Bunkering Operations: Safe Oil Transfer

MARITIME TRAINING SERVICES INC. IN CASE OF ANY CONFLICT BETWEEN THE REQUIREMENTS SHOWN IN THE MOVIE AND THE COMPANY’S SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SMS), PLEASE FOLLOW THE COMPANY’S SMS REQUIREMENTS [music] THE MARITIME SAFETY SERIES Bunkering Operations Safe Oil Transfer Procedures -- 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 hear 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 in here the state of the art in marine safety, Washington State's new bunkering guidelines. -- Now, the deck row we 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 90, there's been a tremendous consciousness on the part of all, Capt. Richard Softye U.S. Coast Guard, COTP Puget Sound the regulators and the customers being or mariners to the fact that no longer will we tolerate having oil going into our environment. -- He’s going to have to watch his containment location to make sure it’s not going to fill up with rain 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. Capt. Gary Schimidt, Inspector Wa. St. Office of Marine Safety 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 vessel’s 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 made up the pre-loading plan, identifies the tanks and what tanks 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 fall 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. -- Number one reason for spill is overflowed tanks and no one there to catch them. Wane Sundberg, Manager Olympic Tug & Barge It’s usually the apathy of the crew or the complacency of the crew on board of us. -- Say there is a spill and it flown over into the tank, into the containment tank there. How long does it take to stop the operation? -- You got radio. Just tell them to stop bunkering, 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 harbor rules. In the United States, the regulations of the U.S. Coast Guard and internationally such agreements as the Singapore Bunkering Procedure and the European Harbormaster's guidelines. There are I.S.O. 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 three in safe bunkering requires that the person in charge designate key transfer personnel. [man talking from the radio] [foreign language] 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 have seen oil spilled, say a tank level monitor is a key preventer of accidents caused by valve alignment and topping errors. Capt. Gary Schmidt, Inspector Wa. St. Office of Marine Safety -- If they're pumping at 300 or 400 tons an hour, there's an awful lot of oil moving. 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 into the side, into the bay. Crew members assigned to bunkering should have no other duties during the oil transfer process. Step 4 in 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. Hand 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. Dave Burmeister, Ship Supt. Sea-Land Service, Inc. -- I think the bottom line to avoid any type of spills whatsoever, you've got to make sure that everybody's 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 port holes 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. Capt. Gary Schimidt, Inspector Wa. St. Office of Marine Safety -- You start filling a fuel tank. You know that it's going to take an hour and a half to fill his tank and you start daydreaming. 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 other so less 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. -- Chief engineer, 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, Capt. Richard Softye U.S. Coast Guard, COTP Puget Sound you have a delivering vessel and receiving vessel and those vessels must have a common language between them. They must be able to positively communicate between themselves. For storing, for mercy operations and for ending the transfer operation. -- Approximate how many barrels per hour do you want to pump on this? -- About 300 ton. -- 300 ton an hour? -- Okay, fine. -- During the pre-transfer conference, suppliers must also provide a Material Safety Data Sheet or M.S.D.S. to all parties present. The M.S.D.S. presents personnel with important information about the handling of a toxic substance such as oil. Including its toxicity, its health effects and the proper procedures in the event of a spill. 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. -- Right there on the red. -- Typical declarations of inspection cover the oil products to be received, sequence of transfer and flow rates, key 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. Dave Burmeister, Ship Supt. Sea-Land Service, Inc. -- 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 very easily we can quiz those people Capt. Richard Softye U.S. Coast Guard, COTP Puget Sound that are in fact involved 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 vessel’s 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 hour limitations in law. Check the local rules. Pay attention to the overall condition of the transfer hose. It must be adequately supported to avoid undo 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 begin 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 Fred Bayles, Chief Eng. Sea-Land Service, Inc. for some unknown reason. He can see that and would be able, with his radio, to stop the bunker 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. Capt. Gary Schimidt, Inspector Wa. St. Office of Marine Safety -- The only way you know that the valve to No. 3 port is completely closed is if you continue to take soundings in the tank for a little while. -- Ship's personnel should always be alert to the possible presence of H2S or benzene in bunker fuel and take adequate precautions. 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 shut down 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 that we go out Capt. Richard Softye U.S. Coast Guard, COTP Puget Sound and we educate them, we let them know that we're on scene and then we assist them 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. Capt. Gary Schimidt, Inspector Wa. St. Office of Marine Safety -- There isn't anybody who wants to see oil in the water. If the training session is the key or something else that we're doing is the key, then, we've done what we were 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. Dave Burmeister, Ship Supt. Sea-Land Service, Inc. -- I think we're all working the same avenue. I think we're working to the idea of heightening already good practices build 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 a positive direction at a progressive direction, we're going to find that we're very successful and that's the way we want to be. THE MARITIME SAFETY SERIES