Solong - Stena Immaculate Interim Report

Maritime News Marine Incidents
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@Ladder . Alias @BeerCaptain is spot on with his comment .

My first ARPA in 1986 already "had guard "rings which in this particular situation would be useless generating too much alarms/noises . However already in 1989 I had an ARPA where alarm parameters like TCPA & CPA could be seat up .

What OOW on a merchant guy should and must do is specified in STCW - what is a benchmark but may be enhanced by Flag state regs and finaly by company SMS.

Add to this BNWAS , then i think the bridge is already saturated with fancy stuf .

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In UK waters they are:
STCW ā€™95 Certificate of Competency as Chief Mate (Unlimited) preferred OR Officer of Watch as a minimum combined with sound experience in ships handling/ dynamic positioning
Source: Control Room Operator on FPSO Project (UK) - Granite Recruitment - Engine Room Operator - OceanCrew.org
PS> The same applies in Norwegian and EU waters.

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Let me in my naieve ignorance introduce the 900 lb gorilla in the room. 10 years working on MSC contract MSP/ Pre-position ships which are embarrassingly frequently at anchor for extended periods of time, frequently in high traffic anchorages in Asia, the Med and Atlantic coasts, w/ standard 1-3M/ 1-2M/ 1-CM watchstanders. If the CM is not in the watch rotation, another 3M is on board. Deck gang is Bosun and 3 watch ABā€™s and 2 day worker ABā€™s. Reality is at anchor, carrying shall we politely call sensitive cargo that may go sideways, there was only one mate and one A/Eng on watch. You see, busting rust and slapping expensive epoxy coatings on everything that doesnā€™t move is far more important than even having a roving AB on watch at night let alone after 1900 along with the mate. Oh no, we canā€™t spare a frigging AB to do fire/ flooding and safety rounds. No the solution was simple. The mate would do the rounds and check the bridge intermittantly monitoring radar/s, radios and the fire control panel. One captain proposed not even having the radar on, wears the mag out too fast fellas! The master expected at least one round per 90 min. preferably 60 min. To do a proper round that meant leaving the bridge for 30-40 min minimum. When it rained, some ships had serious water intrusion in the holds and even though I begged, pleaded to get the engineers to call when the hold bilges pumped, they frequently would not and I would confirm the hold status. I went a bit above and beyond to check spaces but considering one quiet night I discovered the E-pump room flooded nearly waist deep, and another time that 2 fire pumps were on and the engineers were not aware, I think I had the correct instincts. Having only one engineer and no Q/ oiler in the Eng rm was equally dangerous, eventually oilers were added. If an engineer gets caught in any rotating or other machinery and the mate does not make a round in the machinery spaces, he may bleed out before daybreak. I did rounds in the machinery spaces for that precise reason. Point is, many of the other vessels in the anchorages would have the mates on the bridge the entire watch, as their radio comms confirmed this. But some company priorities involve not sparing any AB to do rounds and besides the allision we are discussing, is the problem that if a fire broke out, and the panel was not answered w/in 3 min the GA should go off, should go off but may not. However On deck or in the holds the mate likely would not hear the GA until the point of no return. The intent was, the captain would rush to the bridge and crew would be mustered and suiting up to respond. If a real watch is kept, fire panel is attended, targets can be monitored, at least periodically and a watch circle w/ intrusion parameters set on radars, even a slightly oblivious 2M doing chart corrections should catch it. Hailing the vessel, shining searchlights and mag beams yes into their bridges to alert them, a continuous whistle for the love of god, employ own ship PA and GA to alert the crew, you would have a fighting chance. Ships with stern thrusters could have them at the ready and should be able to bring them on faster than a main and use them to at least pivot the hull around a little? Gee think that perhaps the MAIB or USCG/ NTSB, if/when they do a follow-on investigation will perhaps identify the 900lb gorilla in the room? Why was the mate off the bridge?

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Additional reason to have a mate and AB on deck while anchored is that a navigation watch applies to being anchored as per 33CFR 164.19. BTM guidelines and bridge watch procedures mandated by the anchor watch as a navigational watch. COLREGS Rule 1, Rule 2, Rule 5, and Rule 7. The phrase - ā€œā€¦precaution which may be required by the ordinary practice of seamen, or by the special circumstances of the caseā€ summerizes the reasoning as to why anchor watches are included in the navigation watches.
As for the Solong, did not MSC/ Circ 867 on 27 May 1998 conclude the trials concerning solo watchstanding by not authorizing unless as referenced in previous regs that a 360 degree visibility was the case on ā€œsmaller vesselsā€ I could not find the reference whether it applied to limited tonnage alone but appears nothing since 1998 has been weighed in despite the current push for autonomous ships. Anyone find anything more current? Short sea shipping with a solo watchstander.

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Not the mag, it was they were saving ā€œthe tubes.ā€ This decades after radars did not have vacuum tubes. Same reason you should turn the radar off in daytime in good visibility. And none of that stand by crap, either on, or off.

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Donā€™t forget the nav lights too. Gotta save those lightbulbs.

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On reading this it makes me glad I sailed on FOC shipping for my final years. An engine room alarm caused a watch alarm to set when the E/R door was opened and the duty engineer was required to reset it at intervals until they left the E/R . Bridge watch keeping alarm set on ocean passage but not in high traffic areas where there was two seaman in a watch plus the OOW and often a cadet.

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How long has it been since you worked those ships? I havenā€™t seen those setups on the prepos Iā€™ve worked. Canā€™t speak to MSP except for some cadet time but even then we had day working CM and never went to anchor.

ABā€™s have always done this every other hour on watch? At anchor on the prepos we always had a roving AB overnight because we were on the hook in Diego or Saipan where there was never traffic.

Been sailing almost 10 years and have never met a captain who said this, but they all have stories of captains they worked for who had this theory, which makes me think this was quite a while ago?

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Rightly so as radars with tubes disappeared from the bridges when You were born or about . I had two masters who had such stupid ideas and it was btw 1982-1987.

Note however that radar usage log books i had seen till 2017 . I am not sure if it is stiil a requirement to have them.

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More like 1.5 years ago and still the same policy today. Yup most all ships in the last 10 years have had a roving AB, but not us.

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Saw some old ones but never had Radio Holland or other SLR certifying outfit ever ask for a radar log. They want to see the magnetron/ antenna motor and other hardware install dates and all are kept in the bridge binder. By the way I sailed oil field for 16 yrs and deep sea since 1998 till present.

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I am not sure about itā€™s practicality ( radar log book) nowadays . Since 1998 i had computer based PMS where navigation equipment was listed including radars, Since abt 2000, I had radars which had some internal electronic loggers used by technicians from contracted company like Radio Holland for example .

So keeping them and filling them with what was required I considered as spurious and time wasting activity. But You know how it is with managers , they need records to prove they have records of records .

Have mentioned it in masters SMS reviews and other correspondence and sent to office . Any discussion with shore side slackers was always a waste of time and energy.

And they still use it as per google guru

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And even all knowing AI bullshitter seems to be quite elloquent abt what radar log book is all about and what for. Have been quite happy since retirement in 2024 . T^his effing breaucratic shit was killing me .

Look at this smart ass AI son of a bitch lecture on radar log book here :winking_face_with_tongue:

AI Overview

Learn more

A radar log book is used to document radar operations, including the setā€™s behavior, target observations, and maintenance records. Itā€™s a valuable tool for ship owners, radar manufacturers, navigators, and new/relief officers for various reasons.

[image]

Hereā€™s a more detailed look at its usage:

Benefits for:

  • Ship Owners:

The log book allows them to assess the benefits of their radar installation, identify areas for improvement, and potentially justify the cost of the equipment.

  • Radar Manufacturers:

The records can be used to gather data on radar performance in different conditions, identify potential weaknesses, and inform future equipment design and development.

  • Navigators:

The log book helps them understand the radarā€™s characteristics and limitations, learn to interpret the display effectively, and become more critical in their radar use.

  • New or Relief Officers:

The log provides a history of radar performance and allows new officers to quickly familiarize themselves with the radar set and its behavior.

Whatā€™s included in a radar log book:

  • Log of Operations:

Records when the radar is used, under what conditions, and its overall performance.

  • Log of Targets:

Documents the characteristics of observed targets, including their type, position, and range.

  • Log of Defects and Maintenance:

Records any malfunctions, repairs, or maintenance performed on the radar equipment.

  • Optional Sections:

Some log books include sections for recording radar phenomena or drawing blind/shadow sectors.

Key information recorded in the log book:

  • Date and time of radar use.
  • Shipā€™s position.
  • Weather conditions (visibility, wind, sea state).
  • Radar set performance (transmitter, receiver, etc.).
  • Any observed failures or maintenance needs.
  • Target observations (type, position, range, etc.).
  • Notes on any unusual radar phenomena.

How to use a radar log book:

  1. Start a new log book: Note the vesselā€™s name, date, and other relevant information.
  2. Record operational data: Document when the radar is used, its performance, and any relevant conditions.
  3. Log target observations: Record details about observed targets, including their type, position, and range.
  4. Document defects and maintenance: Record any problems encountered and the actions taken to fix them.
  5. Review the log regularly: Analyze the data to identify trends, learn from past experiences, and improve radar use.

Let Beer_Captain and Meme_Lord handle this BS.

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Damn, sorry to hear that. Feel free to share which company or union so I can avoid it :cowboy_hat_face:

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In general. the risk/consequences of a collision in anchorages is lower than while anchored near shipping lanes.

The main risk in an anchorage is being struck by another vessel maneuvering to anchor or another vessel anchoring too close. The risk while anchored near shipping lanes is being struck by another vessel at full sea speed.

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I suspect that the reason the 2/O went on a 12 hr duty period is because they were scheduled to be moored at the discharge/ load port the same day and the C/O who probably was out of the watch rotation wanted the two other watch officers fresh on deck for mooring and cargo ops?