Temat: M/S Explorer bierze wodę

A w zasadzie już nabrał wody. Dziś tj. 24 listopada 2007r. media doniosły, że Explorer poszedł na dno.

Dawno już nie było takiego przypadku. Statek pasażerski, uszkodzone poszycie przez bryłę lodu dryfującą tuż pod powierzchnią wody, ewakuacja pasażerów.

Co ciekawe w doniesieniach o tym wypadku wspomina się nie tylko o dziurze w poszyciu wielkości pięści, ale także o wątpliwościach co do stanu technicznego Explorera. Spoglądając w przeszłość to "stan techniczny jednostki" był jednym z dwóch najczęstszych powodów wypadków na morzu. Jeśli zatem statki pasażerskie pływają z niemal lewymi papierami to w jakim stanie są statki handlowe?!

Do dziś pamiętam jak parę lat temu siedziałem na falochronie w Hoek van Holland i patrzyłem na wychodzące w morze statki i ten jeden, zardzewiały od anteny radaru po linię wodną... Zdaję sobie sprawę, że trochę rdzy to jeszcze nie katastrofa, ale ten był tak zardzewiały, że nie udało mi się ustalić jaki był jego oryginalny kolor!!!

Czy macie jakieś informacje temat stanu technicznego statków pasażerskich i handlowych pływających po Bałtyku? Pływaliście może na takich jednostkach?

LINKI do historii o Explorerze:
1. http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/11/23/antar...
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7108835.stmJacek G. edytował(a) ten post dnia 24.11.07 o godzinie 17:14

Temat: M/S Explorer bierze wodę

Jesli prawda jest ze bylo to za sprawa dziury wielkosci pięści to faktycznie niezwykle (nie byl najnowszy, plywal tez pod tania bandera gdzie "nie czepiaja się" zbytnio ) . dobrze ze nikt nie zginal
pozdr
ML

Temat: M/S Explorer bierze wodę

w dwóch powyższych wypowiedziach - przede wszystkim rozdmuchiwanie pojedynczych przypadków w stereotypy / podtrzymywanie stereotypów na podstawie rzadkich i wyrwanych z kontekstu przypadków (wypadków morskich)...

kto przykłada zbytnią wagę do "tanich bander" (jako rzekomych troublemaker'ów), kto rozdmuchuje (medialnie, w prywatnych rozmowach) takie przypadki, jak ten z Explorerem - ten mało wie o żegludze, statkach towarowych i pasazerskich...

"tania bandera" o niczym nie świadczy...

jeżeli rzeczywiście kiedyś miało się prawo kojarzyć "tanie bandery" ze słabą jakością "en bloc", to te czasy już dawno minęły...

niejedna tania bandera jest na białej liście, a wiele narodowych (w tym polska) - na szarej Paris MOU on Port State Control...
(przynależność do list białej, szarej i czarnej uzależniona jest od częstotliwości zatrzymań statków danej bandery za uchybienia wobec bezpieczeństwa i przepisów)...

najczęstszymi przyczynami wypadków na morzu są błędy ludzkie, potem długo, długo nic...

a o rejsy wycieczkowe na statkach ekspedycyjnych w rejony arktyczne bym się nie martwił...
większość przytłaczająca statków używanych do tego celu to statki adaptowane na pasażerskie z lodołamaczy oraz ze wzmocnionych do żeglugi w lodach statków naukowo-badawczych...
nawet czasem prawdziwe ("działające" do dziś jako takie) lodołamacze są okresowo wykorzystywane jako "wycieczkowce"...

nie ma co się bać pływania w ogóle, ani stanu technicznego, przeciętnego, statystycznego, statków pływających po Bałtyku...

przepisy i system ich egzekwowania wymusza bezpieczeństwo...

oczywiście, że praca na morzu jest niebezpieczna...

ale gdzie w transporcie nie zdarzają się wypadki?...

trzeba jeszcze pamiętać, że np. samoloty w gęstej mgle nie latają i nie startują lub są skierowywane na inne lotniska...

a statki pływają (z powodzeniem) w o wiele gorszych warunkach pogodowych niż samoloty... poza tym (ze względu na o wiele mniejszą prędkość od samolotów) są o wiele częściej zaskakiwane już w drodze przez zmienne (złe) warunki pogodwe..

odwróceni tyłem do morza, dziwiący się "jakim cudem dwa statki na szerokim morzu się mogły zderzyć - mają przecież tyle miejsca".. zapominają, że na wielu akwenach jest "ruch, jak na marszałkowskiej", a statki wcale nie zawsze mają możliwość "uciec w bok" (bo np. płyną wyznaczonym torem wodnym, gdzie jest dla nich wystarczająca głebokość, a zboczenie z niego przez duży statek może się skończyć wejściem na mieliznę)

dlaczego Panowie nie rozprawiają o wypadkach samochodowych na naszych drogach?... - bo to spowszedniało.. a statki - takie "egzotyczne"... w dodatku przez media pokazywane TYLKO wtedy, gdy coś "nie tak"... bo większośc społeczeństw krajów rozwiniętych odwraca się tyłem do morza i statków, mimo, że praktycznie wszystko im zawdzięcza... ropę na stacjach beznynowych, banany, ubrania i komputery w sklepach, etc...

Can a ship be “unsinkable”?

Naval architects and designers have tried for years to improve the survivability of a ship, so that she will remain afloat no matter what catastrophe might befall her. And there has been great progress made, with the ships of today far less likely to sink than those of, say fifty years ago.

Compartmentalisation has been the key to survivability, ensuring that the internal spaces of a ship are sufficiently subdivided, so that if one or more is holed by a collision or grounding, the remaining compartments retain sufficient buoyancy for the ship to remain afloat. Which sounds easier than it is, because many ships need large holds in which to carry cargo and would be greatly handicapped as freighters if these were divided up. A compromise is necessary.

It is of course best to keep the water out altogether, so a single skinned ship has obvious vulnerabilities if this primary barrier is breached. Protection is generally provided by an inner bottom and even a complete double hull, so that if the outer plates are holed, the ship will not flood. There are other obvious precautions that can be taken at the design stage. Bulkheads (the walls between) compartments, need to be strong enough not to collapse if one compartment is flooded, and a ship should be provided with powerful pumps and dumping arrangements to rid itself of unwanted water aboard, particularly water high up in the ship which may menace its stability.

It is also important that if a damaged ship is to remain afloat, it remains upright, protecting those on board, rather than listing steeply. This can be helped by cross-flooding arrangements, which will distribute any water from a flooded compartment on both sides of the ship. If a ship is so badly damaged that she is going to sink, it is better if she sinks over a very long period, and on an even keel, so that boats and lifesaving appliances can be launched.

Survivability is also helped by plenty of equipment “redundancy” - ensuring that the ship maintains power supplies, even if one engine room is damaged and out of action. Some modern passenger ships and tankers have completely duplicated systems, engine-rooms, generators, and electrical power supplies, with duplicated wiring and pipes, steering gear and damage control facilities, so that damage on one side of the ship will not prove fatal.

A new Swedish ferry design incorporates all these advances and more, with enormous thought going into survivability, structural integrity, fire protection and means to keep the passengers perfectly safe inside the ship even if the vessel was badly damaged by fire or collision with another vessel. It is thought that the “Desso” design of high survivability ship may prove the pattern for many ship designs of the future.

- - - - -

How safe is modern shipping?

The sea has always been a hostile environment and it is idle to think that science and technology can remove the risk that is ever present when a ship leaves port. Nevertheless there is no question that shipping today is statistically safer than it has ever been, and that science, technology and well trained people all play a part in this dramatic improvement.

Firstly, the risks of collision and grounding have been substantially reduced by the development of equipment that has made the operation of ships infinitely more precise. The master of a ship no longer has to depend on dead reckoning , which was little more than a sophisticated form of guesswork , when trying to ascertain the ship's position when the sun and stars were obscured by cloud. The availability of satellite navigation provides all weather position finding to an accuracy of a few yards.

The advent of the electronic chart , which can constantly show the ship's position, and is "intelligent" enough to alert the navigator to hazards ahead also helps to make safe navigation safer. Increased safety also derives from better radars and collision avoidance aids, that can automatically plot the course of other ships and provide a range of safe options for avoidance. As a result of this equipment, ships are better able to keep their schedules, where in an earlier age they would be slowed right down by poor visibility.

Heavy weather can still be a serious problem, causing damage to the ship and to cargo if the vessel is not properly handled. However it is true to say that the modern master is better informed of the weather he is likely to encounter through a global weather forecasting system, and it is generally possible to minimise the effects of storms along the route through this intelligence.

Modern machinery is more reliable than it has been in the past, provided it is properly maintained by qualified engineers, and the incidence of machinery breakdown has greatly reduced . Shore side back-up has been improved, and the ability of communications has improved the possibility of long distance diagnostics.

Similarly, the considerable stresses of weather and the weights of cargo upon the ship's structure are better understood than they have been, so that it is possible to reinforce those parts of the vessel which require to be stronger. Ship's computers are also available to plan loading and discharging, so as to optimise stresses.

The principles of scientific risk management have been applied to both ship design and the operation and this is believed to have been responsible for reductions in accidents. Attitudes have changed , and there is an intolerance of marine accidents and stricter regulatory oversight. The traditional excuses of "Heavy weather" or " human error" are no longer accepted as reasons for marine accidents and investigators will invariably probe deeper to establish the real cause of a casualty. .

But with all the science and technology , it is still recognised that well trained seafarers, who know what to do under all circumstances, remain the best defences against marine casualties.Piotr Stareńczak edytował(a) ten post dnia 15.12.08 o godzinie 00:26

Temat: M/S Explorer bierze wodę

What are the facts about oil pollution?

Shipping is the most environmentally-friendly form of mechanised transport, but when the man or woman thinks of "tankers", the words "oil pollution" flash up in lights. This is hugely unjustified, for 99.9997 per cent. of all oil carried by sea is delivered safely with not a drop spilt. It is a remarkable record, with 7,000 tankers with the capacity of some 350 million tonnes at sea and the amount of oil carried rising by some 5 per cent. per annum.

Even more remarkable is the fact that despite this growth, the amount of oil spills that are attributable to ships has been steeply reduced, by technical developments, good housekeeping and the avoidance of accidents. Operational pollution, which was once caused by ships washing out their tanks has been reduced to a negligible amount, modern tankers never having any need to mix water into their cargo oil tanks. It is also worth remembering that all ships - not just tankers - carry oil fuel for their own consumption, and in recent years the number of incidents involving tankers was substantially less than those where ships other than tankers spilt oil into the sea. A large containership could carry several thousand tonnes of bunker oil.

But it is also important to note that most pollution of the sea does not come from ships at all. More than 60 per cent. of the total oil that escapes into the sea comes from industrial wastes, from industry, sewage, and dumping into rivers, harbours, bays and the open sea. Shipping by contrast contributes around 7 per cent. of the total.

Accidents do happen, and it is the spectacular oil spill that is highly visual and kills sea and bird life that makes the headlines. But where oil enters the sea, the damage it causes tends to be a short term phenomenon, with the oil broken down by natural organic and chemical processes, weathering and evaporating. Oil is, after all, a natural substance, even though it is toxic to wildlife and unpleasant when it reaches the shore. Most crude oils and light or white oils cause only temporary damage to the environment. Fuel oils, on the other hand, are more difficult to treat.

Recent years have seen great efforts by the shipping industry to reduce the risk of oil pollution. Structural changes have been required of tanker owners to ensure that they have a double hull around their oil cargo compartments and all new tankers entering service are configured in this fashion, giving substantial protection in a low-impact grounding or collision that might hole a single skinned ship. Ballast tanks, which are necessary to keep the ship at an optimum draught, when no cargo is aboard are now separate from oil tanks and there is careful monitoring of any water pumped overside to ensure that there are no oil traces in it. When oil is loaded and discharged, or moved about the ship, it is done with the utmost care, with sophisticated instrumentation monitoring quantities pumped and the position of valves.

A whole range of measures have been implemented by the industry to minimise the risk of pollution and to promptly compensate those affected if pollution is caused. There are heavy liabilities for polluters

Above graph show the amount of oil spilled ('000 tonnes)

It is notable that a few very large spills are responsible for a high percentage of the oil spilt. For example, in the ten-year period 1990-1999 there were 346 spills over 7 tonnes, totalling 1096 thousand tonnes, but 830 thousand tonnes (75%) were spilt in just 10 incidents (just over 1%). The figures for a particular year may therefore be severely distorted by a single large incident. This is clearly illustrated by 1979 (Atlantic Empress - 287,000 tonnes), 1983 (Castillo de Bellver - 252,000 tonnes) and 1991 (ABT Summer - 260,000 tonnes).

- - - - -

Designing for heavy weather
05.05.08
Print this page
Send to a friend
Comment article

The weather is getting ever more violent, say meteorologists, although it seems uncertain whether this is a permanent state of affairs or a temporary phenomenon. But with satellite imagery, it seems that what used to be described as the “100 year extreme wave” which used to guide ship designers, is something that might be met with more often. “Heavy weather” may be a description that requires revisiting by the naval architects who design ships.

The shape of the hull and the ship’s structural components are the elements that provide for seaworthiness, and a ship’s ability to withstand heavy weather. Traditionally, the designer would shape the hull so that both extra buoyancy and resistance were provided at the vulnerable ends of the ship, to withstand oncoming waves. The shape of the bow would provide lift and help to throw oncoming waves off the ship. The buoyancy in the forepart of the hull would ensure that the ship would rise up to an oncoming wave, and thus avoid any damage from solid (or “green”) seas coming aboard. A high stern would do the same to following seas.

With the advent of very large and long ships with a length that will straddle several swells, the designers know that the sort of designs for smaller vessels which will go over the swell system will not do for a ship that will plough through the waves. It is the sheer strength of the ship which has to count here. With a very large tanker or bulk carrier, it is likely that when deeply laden, green water will come over the bow in head seas, so that every element in the structure must be super-strong to resist this. Mooring equipment must be sufficiently robust to resist the onrush of tons of water, while other equipment such as ventilators or masts must also be very strong, lest they be swept away.

Hatches, and their hatch covers are a particularly vulnerable part of the ship, and these must be massively reinforced lest they be stove in by the sheer weight of water landing on deck. Containerships are fast craft which also carry a large number of their containers on deck and on the hatches, so special arrangements must be made to keep these boxes safe. Those right forward are specially vulnerable, so most containerships will have a massive reinforced breakwater protecting the cargo. Some ships also have a cover, right over the forecastle to help shed the water and protect the mooring equipment.

Ships designed for service in parts of the world where extreme weather is more likely will invariably be more robust, although there are few places where smooth waters can be always guaranteed. The use of stabilisers to prevent excessive rolling is often a good strategy, if passengers or vulnerable cargo are being carried, while one should never discount the value of good weather forecasting. Shipmasters like to describe a ship as “a good sea boat”, which will mean that she handles well in heavy weather - evidence that the naval architect has done his job perfectly.

- - - - -

Role of the Port State Inspector

Most merchant ships are high quality operations, run by owners who care, and who maintain them well, knowing that they have an investment to protect, and that safety matters. But there are a minority of sub-standard operators and run-down ships with poorly trained crews which can be a menace to anyone else on the high seas.

And while it is the responsibility of the flag state where the ship is registered to maintain standards, ships may never go near their place of registry. So it becomes the job of the port state inspector to ensure that foreign ships which visit their ports are of adequate standards, and fully compliant with all their paperwork and certificates in order.

Port state inspectors tend to be ex-mariners or members of the local coastguard authorities. They have wide-ranging powers which give them access to board and inspect visiting ships. They will tend to inspect just a percentage of visiting vessels - in European ports there is an obligation to inspect at least 25% of ships, and well organised inspectorates will co-operate in Memoranda of Understanding between different countries in a region, to ensure that information is freely exchanged. The Paris MOU, for instance, covers the whole European region, so that a vessel which was inspected in Helsinki on Monday, and found perfectly compliant, will not be subject to further inspection when she arrives in Hull on Thursday. But the co-operation will also ensure that a deficiency which was noted in port A will be checked up on at port B, just to ensure that it has been put right.

A port state inspection will tend to be unannounced, and the inspector will gain a useful first impression from his first walk through the ship from the gangway onwards. He will have earlier checked up on the ship’s record, and will have noted the flag, the identity of the owner and manager, and the classification society. The inspector will seek out the master, and inspect the ship’s certificates to ensure all is in order. He will also want to ensure that the ship‘s crew also have valid papers.

On his physical inspection of the ship, the inspector is particularly interested in safety measures. He will look at life-saving appliances, to ensure they are in good order, and fire-fighting. He wants to see a clean engineroom, and indeed will be impressed by cleanliness in the accommodation and facilities. He wants to see that the charts are up to date, and that all mandatory requirements are being met. If he finds deficiencies, he will ask for these to be rectified, and if they are serious, or many in number, he has the right to detain the vessel until they are made good. He wants to see evidence of professionalism and competence and may ask crew members if they are familiar with the emergency equipment. He may ask for a boat or fire drill, just to satisfy himself that the crew knows what it is doing. The port state inspector is a protector of ship standards and does a valuable job.

- - - - -