ALARP stands for "as low as reasonably practicable", and is a term often used in health and safety to represent that adequate consideration shall be taken in regard to risk, risk control and risk reduction. The core is the concept of "reasonably practicable"; this involves weighing a risk against the trouble, time and money needed to control it. Thus, ALARP describes the level to which you would expect to see workplace risk controlled. ALARP is not prescriptive and consequently can be challenging because it requires employers to exercise judgement. It is therefore for employers to ensure … [Read more...]
Revised High Risk Area – BMP4 effective 1 December 2015
Section 2 of BMP 4 effective 1 December 2015 : Somali Pirate Activity - The High-Risk Area The High-Risk Area (HRA) is an area within the UKMTO designated Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) where it is considered there is a higher risk of piracy and within which self protective measures are most likely to be required.The High-Risk Area is now defined as being bounded by:In the Red Sea: Latitude 15 N In the Gulf of Oman: Latitude 22 N Eastern limit: Longitude 065 E Southern limit: Latitude 05 SIt should be noted military threat assessments provided by SHADE indicate that the … [Read more...]
Visual Storm (Cyclone) Warning Signals for Indian Sea Ports
When storm (cyclone) warnings are given by news channels, they mostly report only the storm warning signal numbers hoisted in sea ports. What those signal numbers imply are not known to the common man listening/viewing the news.Here are some details of Visual Storm (Cyclone) Warning Signals for Indian Sea Ports.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is responsible for providing tropical cyclone warnings. Tropical cyclone warnings are provided by three Area Cyclone Warning Centres (ACWCs) located at Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai in addition to three Cyclone Warning Centres at … [Read more...]
Using Magnetic compass in Polar Regions
Why is magnetic compass useless in higher latitude or Polar Regions? The magnetic compass depends on the horizontal component of the magnetic field of the earth. As the north magnetic pole is approached in the Arctic, the horizontal component becomes progressively weaker until at same point. The magnetic compass becomes useless as a direction measuring device. The magnetic compass will not settle unless the ship remains on the same heading for a prolonged period, so it can be considered almost useless anywhere north of Lancaster Sound.So is it possible to use a magnetic compass in higher … [Read more...]
International Maritime Organization or IMO: what it is, what it does and how it works ?
International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations dealing with maritime affairs , the main concern of which was to evolve international maritime structure to improve safety at sea. Because of the international nature of the shipping industry, it had long been recognised that action to improve safety in maritime operations would be more effective if carried out at an international level rather than by individual countries acting unilaterally and without coordination with others. Although a number of important international agreements had already been … [Read more...]
Types of Combination Carriers
Oil/Ore (O/O) An OBO is an oil tanker, which is equipped to carry ore in its centre cargo compartments. Compared with a similar-sized conventional tanker, the main differences revolve around the centre compartments, which are located over double bottom tanks, and have large, heavy steel hatch covers. The centre compartments are normally arranged so that the longitudinal plating slopes inwards, providing a self-stowing factor when loading ore. The centre compartments are generally free from all structural members, which would hinder loading or discharging ore.If coils are required for … [Read more...]
Vessel Size Groups
Major ship size groups include: Handy and Handymax Traditionally the workhorses of the dry bulk market, the Handy and more recent Handymax types remain popular ships with less than 60,000 dwt. The Handymax sector operates in a large number of geographically dispersed global trades, mainly carrying grains and minor bulks including steel products, forest products and fertilizers. The vessels are well suited for small ports with length and draft restrictions and also lacking transhipment infrastructure. This category is also used to define small-sized oil tankers. Panamax Represents the … [Read more...]
History of oil transportation at sea
Transportation of oil by water was the indirect result of the first oil well. Mineral oil had been known to exist below the surface of the earth for quite some time. There are indications that the Chinese obtained small quantities from shallow mines several thousand years ago, but the small quantities obtained by them and people inhabiting the Middle East could never have justified the time and energy needed in developing it as a fuel for heating, lighting, and the multitude of other purposes which man has found for oil in the present highly Industrial Age. The first oil well was sunk in … [Read more...]
Flotation Principle and Explanation – Archimedes
Ever wondered how huge ships manage to stay afloat in water, while a small iron nail sinks? Puzzling as it may appear, you can easily explain this, and many other similar phenomena, with the help of the Archimedes' Principle of Flotation. So, what is the Archimedes' Principle all about? Principle of Flotation: Definition The Archimedes' principle states that any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, experiences an upward force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by it.Here the term 'fluid' refers to all liquids and gases. For an object that is completely submerged in a … [Read more...]