Page 372 - Introduction to Marine Engineering

Watchkeeping and equipment operation 343

At appropriate intervals inspections should be made of the main
propulsion plant, auxiliary machinery and steering gear spaces. Any
routine adjustments may then be made and malfunctions or breakdowns
can be noted, reported and corrected. During these tours of inspection
bilge levels should be noted, piping and systems observed for leaks, and
local indicating instruments can be observed.
Where bilge levels are high, or the well is full, it must be pumped dry.
The liquid will be pumped to an oily water separator, and only clean
water is to be discharged overboard. Particular attention must be paid to
the relevant oil pollution regulations both of a national and international
nature, depending upon the location of the ship. Bilges should not be
pumped when in port. Oily bilges are usually emptied to a slop tank
from which the oil may be reclaimed or discharged into suitable facilities
when in port. The discharging of oil from a ship usually results in the
engineer responsible and the master being arrested.
Bridge orders must be promptly carried out and a record of any
required changes in speed and direction should be kept. When under
standby or manceuvring conditions with the machinery being manually
operated the control unit or console should be continuously manned.
Certain watchkeeping duties will be necessary for the continuous
operation of equipment or plant—the transferring of fuel for instance.
In addition to these regular tasks other repair or maintenance tasks may
be required of the watchkeeping personnel. However no tasks should be
set or undertaken which will interfere with the supervisory duties
relating to the main machinery and associated equipment.
During the watch a log or record will be taken of the various
parameters of main and auxiliary equipment. This may be a manual
operation or provided automatically on modern vessels by a data logger.
A typical log book page for a slow-speed diesel driven vessel is shown in
Figure 17.1.
The hours and minutes columns are necessary since a ship, passing
through time zones, may have watches of more or less than four hours.
Fuel consumption figures are used to determine the efficiency of
operation, in addition to providing a check on the available bunker
quantities. Lubricating oil tank levels and consumption to some extent
indicate engine oil consumption. The sump level is recorded and
checked that it does not rise or fall, but a gradual fall is acceptable as the
engine uses some oil during operation. If the sump level were to rise this
would indicate water leakage into the oil and an investigation into the
cause must be made. The engine exhaust temperatures should ail read
about the same to indicate an equal power production from each
cylinder. The various temperature and pressure values for the cooling
water and lubricating oil should be at, or near to, the manufacturer's
designed values for the particular speed or fuel lever settings. Any high