coatings as part of their management and maintenance systems, will reap the benefits.
Mike Wall
(Article published in Lloyds List Maritime Asia, October 2002)
Fairplay Solutions
With a dearth of literature available to marine surveyors on their activities
and responsibilities, it is good to report that 'Fairplay Solutions' is
still alive and kicking. This publication monthly publishes incidents
and accidents reported by marine surveyors with background, causes, consequences
and ways of preventing reoccurrences. Well worth a read if you get chance
as we can all learn from the case histories and articles.
New P&I Kid on the Block?
We are about to correct the recent phenomenon (a shortage of new mutuals) identified in last week's edition of Bow Wave with the establishment of The South of England Protection and Indemnity Association (Bermuda) Limited ready for the forthcoming February renewals. It will be targeting primarily ocean going dry cargo ships in the range 7,500 to 25,000 gross tons and providing the first independent mutual Club to the International Group since the demise of Ocean Marine Mutual a number of years ago.
It will complement Southern Seas Management (UK) Limited's existing facility with Lloyd's for smaller tonnage up to 7,500 gross. It is also intended that it should complement the International Group from the point of view of the European Commission's fear that there is no competition in the P&I clubs' market place.
Further, the continuing instability and withdrawal of various fixed cost insurers' commitment to Protection & Indemnity over the longer term is giving rise to an increasing need for an alternative and independent club. Many ship owners of slightly larger tonnage are experiencing difficulties in entering a club within the International Pool or in obtaining a fixed premium policy. This could be because of the newness of the operation, age of the ships, their bigger size or wider trading area or indeed a variety of other factors. The aim is for the new Association to underwrite an international book of sound and well-balanced business. Annual ship condition surveys will be the norm.
A full and comprehensive reinsurance programme is currently being put together.
Contact the sponsors of this latest in the line of have-a--go P&I
Club founders
at
jwade@southern-seas.com
nbell@southern-seas.com
(Courtesy of Bow Wave)
Thanks to Roger Womersley in Bangkok, in response to my question "What do you call a group of marine surveyors?"
- Collective Nouns for Marine Surveyors.
May I suggest:
An Argosy of Marine Surveyors, could be sub-divided into:
A Sea of Owners Surveyors
A Baltic of Charterers Surveyors
A School of Class Surveyors
A Slip of H. & M. Surveyors
A Club of PANDI Surveyors
A Hold of Cargo Surveyors
A Spill of Bunker Surveyors
An Ullage of Draft Surveyors
A Splash of Pre-purchase Surveyors
An Ether of Radio Surveyors
A Fellation of Angle of Blow Surveyors (if you think your readers may
not care for this vulgarism, try 'A Radian')
A Haven of Port State Control Inspectors
A Hoist of Flag State Inspectors
This section of our newsletter is intended for those looking for jobs and those looking for people. It is also hoped to include information of movements of people in our business.
Peter Nation, Noble Denton, Singapore
Those who know Peter Nation will be saddened to hear that he has been in a serious accident whilst out exercising on his bike, reportedly hit by a motorcyclist. He was admitted to the neurological intensive care unit in Singapore last Saturday and has remained unconscious. His condition deteriorated on Monday 30 September and he went into surgery. The surgeons are pleased with his progress since then and are now trying to reduce the sedation level and to wean him from the life support.
Peter Austin
(Norman) Peter Austin left HK about 10 years ago. Being a life member of SCMS there was no need to send an invoice each year, so he slipped from view without anyone noticing. Does anyone know his whereabouts?
It is reported that last year another Life Member, who would have been 116 years of age, was still receiving all the circulars, as no one told us he was dead!
Paul Owen
The Society of Consulting Marine Engineers and Ship Surveyors
202 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7JW
http://www.scmshq.org
Tel +(44) 20 7261 0869 Fax +(44) 20 7261 087
We hear that the Australian Institute of Marine Surveyors (AIMS) office
bearers
for the coming year are:
President: David Hepburn - T: +612-9440-3278
Vice-President: Bradley Hedge - T: +612-4399 0100
Secretary/Treasurer: Malcolm Murray - T: +612-99061277
Mailing address: PO Box 53, Berowra, NSW, 2081, Australia
(Courtesy of Peter Murday)
When you are next travelling overseas on a job, why not contact Seafacs and let your clients know where you are to increase your chances of obtaining more work and cutting the clients expenses.
SIR Seafacs Information & Research PO Box 317, Welwyn Garden City,
Herts AL8 6DP telephone: 01707 334192
fax: 01707 324615
email: seafacs@sir.co.uk
web: www.sir.co.uk
If your (marine surveying) company has a web site, let us know and we will try to mention it. Below are some web pages we believe might be useful to marine surveyors.
Within your newsletter you mention web sites, I have a web site that
you may
want to draw readers attention to, it is;
The web site contains a number of shipping related bulletins that have been prepared by myself. I would welcome any comments on the bulletins, especially CM003 that deals with towing equipment.
Best regards
John Carroll, Carroll Marine Ltd
E-mail: carrollmarine@aol.com
Web site: www.carrollmarine.co.uk
www.cfspencerandcoltd.com
C F Spencer and Co Ltd website has lots of technical notes on it,
one just has to log in to download.
www.lrfairplay.com
Your readers might like to know that we offer a free-access website database
on our homepage at www.lrfairplay.com
Scroll down the home page until you see the heading 'Free Access' appear
on the left hand side. Clicking on the words 'shipping sites' takes you
to a search function. You can then search either by company name or by
category (there is a 'consultants and surveyors' category, for example)
or by country. Or by a combination - so you could search for consultants/surveyors
in Australia beginning with the letter 'D', for example.
That pulls up a list; if you then click on the word 'free' in the right hand column you are linked through to the relevant website.
If your readers know of any companies with sites that we do not list (or that we have an out-of-date address for) we would like to have details to update the database.
- The Association of Certified Marine Surveyors
- Database containing safety-related information on the worlds merchant fleet from both public and private sources. Gives ship's particulars, Class Soc, P&I Club and PSC inspection record.
- The Federation of European Maritime Associations of Surveyors and Consultants
- International Institute of Marine Surveyors
- General access to the directory of the world network of Lloyd's Agents.
- Merchant Navy records on UK MN vessels and information merchant seamen, logs, agreements and crew lists, MN apprentices and deaths at sea
- Marine Support On Line
- Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors
- Marinfo Ltd, Russian information provider
- National Association of Marine Surveyors
- Safety at Sea International
- Society of Consulting Marine Engineers and Ship Surveyors
- Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
- Infomarine's on-line directory
enlists companies associated with the worldwide marine industry.
We are hoping to be able to report on the NAMS Conference held in San Francisco on 22-24 September 2002, Radisson Hotel, Fisherman's Wharf, 250 Beach Street, San Francisco, CA, USA, next month. We will also be reporting on the '2002 SCMS Asian Marine Surveying and Loss Prevention Forum, being held on 28/29 October at the Nan Hai Hotel, Shekou, PRC.
The Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors, Inc®. will hold it's
Annual Conference & Educational Training Symposia, in London, England
at the Palace Strand Hotel, 9-12 October 2002.
Information and a registration kit: Executive Director, Mary Stahler at
800-344-9077, 01+904-384-1494.
Email inquiries can be sent to SAMSHQ@aol.com.
Or web page: http://www.marinesurvey.org/calendar.html
[Top]
22-24 October 2002. UK Corrosion 2002, Thistle Park Hotel, Cardiff, Wales
Institute of Corrosion. E-mail: Admin@icorr.demon.co.uk
[Top]
18 & 19 November 2002, MARE Forum Houston 2002, 'A Global Forum on
the Maritime Transportation of Energy: Identifying the Priority Issues.
Renaissance Houston Hotel Houston, Texas, USA.
To view the conference website and programme, please click on the following
link:
http://www.mareforum.com/energy_maritime_transportation.htm
http://www.mareforum.com/energy_maritime_transportation_programme.htm
or email Catherine Kalamidas - Senior Conference Manager
Mare Forum - P.O. Box 30027 - 3001 DA Rotterdam - The Netherlands
Tel: +31.10.2057455 - Fax: +31.10.2055655 - info@mareforum.com
[Top]
December 4 to 6, 2002, International WorkBoat Show, New Orleans USA.
The world's largest trade show and conference focused on the construction
and operation of commercial vessels 120 meters or less in length.
Marine professionals from 50 or so countries attend the International
WorkBoat Show each year.
Website at www.workboatshow.com
for the latest exhibitor list, travel information, and conference schedule.
Register online to receive written confirmation of registration.
To plan a visit to the show or for more information, please contact Meg
Handlin,
Marketing Manager, at mhandlin@divcom.com.
[Top]
NAMS 41st National Conference East, 13-15 April 2003, Tremont Hotel,
100 East
Chestnut Street, Chicago, Illinois.
Contact: Greg Davis. email information at www.daviscoltd.com
Good Questions
Is atheism a non-prophet organization?
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
If a deaf person swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?
If a man is standing in the middle of the forest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him ... is he still wrong?
If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?
Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all?"
What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?
Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
Is there another word for synonym?
Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines?
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
What was the best thing before sliced bread?
One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.
Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?
If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?
How is it possible to have a civil war?
If you ate pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?
Whose cruel idea was it for the word "lisp"; to have an "S" in it?
Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?
Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?
If the "black box" flight recorder is never damaged during
a plane crash, why isn't the whole airplane made out of that stuff?
Disclaimer: Articles and reports reflect the views of the individuals who prepared them, and, unless indicated expressly in the text, do not necessarily represent the views of the editor. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is accurate, the editor makes no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or correctness of such information. The editor accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any loss, damage or other liability arising from any use of this publication or the information which it contains. The contents of the publication are the responsibility of the editor alone.
News, views, enquiries, suggestions, articles and letters for inclusion
in
future editions of FLASHLIGHT may be sent to:
Mike Wall
Tel: +852 2259 3150
Fax: +852 2259 3151
Email: KiwiMarineHK@compuserve.com
Do not print this page unless absolutely necessary.