Ge/hos

http://www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4144:ge-power-conversion-wins-hos-mpsv-contract&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=195

whilst you raised the issue
what do we think on here, for a DE vessel ( thats only makes financial sense if you ensure the correct number of gen sets online for the load),
DPO makes the power decisions ( has the PMS at his fingertips) or the CE?

It is my understanding that most new DE vessels such as above are so highly automated that they don’t require much human input with regards to power management. Certainly if generators are being started/stopped and put online/offline manually in response to changes in load there should be agreement between the Master and CE (and therefore bridge/ER watch officers) as to what is required for different vessel operations. I don’t see any reason the DPO/watch officer cannot make those decisions on a more automated vessel so long as they understand the PMS/vessel capabilities thoroughly and do not make such decisions in a vacuum (IE keep the ER in the loop).

Working for shell “all available power shall be ready for use” translates to running four generators at <10% load while on dp.

That is an unfortunate use of a DE vessel. I assume that is anywhere within the 500m zone. Do they make allowances for standby at a certain distance, IE greater than 250m but inside 500?

All gens online inside 500m. Outside that you’re standing by on your own. I assume this is to maximize redundancy. It makes sense, but what a waste of fuel.

For our DP, the bridge watch calls for the thrusters they need to be in active mode, and PMS does the calling up and securing of the gens in the order set up at MSB.

One would think all available power ready for use [I]could [/I]mean “On the PMS in Standby Mode …”, thus it is “[I]available and ready for use[/I]” in a few seconds. This is theory or devil’s advocate stuff.

Connected to the platform or transferring cargo, okay, perhaps another story.

Our initial PMS set up was done IAW with the class approvals and as seen necessary on trials. Cannot overwhelm 3 gen sets online with connectable loads. We can select a “safe” mode that is 100% connectable load + 1 gen set, but for me this is pretty wasteful outside of extreme weather conditions. Just sayin…