The transfer of fuel oil into a vessel bunkering requires diligence safety
consciousness and proper procedures safe bunkering is the product of good
communication proper crew training and compliance with international federal
and local laws the safe bunkering procedures you'll see presented here
come from those three sources internationally accepted maritime
practices the United States Coast Guard regulations and the brand-new guidelines
of a local regulator the washington state office of marine safety you'll see
in here a collection of transfer tips timely reminders throughout the program
on handling oil safely you'll see in here safe procedures listed explained
and illustrated
and you'll see and here the state-of-the-art in marine safety
Washington State's new bunkering guidelines now the roving watch is
maritime safety is a people process virtually every marine accident or oil
spill is the result of human error it's well-trained people working
conscientiously together that make safe seamanship a reality since the enactment
of the Oil Pollution Act of nineteen a tremendous consciousness you know on the
part of of all both the the regulators and the customers being our Mariners to
the fact that no longer will we tolerate having oil going into our environment
I'm just gonna have to watch these containment job locations and make sure
they don't fill up with brain water right a good bunkering operation begins
with proper preparation sharing key information explaining correct
procedures establishing communication links reviewing pre loading plans
providing crew education and training everybody who's involved in the training
session should be told everything about the bunker operation not only their own
job but they should be sitting there listening when the other person's job is
being talked about so they have a full understanding of the fact that
communication in almost all operations is critical the first step in safe
bunkering is to identify the vessels person in charge who is responsible for
the bunkering operation
the person in charge on the ship or a receiving vessel must be a licensed or
authorized Master mate or engineer he must identify and be familiar with the
vessels oil transfer procedures these include location of pipelines valves
vents and overflows numbers and duties of people assigned to the transfer
operation and all relevant procedures before during and following oil transfer
oil transfer procedures should be prominently posted for easy reference
transfer procedures should detail critical steps for communication for
topping off tanks and for emergency shutdown
the state of Washington adds two steps here which are common practice on
well-managed vessels that the person in charge complete and post a pre loading
plan and conduct crew training within 48 hours before bunkering I make a video
freeloading plan it identifies the tanks and what tangs I'll be filling in to the
pre loading plan locates all bunker tanks and gives their capacities lists
the oil level and type of oil currently in each tank the expected final level
and the percent full at final level after bunkering the sequence of filling
and the monitoring procedures monitoring includes not just transfer activity but
tank levels and valve alignments during bunkering
it's number one reasons for spill is overflowed tank and no one there to
catch them it's it's usually the the apathy of the crew or the complacency or
of the crew on board the vessel say there is a spill or and they've flown
over into the tank into the containment tank their columns that take the DES
stop the operation you've got your radio just tell them to stop stop bunkering I
mean stop it right now training should include everyone to be involved in
bunkering and be conducted in a common language remember that if watches will
change during bunkering to include relief personnel in training and the
pre-loading plan training includes a review of procedures laws and
regulations these would include local harbour rules in the United States the
regulations of the US Coast Guard and internationally such agreements as
the Singapore bunkering procedure and the European harbormaster's guidelines
there are ISO standards for bunkering currently under development as well
laws and regulations may change from time to time check with your local
authorities or ships agent for the most current regulations Washington state
regulations require that a log entry be made documenting the names and ratings
of crew and that crew training has been carried out prior to bunkering step 3
and safe bunkering requires that the person in charge designate key transfer
personnel
regulations vary but the consensus among seamen seems to be that at least four
individuals should devote their full time to the oil transfer process the
first is of course the person in charge who must oversee the entire bunkering
operation the point of transfer watch remains throughout the process at the
connecting point between the transferring and receiving vessels
washington state requires that a deck rover watch monitor for spills on deck
and over the side and those who've seen oil spilled say a tank level monitor is
a key preventer of accidents caused by valve alignment and topping errors if
they're pumping in three or four hundred tons an hour there's an awful lot of oil
moving and the the couple extra seconds it takes to communicate a shutdown can
be the difference between the oil being held in the containment and the oil
going over the side into the bay
crew members assigned to bunkering should have no other duties during the
oil transfer process step four and safe bunkering requires that the person in
charge establish communication communication systems and procedures
must be established and understood these range from coordinating radio
frequencies to knowledge and use of common English phrases and hand signals
and signals are useful because radios are fallible
during a noisy bunkering operation air horns will always get people's attention
make sure everyone involved knows he may stop the transfer process at any time
should anything appear to be out of order I think the bottom line to avoid
any type of spills whatsoever you've got to make sure that everybody is in sync
and that if there is a problem they can identify it quickly and stop the source
once preparation is complete the process of fuel transfer can begin crew members
assist first in securely mooring the bunkering barge step 5 in safe bunkering
is to prepare the deck and receiving areas this includes closing of required
hatches doors and portholes and sealing all scuppers and drains from which
overflowing oil might spill over the side of the vessel should bunkering take
place at night a well-lit receiving area is crucial to efficiency safety and crew
alertness you start filling the fuel oil tank and you know that it's gonna take
an hour and a half to fill this tank and you start daydreaming and maybe you lose
your concentration additional preparation includes posting of proper
warning signs and signals and visual inspection of equipment on both
receiving and delivering vessels
in Washington state regulations require that you provide safe access to and from
the barge either by the accommodation ladder or others solace approved ladder
now the communication process begins in earnest the person in charge on the
receiving vessel meets his counterpart from the delivering vessel face to face
together they set up and conduct a pre transfer conference please
each pre transfer conference is unique different people different languages
different fuel requirements different conditions out of these differences the
conference must establish common ground in a common language to be used not only
during the conference but during the procedure itself in Washington State and
many ports this common language must be English in oil transfer procedures you
have a delivering vessel and a receiving vessel and those vessels must have a
common language between them they must be able to positively communicate
between themselves for starting for emergency operations and for ending the
transfer operation approximately how many barrels per hour you want to help
on this 310 an hour okay fine if finding a common language is a
problem ask the vessel agent to arrange for a translator or interpreter at the
pre transfer conference both persons in charge will complete and sign the
Declaration of inspection or the pre transfer checklist each item on the
declaration or checklist should be reviewed carefully and signed off by
both parties typical declarations of inspection cover the oil products to be
received sequence of transfer and flow rates procedures for starting and
stopping identity of personnel involved and watch changes and notification
before topping off or shutting down any and all crew members should be empowered
to instantly shut down the fuel transfer process in an emergency or suspicious
circumstance you've got to be able to stop things quickly because it just
takes a few minutes and then you have a major problem
Washington State requires that a log entry document the pre transfer
conference completed declaration of inspection and pre loading plans must be
kept for at least 30 days
most of the people who regulate the bunkering process say the rules aren't
difficult to follow since they're basically just safe practices set down
on paper what shows these practices are being followed is the state of crew
alertness and competence they are in fact communicating they do have written
procedures they do have a check sheet that has all been signed off and then
very easily we can quiz those people that are in fact involved in the or in
the transfer operation and say what is your role and they can respond like that
we know that they are on top of the operation with preparations complete the
crew members connect the oil transfer hose to the vessels manifold all pipe
connections tank vents overflow or fill pipes must have spill containment that
is adequate for the outlet they serve be sure to handle the hose carefully it may
still contain oil from a previous transfer crew members should use a new
gasket for each connection and secure bolts tightly before pumping
containments must be kept free and clear a rainwater filled box will quickly
overflow with spilled oil below decks all valves routing oil to tanks must be
double checked for proper distribution of fuel
beware of crew fatigue lack of alertness is a major contributor to accidents many
ports have established crew work our limitations in law check the local rules
pay attention to the overall condition of the transfer hose it must be
adequately supported to avoid undue strain on connections and should be free
of obvious defects the position of the hose may have to be adjusted during the
transfer with confirmation from both the receiving and delivering persons in
charge crews begin fuel delivery fuel flow begins slowly with special
attention to oil levels and pressures in all tanks to make certain fuel is going
where it's supposed to go high fuel pressure could mean no oil is flowing
the fuel pressure for some reason would be extremely high
for some unknown reason he could see that and would be able with his radio to
stop the proper procedure Washington State requires also that the person in
charge alert the barge crew when changing tanks and topping off tanks
many ships engineers will take soundings in all their tanks as a precaution in
case oil is going into the wrong tank inadvertently the only way you know that
the valve to number-3 port is completely closed as if you continue to take
soundings in that tank for a little while nothing is more important during
the transfer process than constant communication among the barge the
watches and the person in charge in the case of overfilling or some other
accident a quick response and shutdown will keep the oil contained and off the
water the final step in fuel transfer is to conclude the process and disengage
from the delivery vessel the same rules and monitoring practices apply with
careful communication between both parties person-in-charge checks fuel
levels and shuts down valves and tanks before loosening bolts be certain the
hose is depressurized and drained back to the barge make sure all bunkering
operations are completed before resuming restricted activity such as hot work on
or below decks
Maritime Safety is a collaborative process and a process that can be
continually improved we have an active boarding program that goes on and we go
out and we educate them we let them know that we're on scene and then we assist
them in in safe operations today we see increased awareness of the environment
and stricter rules protecting it in this climate it's working partnerships
between the shipping industry and those who regulate it that are helping refine
and improve procedures such as fuel transfer there isn't anybody who wants
to see oil in the water and if the training session is the key or something
else that we're doing is the key then we've done what we we're here to do
continuous improvement is taking place thanks to better record-keeping and
documentation of processes and procedures improved training better
equipment and more universal standards for safe bunkering operations I think
we're all working the same Avenue I think we're working to the idea of
heightening already good practices building into stronger ones so that we
can enhance the operation safeguard the environment and abide by all the laws
that are put down to do that when you see all that happening when you're
seeing us moving in in a positive direction and progressive direction
you're gonna find that we're very successful and that's the way we want to
be these are antitank brand new
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