Standard marine navigational vocabulary

MOORING

Tugs

I require a tug/ tugs.

Must I take tug(s)?

How many tugs must be taken by my ship?

You must take tug(s).

Where will tug(s) meet me?

Tug(s) will meet you at (positron /(near I (at hours). Tug services suspended/resumed.

FUNCTIONAL PRACTICE Explaining Plans

In the dialogue, the Pilot explains his plans for the mooring operation.

A plan obviously denotes an intended future action, and the Pilot uses suitable tenses in his dialogue to express this.

We'll be taking the tugs

We berth

The tugs will be used

I'll be wanting

After that, the boat will come back

Now using these tenses explain the mooring plan. Use the following prompts. We berth/head/up stream

The tugs/use/push her alongside

Where/tugs make fast?

Tugs' lines? They/give/light wire/help stay in position

The tugs/push/us in

We/stem the current off/jetty

I/want/lay out/starboard anchor

The first lines ashore/two rope headlines

The/boat/come back/take/after spring

We/take/second spring/poop

Now give a verbal, followed by a written, description of the mooring procedure. Project 5.

Prepare a written Entering Port Checklist.

COMPREHENSION PASSAGE Unloading

At the discharge port, the correct quantity of oil is pumped from the tanker by means of her cargo pumps into storage tanks ashore. Speed is important, and the pumping rate is rarely less than 1500 tons per hour on a general purpose carrier, and up to ten times as much on the big ships. During discharge the tanker takes on fuel oil bunkers, fresh water and stores. It may be necessary to pay off some of the crew and sign on new men. The ship may either reload with a different grade of oil cargo for another destination, or ballast water is pumped into a selected number of cargo tanks, and the ship is once again ready to sail.

A way of tackling the problem of a port with draught restrictions is to use a single-buoy mooring out at sea in deep water. The tanker is moored, by two bow lines, to the rotating top of a large circular metal buoy. The buoy is anchored to the sea bed by means of steel chains and ground tackle. Submarine and floating hoses provide connections, via the buoy, for the loading and unloading of oil. Submarine pipelines link the single-buoy mooring system to a shore installation.

The tanker is able to swing freely through 360 degrees as weather conditions dictate, and lies heading into the strongest wind and tidal conditions prevailing. This would not be possible if the tanker were lying between a set of fixed buoys. The single-buoy mooring system therefore provides a permanent deep-water terminal where very large tankers can load or unload crude oil securely, even in poor weather conditions.

By these and other means oil companies are able to obtain the financial benefit derived from the use of very large tankers, where suitable harbours are not avail-able. But there is a limit to the saving as size increases further. From the engineer­ing viewpoint, a l,000,000 dwt tanker is technically feasible, but it is doubtful when or whether circumstances may arise when such a vessel could be efficiently employed.

Comprehension Questions

1. What normally happens while a tanker is discharging?

2. Which system is used for discharging in harbours with draught restrictions.

3. What is the advantage of this system?

4. Why does the writer suggest that 1,000,000 dwt tankers would he impractical?

INTRODUCTION

Oil Pollution - Prevention measures

In view of the damage to the environment, and the cleaning-up costs which could arise as a result of a major oil spillage, it is important that all officers be aware of the consequences of oil pollution, and of the measures necessary to prevent it.

Spills of oil on board need not result in pollution of the sea if simple safeguards are observed. Included in the various Company and Government anti-pollution measures are a series of checks which the United States Coast Guard require to be carried out when handling oil cargoes in the United States. These include, plugging of scuppers, inspection of the line connections at the manifold, as well as sealing of the overboard discharge valves. The United States Coast Guard use a check-list to ensure that no precaution is overlooked, and a similar check-list should always be used by ships' personnel at any port. Another important aspect of pollution precaution is good communication between ship and shore. It is essential that there be complete understanding between the shore operatives and the ship's officers over every aspect of the planned operation.

SCENE 9

While the Captain is conferring with health and immigration officials, the Chief Officer is supervising preparations for cargo discharge.

Uppermost in his mind is the need to ensure that the ship observes the United States Coast Guard measures for pollution prevention. He is sitting in the cargo office, putting the finishing touches to the cargo plan. The Third Officer enters.

Third Officer: We've just finished opening the tanks now.

Chief Officer: Good. Got. flame arresters in every opening?

Third Officer: Yes, all the scuppers are plugged too.

Chief Officer: Yes, I know. I've checked that myself. Actually, they were done yesterday. Since then, I've had deck water drained off at intervals. It's always safer to have the plugs in, when within port limits, whether you're working cargo or not.

Third Officer: Yes, I think you^'re right. Oil could always get washed into the sea from deck machinery or something else, I suppose.

Chief Officer: I'll just finish off this plan and post it up on the bulkhead. Then I'll come out and check around for myself. I'd like you now to see that all the fire-fighting equipment is in place. It should be. I'll be with you in a minute.

The Third Officer leaves.

The cargo plan finished, the Chief Officer posts it on the bulkhead behind the desk, and putting on his safety hat goes out on to the main-deck. The cargo plan he has posted allows anyone in an emergency, who might be strange to the ship, a US firefighting chief for example, to see quickly the arrangement of the ship^'s cargo tanks, the quantity and type of oil they contain, the layout of the pumping system and planned order of cargo transfer. Also available for inspection in the cargo office, is the ship's record of its recent pressure tests on the cargo lines, and a list of names of each deck officer and the watch for which he is responsible.

Out on deck the Chief Officer glances briefly at a safety check-list which he always carries with him during his inspection of accident and pollution prevention measures. lie notes that the Pump Room Ventilation System is working and that no doors or windows in the accommodation are open. He double checks that none of the Scupper Plugs have been removed; that all the valves in the cargo system are shut; that flame arresting gauzes are in position in tank openings (the ship is not fitted with an Inert Gas System).

The Chief Officer pays particular attention to the drip-trays under the cargo connections, seeing that they are empty and that the drains are free. He checks too that spill-check buckets are in place on air vents to bunker tanks, and that bunker tank lids and sounding pipes are shut. He checks too that the offside manifold blanks are secured in place.

A little later, while the Chief Officer is checking the rigging of the gangway, the Third Officer and the Pumpman approach.

Chief Officer: Hello, Juan. Seen anyone from the installation yet?

Third Officer: No, not yet. I^'ve spoken to the jettyman to get telephone numbers for the fire-brigade and check out the ship/shore fire connection. lie says someone should he on board at any time.

('hief Officer: Well, I hope they won't be long. While were waiting, I^'d like to do another check of the Pumproom. (To 'Third Officer) Juan, keep a watch at the top while Ricardo and I go down.

The Chief Officer and Pumpman together proceed to check that the Pumproom valves are correctly set by trying each one in turn. In particular, the Chief Officer checks that the overboard discharge valves and the sea suctions are firmly shut and lashed in the closed position.

A few minutes later, when the Chief Officer and the Pumpman emerge again on deck, they find the Third Officer standing with two representatives of the installation.

First

Representative: Good morning, Mr Mate. Everything OK?

Chief Officer: Good morning. Yes, everything^'s fine. Like to come up to the office?

The Chief Officer and shore representatives go into the cargo office. They leave the Third Officer and the Pumpman to watch fitters from the installation bolting hoses to the ship's cargo manifold connections.

The Chief Officer and the shore representatives together go through the safety check list. They discuss details of the cargo to he discharged, including the target rate, and every aspect of the operations that will he conducted while the "MARA^" is in port, paying special attention to an agreed system of ship/shore communications.

FUNCTIONAL PRACTICE

Notice in the introduction the phrase "It is important that all officers be aware of the consequences of oil pollution.^" This structure is often used in formal announcements. We also use the verb "to be^" + past participle for example. "are to be inspected". The other verbs of obligation "must", "should", "ought to" are also used.

A Complete the following sentences so that they are shown to he obligatory.

1. The U.S.C.G. require a series of checks carried out.

2. It is essential that complete understanding between the shore operatives and the ship^'s officers.

3. The scuppers plugged.

4. It is up to the Captain his crew observes the United States Coastguard regulations.

5. The correct anti-pollution procedures must

6. The overboard discharge valves checked by the Chief Officer.

7. You all valves in the cargo system are shut.

8. All fire fighting equipment kept in its correct place.

B Complete the sentences below saying what, will happen if the following situations occur. Use the conditional tense.

1. If oil is discharged at sea

2. If all necessary precautions are taken

3. If the scuppers are plugged

4. If the crew do not observe the United States Coastguard regulations ..............

5. If the overboard discharge valves are not checked

6. If the valves in the cargo system are not shut

Project 6

Prepare an Action Checklist to be taken when pollution occurs. COMPREHENSION PASSAGE

Keeping the seas clean

Oil tankers are necessary and useful ships, for they bring us the oil we need for so many of the necessities and comforts of modern life. But they are sometimes blamed for spoiling the environment in which we live by allowing oil to escape into the sea.

People used to believe that the world^'s great oceans were so vast, it did not matter if a lot of rubbish was discharged into the sea. Today we know that even the deep oceans can be damaged by dumping unwanted materials of many kinds and that the seas round our coasts can be made unpleasant or unhealthy.

No oil tanker Captain wants to put oil into the sea. Oil is a valuable cargo that has to be delivered to the receiving terminal, probably at an oil refinery. Modern methods and procedures now make it unlikely that oil will pass into the sea as a result of normal operation.

The load-on-top method is used by the majority of the world^'s tankers. By this method oil washed from tanks on the ballast voyage is not discharged into the sea (as it used to be), but is retained in a special slop tank on board the ship. The next oil cargo is loaded on top of the oil and water mixture, and both are dis­charged at the receiving terminal. As this oil may require desalting or further treatment before entering the refinery separate storage tanks are provided on shore.

However, in the unlikely event of oil being spilled into the sea, several methods are available for cleaning up the oil quickly so that it does no damage to inshore waters or beaches or to marine life. The oil can be sprayed with a dispersant, which will help it to break up harmlessly. It may be removed by absorbents or by mechanical skimming.

Tanker owners and operators have agreed on international schemes for preventing pollution of the seas by oil, for cleaning up accidental oil spillages, and for paying compensation for any damage caused.

Comprehension Questions

1. Why are tankers sometimes blamed for spoiling the environment?

2. Why in the past, did people not worry about polluting the sea?

3. Describe what is meant by `load-on-top^' method.

4. What methods can be employed if a spillage takes place at sea?

5. Do you think that international agreements on controlling pollution can be totally effective?