American Club’s Manager Shipowners’ Claims Bureau (SCB) has released a summary of its findings from condition surveys conducted during the 2016 calendar year, focusing particularly on machinery-related deficiencies.
SCB conducted 106 condition surveys during 2016, of which 46% were on dry cargo vessels. tankers accounted for a further 35% of vessels surveyed.
Deficiencies concerning cargo systems and machinery were the two largest categories.
Deficiencies:
Cargo systems — 17%
Machinery — 14%
Hull (ex. Cargo) — 14%
Management — 12%
Safe Access — 10%
Fire Safety — 9%
Pollution Prevention — 6%
Navigation — 5%
LSAs — 5%
Accommodation/ILO — 4%
Safety Equipment — 3%
Machinery Failures:
Taking all of the machinery-related deficiencies into account, those concerning machinery integrity were found to be the most frequent.
Machinery Integrity — 34%
Housekeeping — 20%
Fire Systems Machinery — 14%
Alarm and Safety — 10%
Cargo Systems-machinery — 9%
Fuel System — 8%
Pollution prevention-machinery — 5%
Specifically, areas of concern included:
(a) engine integrity-related deficiencies including the condition of main & auxiliary engines, engine monitoring systems and the insufficiency of spare parts; and
(b) the cleanliness of engine compartments (i.e. basic housekeeping) including bilges being clean, tidy and free of combustible materials.
Furthermore, fire system-related deficiencies were also significant. These deficiencies related to the condition of fixed fire & extinguishing systems, main & emergency fire pumps and fixed gas detention & monitoring systems, SCB said.
As a result of the findings further loss prevention guidance will soon be published by American Club.