Blog 103 == New Ship - Setting the Bar for the Future - A 150,000 Tonner Gets Thrown About
- ranganathanblog
- Dec 28, 2022
- 6 min read
“Marine Musings 33” ‘Tachibana’
01st Sept 2000 (Koyo Dock, Japan) to
08th March 2001 (Gladstone, Australia)
IMO: 9213167
Name: TACHIBANA
Vessel Type - Generic: Cargo
Vessel Type - Detailed: Bulk Carrier
Call Sign: 3FQW4
Flag: Panama [PA]
Gross Tonnage: 83601
Summer DWT: 154324 t
Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 274.93 x 47 m
Year Built: 2000
First week of July 2000 I was in the Koyo Shipyard, supervising the last stages of construction of a brand new bulk carrier, the Tachibana.
Good yard, good ship, well built, good machinery, it promised to be a good ship for an engineer.
The only blight were the cubby hole spaces for cabins in the accommodation, very truly to Japanese standards. But that was all brushed aside by the good standards and condition of the Engine Room and machinery.
Good cooperation between the Koyo Shipyard and the three of us who had boarded the ship before its completion, meant that all tests were done to our satisfaction.
The Sea Trials went off very well.
She was scheduled and chartered for several iron ore and coal runs between Australia and Japan, mostly coal.
Lightening in Mizushima, she was planned for discharge of the rest of the cargo at various ports in the Inland Sea.
Our first wall came up when the Captain sent the vessel’s first loading plan to the Head Office / Chartering Division (Mitsui?) in Tokyo. The Head Office came back with the insistence that we load to maximum. Once again, after recalculating, the Captain sent back the same figure as before.
The next message was ridiculous - they wanted us to load till the holds were filled to the brim. It was obvious that the person who was handling the ship had no knowledge of how a ship is loaded.
But we had a very patient Captain. After realising that we were dealing with a novice, over the next 3 days, he schooled the person on the other side about stresses, bending moments, drafts, trim, below keel clearances in a load port or a discharge port - all the basics. Reluctantly, they agreed.
On our first discharge port call, Mizushima, there was a party for shore officials, being the maiden visit. The Chartering Department people had arranged the function and attended the same.
I was curious about who we were in touch with in the Office. I located him, a cheerful Japanese youngster - around 24 years old. I spent some time getting to know him. He had no sea experience and was a new entrant into the Company, totally raw. His major subject for his graduation was Chinese history.
Here he was, making crucial decisions about a 150,000 ton ship.
To his credit, he learnt fast.
Being a new ship, I do not have much to write.
From the beginning, I was deeply involved in setting up processes for others to follow.
A few examples:
Now that computers had started making their way into the environs of the ship, we drew up software programmes on ‘Lotus’ for
Maintenance Schedules - in which my personal files came in very handy, as they included the remotest of items that are normally neglected or overlooked. ‘Running Hours’ based or ‘Weekly’ or ‘Monthly’ based were all included in such a manner that a daily update could be printed out. My knowledge of ‘Lotus’ came in handy, but the Third Engineer surpassed himself in structuring my thoughts and ideas into complex formulae.
I would like to think this was the forerunner to various dedicated software that came into vogue in later years - ‘AMOS’ comes to my mind - but were costly, hence Management Companies shied away from them.
Maintenance Reports - Each item of machinery was assigned a code name and number. Maintenance Schedules and Maintenance Reports were linked. Any work done was input into the computer on the same day, elaborated if needed to maintain a history for future references. The 2/E, 3/E and 4/E were each allowed ½ an hour on the computer every day for this purpose.
Spares Inventory - Keeping track of what we have, what we are consuming and what is needed, where it is kept - which meant assigning a shelf or slot number, which meant labelling the shelves - what is the bare minimum we should have of a particular item which, if reached, triggers a display to alert us - a link to the requisitions, a link to the particular Instruction manual, with page number, drawing number - the intricate web was fascinating to weave. Continuous updating, linking it to the Maintenance Schedules and Maintenance Reports.
In fact, we started our own Instruction Manual on how to extract information from the computer.
I enjoyed every second of this venture.
01st January, 2001
Except for the watch keepers, all the others had been given off. We were coasting about 15 nautical miles from the island of Mindanao. Good seas, good weather, good visibility.
After a good New Year lunch, most had gone to sleep. I was at my table in my cabin, doing some work.
Suddenly the whole ship was being thrown around like a boat caught up in the rapids, with no regularity in its motion.
As I came speeding out of the cabin, I met the Second Engineer and told him to go down to the Engine Room. I went up to the Bridge and, along with the Second Mate, brought the engine revs from full sea speed down to manouvering speed, using the ‘speed reduction bypass’.
The ship was still being tossed about when I reached the Bridge, but slowly subsided within 2 to 3 minutes. The whole ship was being shaken for nearly 4 minutes.
Down in the Engine Room, my first thought was that we had broken the crankshaft or chain or camshaft or propeller. But, at the reduced speed, all parameters were normal. Sound checks revealed that all was normal - no heavy metal sounds, no clang - clang - clang (a very scientific and very technical method).
After 15 minutes of checks, finding everything normal, I spoke to the Captain and told him that my suspicions were on an outside source as the cause. I speculated that it was probably an earthquake.
There was a lot of derision and amusement at my stating this.
There were a few fishing vessels a few miles from us. The Captain asked the helmsman to contact them on the VHF and speak to them in Tagalog. All 4 of them had got the same treatment and had been thrown about, to varying degrees.
They were seasoned fishermen, who said that this happens a few times because of an earthquake.
As we were talking to them, the same sequence of events took place and we were thrown about for about 2 minutes.
All, the sea, the ship, settled down slowly.
My theory of an earthquake was confirmed.
Later, the Captain contacted Philippines Authorities, who confirmed 2 quakes about 14 nautical miles off shore.
Triangulating given positions, it was found that we had passed about one mile from the epicentre, about 15 minutes before the quake struck.
A magnitude 7.5 struck Mindanao, Philippines on January 1 at a depth of 33.0 km (20.5 mi).[1]
We were, then, carrying about 130,000 tons of coal. We were, literally, no match for the intensity of the sea. The surface wasn’t all that rough. Nor was there a tidal wave. There was, most likely, a severe turbulence under water.
The box of one more of my nine lives was ticked off.
The Chief Engineer of the Mizushima Power Plant asked me if he could come and visit the ship. I told him to bring his family and hosted them, took them around.
He asked me to visit the plant on the next voyage.
An 8 stories tall water tube boiler with some 30 odd furnaces, using very fine powdered coal as its fuel, kept me engaged for several hours.
110 MW was the capacity of the coal fired plant.
Being the first batch of a new ship, we had to set the standards for others to follow - and we set the bar high. The authentication of all our actions came from the Safety Management System, hence became mandatory for future staff.
I had been on board for nearly nine months - 3 in the shipyard and 6 sailing - before I signed off at Gladstone in March 2001.
===== "Marine Musings 34" Continues in Blog 34 =====
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