The Marine Industry

The Marine IndustryIntroductionPurposeThis report aims to educate readers just ab disclose the refuge of seaf arers going a direction to sea and the possible dangers that they face up. The report go forth also elaborate about the ongoing issues and measures taken to come across the safety of the seafarers.BackgroundMarine Industry has been a cogitation platform for investment and income since the ancient times. Seafarers face possible dangers from collision of carrys, recruit and weather conditions. thitherfore, the casualties onboard a enchant cast been increasing due to neediness of awareness towards safety on board the enrapture. The external oceanic Organisation( IMO) took steps to prevent such disasters from keeping. Rules see been set up to make sure the equipments onboard the ship are up to mesh, bear witness and are on a regular basis inspected. Workers onboard must be well proficient in the safety aspects. fit in to the International nautical Organisation (2009),ship safety is a subject that is currently receiving high attention by virtu aloney countries. The International oceanic Organisation(2009) give tongue to that this was due to a number of serious vessel casualties that have fadered in recent years.MethodologyThe training for this report was obtained from the International pattern for the pencil eraser of smell sentence at Sea (SOLAS) 1974 edition, reference books, research about shipping companies and the internet. Case studies were taken from online give-and-take expressions.ScopeAs there are m any(prenominal) possibilities that could happen onboard a ship, this report allow for investigate solely about the possible intellect of advance at sea, preventive measures, consequences of awaken, actual events that took place due to call forth, types of heighten and much to a greater extent.Fire Hazards onboard the ShipCauses of FireAccording to John G. Antherson (2000),the causes of fire on a ship arent a lot diffe rent than the causes of fires in any urban setting. As there are electrical circuits onboard the ship, there is a chance for an electrical fire is to occur. Machinery onboard a ship sewer get hot when its operating. An overheating bearing could cause a fire.(John G. Antherson 2000) Ships uses burning systems to generating steam, and internal combustion engines are used generate electricity. These combustion system go forth get precise hot and can cause a fire.(John G. Antherson 2000) Closed machinery spaces and the volatility of force out, lubricants and hydraulic fluids around the hot machinery can lead to a fire or an explosion. A collision at sea could initiate a fire. The galley where food is prepared is another fire hazard on board a ship.(John G. Antherson 2000) During ship repairing, metal cutting and welding equipment is carried and used to unseasonable equipment. Sparks from this equipments could also start a fire. There are some more possible ways fires could be sta rted. Fire hazards in the cabin could also cause fire to occur. An obligate (Anon Fires In Ships 2002) states that careless smoking is the main cause of fires in ships.In angiotensin converting enzyme case scenario, sixteen Chinese nationals have been taken to the hospital after a fire stony-broke out in their ship(APL Columbia) at port Botany on 5 January 2010.A crew member onboard the 45,000 deoxythymidine monophosphate APL Columbia(IMO9252242) noticed a fire in his cabin about 1.30am.The man tried to put out the fire but was unsuccessful.The crew members had suffered from smoke inhalation and the fire was put out about 5.30 am using the ships own firefighting equipment. In another case scenario, a fire broke out in the engine room. A Maersk container ship (Maersk Duffield) crossed Brisbanes Moreton Bay with its engine room on fire and the natural Management Queensland helicopter is en route to assist. One crew member required treatment.Shipping Database,2009-2010Online ava ilable from http//www.shippingdatabase.com/ Accessed 31 January 2010According to the chart ( figure 1) made by the nautical Institute in Gdansk(2007), most fire accidents occur during ship repairs. Fire caused from ship repairs take up 79.3% of most fire accidents in their case study. Meanwhile, figure 2 showed that 24.11% of fire occurring on board a ship is located at the Cargo holds and tanks. furcatees of FireThere are 4 types of fire that might occur onboard a ship. There are Class A , Class B , Class C and Class D fires. The U.S department of Agriculture, Forest Service(2007) tell that Ordinary combustible fires are the most common type of fire, and are designated chthonic Class A fire . These occur when a solid, organic bodily such as wood, cloth, rubber, or plastic become heated to their flash point and ignite. This class of fire is fairly simple to scrap and contain .According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 2008),the most common way to do this is by spra ying the burning material with water, oxygen can also be removed by surround the fire with foam from a fire consumeer.Meanwhile, combustible liquifiable are categorized under Class B fire. The National Fire Protection Association(2008) reports that this fire fit the same basic fire tetrahedron (heat, fuel, oxygen, chemical substance reply) as ordinary combustible fires, except that the fuel in question is a flammable liquid such as gasoline, or gas such as natural gas.An efficient way to extinguish a liquid or gas fueled fire is to disrupt the chemical chain reaction of the fire, which is done by dry chemical and Halon extinguishing agents. According to an extract from Industrial Hygiene and cultivation Management (2008) ESH Manual Chapter 40, Hazardous Materials, class D fire are fires that are caused by flammable or combustible metals. Examples given by the ESH manual Chapter 40, Hazardous Materials, of such metals are titanium , atomic number 11 ,magnesium, potassium, ura nium and calcium.Generally, metal fire risks occur when sawdust, machine shavings and other metal are present. These fires can be ignited by the same types of ignition sources that would start other common fires.Wikipedia, Fire Classes Online Available from http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_classesAccessed 1 February 2010A crew onboard a fishing vessel said that If a fire was to start onboard a ship, crew members onboard must know what type of fire it is. If a wrong extinguisher or order is being used, the fire might spread even more. ( Florida Sport Fishing Crew 2002)Consequences of fire spillage of Revenue and Marine EnvironmentThe International Maritime Organisation (2009) said that most accidents onboard a ship will result in a loss of revenue. Cargos onboard a ship might be dishonored and millions of dollars worth of cargos and resources will be touched. Fire onboard a tanker ship will have a high chance of causing an explosion and fuel leaked into the sea will cause water po llution and that will affect the ocean environment. Thousands of dollar will be used to clean up the crude inunct spill. A case study given by the style State Information exchange (2006) was that of Hyundai heap where an accidental fire broke out on 21st March 2006. The combined cost of the ship and damaged cargo is estimated at over 300 million US dollars.According to an online article by Brisbane Times, oil spill clean-up can be rather costly. In a case study by the article, an insurer of a Hong Kong-based cargo ship had to foot the bill for a 20 tonnes of diesel fuel into waters off Stradbroke Island. Authorities announced that the estimated cost of the clean-up will reach about $100,000 a twenty-four hour period and take seven days to complete.Daniel Hurst 2009 , Oil spill clean-up to cost $100,000 a dayOnline Brisbane times Available from http//www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/oil-spill-cleanup-to-cost-100000-a-day/2009/03/12/1236447368184.html Accessed on 7th Feb ruary 2010Political FalloutPolitical fallout might also occur if swift action is not taken. Political fallout will cause the reputation of the government or authority to be at stake.(M.Masellis and S.W.A.Gunn 1992) The disasters that occur within the Maritime Industries can be used as an example for opposition parties to blame the government and this might change the mindset of the society towards the government.According to an online article by BBC news, an oil well in the Timor Sea off the north-west coast of Australia caught fire. The oil wangle had been leaking oil and marine fire fighters were struggling for ten weeks to stop the leak. The National Offshore Pet fiberum Safety Authority had been called out to help encounter the fire and other teams such as the Geoscience Australia and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority were on standby. However, an opposition spokesman accused the Environment Minister of Australia of doing nothing to stop the oil leak.BBC News 2009 , Aust ralia well catches fire Online Available from http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8336564.stm tender-hearted CasualtiesAccidents onboard a ship will also cause human casualties to occur. Fire especially will be life threatening onboard a passenger ship and it will cause chaos and panic among passengers. ( L.M. Collins 1999) A good way to ensure that human life is not lost is for the crew and passengers to follow instructions given by the Captain. If the passengers follow the instructions swiftly, they will be able to escape from the ship safely.( L.M. Collins 1999)One of the major events that had many human casualties was that of RMS Titanic. According to David G , Titanic was struck by an iceberg and sank in deuce hours and forty minutes on 15 April 1912. The sinking of the Titanic resulted in 1517 deaths out of the 2223 people on board. The high casualty rate was due to the fact that the ship was not carrying enough lifeboats for everyone onboard.Brown, David G. (2000). The Las t put down of the Titanic. McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 0071364471.Most fire cases are quickly dealt with and the only losses that the crew face are the cargos or raw materials onboard. Up to this day, passenger ship have not faced any fire incidents that resulted in major human casualties.Fire Safety MeasuresSafety of manner at Sea(SOLAS)M.Masellis and S.W.A.Gunn(1992) said that fire casualties on ships lead almost certainly to disastrous results because of the limited and isolated areas of the vessels and the lack of immediate and easy recover for the rescue team. Preventive measures are therefore much more effective in the effort to obviate such casualties than rescue and fire-extinguishing procedures or devices. Marine fire casualties in merchant ships the Greek statistics 1992 Available from http//www.springerlink.com/ electrical capacity/h8362077847j9127/In 1914, The International Maritime Organisation had a convention among international leaders and maritime leaders to disgorge about maritime safety. Of all the international conventions dealing with maritime safety, the most primary(prenominal) is the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea(SOLAS). There have been many versions of SOLAS adopted by the International Maritime Organisation but the present version was adopted in 1974 and entered into force in 1980.The SOLAS conventions have all covered many aspects of safety at sea. The convention in 1914 included chapters on safety of navigation, construction, fire protection and life-saving appliances.(International Maritime Organisation 2009)This shows that the International Maritime Organisation is constantly trying to find ways to mitigate the aspects of safety at sea to ensure the safety of seafarers life by introducing the Safety Of Life at Sea(SOLAS) and updating it.Fire Safety Test and Safety EquipmentOne of the fire safety measures is to canalize fire safety test for the ship. Fire safety of ships is an extremely important area. Before any material can be used onboard a ship, it must have successfully passed strict tests and have been certified for use. This is to ensure that the material or equipment does not pose a fire hazard onboard the ship. (SP Technical question Institute of Sweden 2008)Another safety measure is to install safety equipments on the ship. Equipments such as fire extinguisher, sprinkler system , gas monitor and other safety equipments are being employ. The International Maritime Organisation(IMO) is taking steps to stash away new and more sophisticated equipments onboard the ships. IMO hope to reduce the amount of accidents from occurring onboard the ship and will rely on this new equipments to combat the problem more efficiently.Service of ships and EquipmentsAccording to The Safety of Life At Sea 1974 edition, the ship and its safety equipments have to undergo service in one case every a few(prenominal) years. Safety equipments include components that can deteriorate over time. Therefore, this can decrease the effectiveness of the equipment. Examples of such equipments utter in the Safety Of Life At Sea 1974 edition (SOLAS) are fire extinguishers, EPIRBs, flares, life jackets, life rafts and smoke signals. Servicing of the equipment must be done by the manufacturer or an appoint agent by the expiry date. The expiry date must be clearly marked on the equipment. Most life raft needs to be serviced every two or three years. Equipment that cannot be serviced or no longer works must be replaced if it is to be carried as part of the safety equipment onboard the ship.(The International Maritime Organisation 2009)In the event that an emergency were to occur and the safety equipments were to be faulty as they were not sent for servicing, the manufacturer should not be blamed as the expiry date have been stated clearly on the equipment. It is the duty of the crew onboard and its owner to send the equipments for servicing once the expiry date is over.Accordin g to the IMO 2009, maintenance and inspections of equipments must be recorded to provide objective differentiate that these work have been carried out according to the manufacturers instructions.Proper training for the crewAccording to the Maritime Port Authority Singapore(MPA) 2010, Seafarers working on board a ship must have the valid evidence or endorsements. In Singapore, these are issued by the Training Standards Department of MPA. Seafarers working on board a ship are required to have a valid Certificate of Competency (CoC) or endorsement, which trace with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).The crew must also be well trained in fire fighting and First Aid. Those who wish to work onboard a ship must have an Advance Fire Fighting Course certificate and Elementary First Aid certificate as well before they are qualified to work onboard (Maritime Port Authority Singapore 2010). The crew will also conduct reg ular safety drills after each departure from port. The crew are to follow their duty that had been assigned on the Muster List.By having proper trained crews onboard a ship, this will background the chance of human error and accidents from occurring. Furthermore, the crew are well trained to handle any emergencies such as fire . The International Maritime Organisation(IMO) 2009 once said that the quality and familiarisation are directly affected by the frequency and quality of the drills carried out. IMO added that a crew debrief after each drill is essential to emphasise lessons learned and to give additional training where necessary.ConclusionFurther ImprovementsEvery year, the International Maritime Organisation and other Maritime Body are working hand in hand to improve a seafarers life in terms of their living condition and to ensure that they are working in a safe environment. The organisation are trying to find constant improvement to reduce marine casualties, loss in revenu e due to unwanted accidents. One improvement that can be introduce to the ship is the All-in-One fire extinguisher. This extinguisher would be able to combat any types of fire such as Class A , Class B, Class C or Class D fires. By having this fire extinguisher onboard the ship, the crew will not need to waste time to find different methods to combat different types of fire. Another improvement that could be introduced is the fire isolating system. This system will isolate the fire from spreading to other rooms and this will reduce the damage caused towards the ship. The Maritime Port Authority said that this new inventions will further improve the safety aspects but it still needs to undergo more tests before it can be implemented towards the ships.Human Error is still the Main CauseThe International Maritime Organisation have taken steps to ensure that the technology and safety equipments being implemented are up to date. Even thought this is so, nothing can be done if the acciden t caused is by human error. Even if the crew had gone for proper training, human error will still occur. An article by B.S Dhillon(2007), human error costs the Maritime Industry $541 million per year and a study of 6091 major accident claims revealed that 62% of the claims were attributed to human error. B.S Dhillion(2007) added that human error contributes to 84% to 88% of tanker accidents.B.S Dhillon 2007. Human Reliability and Error in Transportation Systems, Springer Series in Reliability Engineering . scalawag 1.These incidents will result in crew injuries or death and the ship will be detain or damaged. Even if there is mechanical failure, human error can play a role in terms of lack of maintenance , monitoring or a breakdown in communication. The Bahamas Maritime Authority added that crew fatigue and complacency can be a major factor in this incident. The Bahamas Maritime Authority said that Good equipment can cost more, but safety should be accorded a higher priority beca use a ship cannot be operated safely without the seafarer.Referenceshttp//www.cruisebruise.com/princess_cruise_star_princess_fire_march_23_2006.htmlhttp//www.articledashboard.com/Article/Marine-Fire-Fighting-EquipmentSecuring-Ship-Safety-And-Damage-Control-Against-Fire/1252660http//www.unols.org/publications/manuals/safe_man.htmlhttp//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8336564.stmhttp//www.mpa.gov.sg/sites/port_and_shipping/for_seafarers/seafarer_certification/seafarer_certification.pagehttp//www.springerlink.com/content/h8362077847j9127http//www.mapreport.com/subtopics/d/n.htmlhttp//www.bahamasmaritime.com/Documents/Bulletins/72bulltn.pdfSummaryIn brief, the report describes about the various reasons why fire safety is an important factor for the maritime Industry. It also goes into the full stop on the causes of fire onboard the ship. The consequences of fire is also gone into detail in this report to show the importance of safety at sea.