Yep, that’s the Navy for you! These big container ships are like hotels compared to a Navy vessel! 
Maybe a tug boat would be a civilian experience comparable to the Navy, I dunno.
lol indeed, shipmate, indeed. “I would never do it again, but wouldn’t have missed it for the world”. 
That’s about the same size as our potable water system on the submarine, but your crew is a lot smaller. We have both an evaporator and a distiller. One can be used if the other is temporarily not working. IIRC the evaporator is the main source, with the distiller as a backup.
5000 gallons, about 10 pounds per gallon so 50,000 pounds or 25 tons.
Yeah, on a submarine we have about 120 people and about 25 tons of potable water daily (that’s also roughly how much the tanks can hold). So about 41 pounds of water per person per day is how much we want to use, so 4.1 gallons. Now you can see why we do “submarine showers”. Wikipedia talks about running the water for 30 seconds, but if you do that on a submarine, your shipmates will be very upset, and it might lead to the showers being secured. You want to do it a lot closer to 3 seconds than 30 seconds. Another thing that motivates you to run the shower for only a few seconds is that it is very cold, maybe 70 F, and there is no temperature control.
The reason we have such small tanks for potable water – and why everything is compact on a submarine – is that most of the interior volume is taken up by the ballast tanks. We have to take on ballast to submerge (your weight has to be greater than what the surface tension of the water displaced by your ship can hold). On a Trident, much of the remainder is taken up by the Trident missile tubes; the bunkrooms for junior enlisted personnel are in between the missiles (in many cases, you sleep with your feet touching a Trident missile tube). On fast attack submarines, which are smaller, sometimes some personnel end up sleeping in the Torpedo Room.
I heard that on an aircraft carrier – also nuclear powered, but a lot more interior space because she doesn’t have to submerge – they have a much larger potable water tank, so they don’t generally have to take Navy showers, but will if the equipment is having problems.
But yeah, it sounds like these big US Flag container ships are like floating hotels compared to a submarine lol. 
I think you may be talking a bit around each other on the fresh water production and consumption here.
Are you using two different type of measurements, metric and imperial??
BTW: I don’t think anybody have said anything about the flag of the big container ships, but there are few flying the US flag and Oildrop is not likely to have sailed on any US flag vessels.
An evaporator is a “distiller.”
An evaporator uses heat and low pressure (vacuum) to evaporate seawater then condenses that vapor to produce fresh water.
Maybe you are calling the reverse osmosis unit a distiller. That is incorrect, the techniques are completely different. Evaporation requires exposing seawater to heat and low pressure, reverse osmosis requires pushing seawater through a membrane at high pressure, effectively “filtering” the salt and minerals out.
BTW, fresh water weighs just over 8.3 pounds per US gallon, and a ton in the world of marine liquids is one cubic meter, 1000 kilograms, 2200 pounds, or about 264 gallons.
[quote=“neutrino78x, post:23, topic:45328, full:true”]
Yep, that’s the Navy for you! These big container ships are like hotels compared to a Navy vessel! 
Maybe a tug boat would be a civilian experience comparable to the Navy, I dunno. [/quote]
Yes small tugs are more in the style of Navy quarters, although usually each crew member will have their own bunk. (No hot sheeting)
Here is a typical small tug for coastal and benign water towage of barges in S.E.Asia:
The mess room is small and simple, but sufficient for a crew of 8:
The galley:
The Skipper and Ch.Eng. have their own small cabins above deck:
While the crew shear a space below deck:
Larger and newer tugs have a bit better standard of accommodations, but still limited by the size of the tug.
I never got why we load bunkers in tons instead of cubes. The tank can hold YY cubes of liquid but X tons can be anywhere from XX to ZZ cubes depending on the temperature.
I would amend Steamer’s remarks only by noting 1 cubic meter = 1000 kg OF WATER. Which is what the evap vs distiller discussion concerned anyway.
I would say you “load” by volume but you “buy” by tonnes (MT). If you bought fuel by volume only for a ship you’d be open to significant opportunities for being cheated - because of the temperature you mention. The oil mass has an energy content so you buy fuel by mass units. Then calculate volume to be loaded by using SG, temperature, etc. A chief knows his slack volume and has to make educated guesses at SG and loading temp to convert that to MT so he can provide that to the office / bunker broker.
Good comment considering I wrote “liquids” without differentiating between water and fuels.
Because we burn tons (BSFC) and the bean counters pay for tons so cubes is kind of a personal problem.
Steamer,
Oh yeah, I think you’re right actually. I admit it’s been a while since I had to know all this stuff lol. 
Yours might be a more accurate conversion; it seems to agree with this page: Water to ton conversion.
Regardless, the point was that 120 people to a roughly 20 ton potable water tank (well, two tanks, but one is pressurized and the other is potable water that wasn’t consumed after going through the system) indicates the use of submarine showers!
Reminds me of when the EDMC asked me about the potable water system on my board. I think he knew that it isn’t something that most “coners” study extensively (although we should) and thought he could back me into a corner. I told him “Master Chief, I have to admit I haven’t studied that system; I know that there are two potable water tanks because the exercise gear is there, in missile compartment lower level.” He says, “ok, well, if you had to guess how it worked, what would you say?”. Pulling it out of…the dark…I responded, “well, ok I assume there is only one motor used for this. I would think that water is taken from the evaporator and put in one of the tanks. That tank is then pressurized and the motor is turned off. Valves and pipes are used to direct the pressurized water to the appropriate places (shower, etc.). The soiled potable water is now brown or grey water and goes to the appropriate sanitary tank. Unused potable water will end up in the other tank. When the first tank is empty, the process is repeated in the other tank.” He seemed shocked that I had answered correctly, although perhaps not as shocked as me…you see I’m more of a computer nerd…I didn’t know anything about valves and pipes and pressure and engines until I had to get Qualified in Submarines…this one a-ganger who had helped me learn that stuff tried to get me to drink with him after I got qualified even though I don’t drink…I finally agreed to drink about a thumbnail’s depth of beer…tasted nasty. I have never consumed alcohol again since that night lol. 
Hopefully the Bunker supplier declare the Sp.g. and temperature of the fuel delivered and the Bunker Surveyor and/or Chief Engineer verify that, since sound/ullage is affected by both.
Even if a MFM is used, this still applies.
As said by KPChief you “load” by volume but you “buy” by tonnes.
A few degr. C difference in temperature makes quite a difference when a VLCC take on 2-3,000 CBM of HFO or more per bunkering operation
The same goes for consumption. A cleaver Chief can easily get a few tonnes in “spare” (they all like to have a little “up his sleeves”) by fudging the temperature when taking check soundings to verify consumption for the charterer.
The same goes for verifying engine efficiency by measuring fuel consumption via a MFM directly at the fuel pump. (Unless you become even more sophisticated and count Kcal/Kw for your consumption figures)
No I’m not trying to sound like an Engineer, but have been involved in trying to curb fuel theft by crew and cheating by Bunker Suppliers.
PS> When doing an On-Hire Consumables Survey on a fairly new Norwegian OSV in Singapore some time ago, I was met by a dilemma; there were no sounding pipes and no way to verify the reading from the remote gauging system. I had to accept the printout I was handed. (But only after confirming that the correct trim, list, Sp.g. and temp. had been entered into the system)
oh, OilDrop is not US Merchant Marine? Ok…does anybody have pics of crew quarters specifically on US Flag container ships? I have seen pics of the inside of Military Sealift Command ships and it looks similar to OilDrop’s pictures. I know that the USNS Mercy – one of the MSC hospital ships – was converted from a US Flag tanker ship, and their crew quarters look similar. If I joined the Merchant Marine it would be the US Merchant Marine in my case; I am a US National, born here on US soil.
Some ships spend plenty of time in port. Research ships for one. A dredge is in port lots!!! if you’re doing 12’s you’re probably going to stay aboard anyway unless you can get ashore and back pdq. Most ships though, as mentioned have a quick turn around in port and if you’re a engineer you probably have krap to work on but you may get ashore if you’re energetic about it. Nothing worse than putting into some exotic place and viewing it from a porthole!
After looking at the tug cheng’s burrow I just had to dig out a photo of my stateroom when sailing as 3rd eng.
on a tankerWell, I didn’t know that it comes to the japanese phrase " I’ll open up my stomach for you" but finally there are two parties involved - the one who pays for the stuff and the one who is responsible for receiving and consuming the stuff and has to prove the correct consumption - and signs for the receipt. The third party involved are the ones who try to find out the cheaters. It’s a clever system to keep all parties involved satisfied. The supplier cheats with changing temperatures, high delivery pressures mixed with compressed air bursts and time frame pressure because he knows the ships ETD. Every minute over ETD costs in the Thousands ( pilot waiting, tug boats waiting, next vessel waiting for the berth etc ). Even if the ships crew was not really satisfied with verifying the reception of the signed amount because they cannot make manual soundings due to lack of staff /time or verify the tank temperatures due to lack of thermometers or cannot really verify the remote sounding picture ( see attached ) because they are still not really accurate nowadays - the Chief has to sign the bunker delivery receipts anyhow
. Over the length of three months the C/E is able to level the plus and minus accounts and everybody is happy because the ship has performed magnificent.
Yes it is a never ending game of cat and mouse. I could elaborate on the different methods used, but I only do that for a fee.
Unfortunately as long as those on both sides of the table gain something it is fine.
Bunker suppliers usually gain the most, but sometime even the mouse get rich. 
The “Cat” (me) seldom get rich, unless he joins the game.
He cooks for 22 crew only 
Indeed. Sometime the mous get fat and own large gardens.
As a young Master sailing in Indonesian waters without much in the form of communication with, or over steering by, the Owners in Singapore, I used to buy fuel in cash from the one and only legal supplier in Indonesia at the time.
The local Oilco representative would always have some bootleg fuel he could sell to augment his meager salary. (as was expected of him as one of the major figures in town)
One time I came into a port in West Irian (now the province of Papua) and he had nothing available, but a tanker with supplies was due the next day.
This happened to be a brand new Norwegian tanker, with a Master that was new to S.E.Asia. (He was used to NW Europe/North American trade only)
When they had finished discharging there was a “slight” discrepancy between the Shore and Ship’s figures The Chief Officer refused to sign off and brought the matter to his Master, who also was adamant that ship’s figures were RIGHT.
I happened to be visiting and listen to the conversation between the Oilco representative and the Master, which did not resolve anything. Eventually the Oilco rep. gave up left, with the Master still fuming.
I had to explain to him how this worked and that there would be a “brown envelope miraculously appearing under his blotter” before he sailed.
He was very indignant that such a thing went on, something which was entirely new to him apparently. Eventually he asked; “and who the hell is buying the fuel anyhow”?
Answer; “Me, why do you think I’m waiting here when not handling cargo”??
A quick lesson in the ways of S.E.Asia in the early 1970’s for an “innocent blue eyed Norwegian”.
PS>I don’t think I would have had to explain it to a Greek Master 
