This Safety Alert addresses two issues: watertight integrity and high
level bilge alarms.
Washington, DC (May 9th): Recently, a marine casualty involving a fishing vessel
in the Bering Sea resulted in multiple fatalities and complete loss of the
vessel. A Marine Board of Investigation is currently examining the various
circumstances surrounding the casualty. Although the investigation is not
complete, testimony indicates the flooding of the vessel may have been
exacerbated due to open or leaking watertight doors and other compartmental
deficiencies which impacted the vessel's overall watertight integrity.
As a result of this and other similar casualties, the U. S. Coast Guard strongly
recommends vessel owners and operators:
•WATERTIGHT INTEGRITY
Ensure all watertight decks and bulkheads are inspected periodically to verify
that there are no unprotected openings or improper penetrations that will allow
progressive flooding and that closure devices (e.g. watertight doors, duct
closures, etc.) are in place and in working order.
Ensure all crewmembers are familiar with the locations of the watertight doors (WTDs)
and weather tight closures throughout their vessels. Knowing the locations of
such WTDs and weather tight closures should be part of the crewmember vessel
familiarization process.
Ensure WTDs and hatches are closed while at sea and as otherwise specified in
the stability guidance provided to the master or individual in charge. The
importance of keeping WTDs and hatches closed should be emphasized on a regular
basis (e.g. at safety meetings). WTDs and hatches should be opened only briefly
to allow passage and labeled appropriately to remind crewmembers to close them.
If they must remain open to permit work, WTDs and hatches should be attended at
all times so that they can immediately be closed. Any WTDs permitted to be open
while the vessel is underway should be secured during drills to ensure they work
properly.
Implement a WTD inspection program to ensure each WTD is regularly inspected and
properly maintained. As part of the inspection of each WTD, the following should
be examined: straightness of the knife edge; the door assembly for twisting or
warp-age; evidence of loose, missing seized or damaged components; permanent set
in gasket material, cracks in the gasket; gaps at gasket joints; paint, rust, or
other foreign material on gaskets, knife-edges and working parts; binding and
difficult operations; and loose or excessively tight dogs. Rotating spindles of
the dog, handles and hinges, and other points of friction should be lubricated
to prevent seizing and allow proper closure. If fitted, the spindle packing
should also be examined.
Ensure watertight hatches, dogged manholes, bolted manhole covers, and access
plates are given similar examinations, focusing on the sealing surfaces and the
method by which the hatch is secured. Gasket materials should be replaced
whenever they are found insufficient. Regardless of the type of hatch or access,
every component that secures the device, such as dogs, wing nuts, or bolts
should be inspected, lubricated and free, and repaired or replaced as necessary
to ensure they operate properly. As with watertight doors, hatches and accesses
should be labeled to indicate they remain closed while underway. Most
importantly, all securing devices must be used when the hatch or access is
closed. Improper closure of a hatch will not prevent flooding.
Ensure compartments and external hull structures fitted with ventilation ducts
that have hinged covers with gaskets, hinges, sealing surfaces and securing
mechanisms are regularly inspected and properly maintained (see above for
guidance).
Ensure electrical cables and conduits, piping runs, remote valve actuators, and
other components that penetrate watertight bulkheads, decks, and compartments
are inspected frequently and properly maintained. Each may have a unique sealing
method involving glands with packing assemblies, penetration seals, or other
methods. Frequent inspection and proper maintenance of these various fittings
and assemblies will assist in minimizing the possibility of progressive flooding.
•BILGE AND HIGH WATER ALARMS
Ensure water accumulation is minimized and all spaces are kept dry unless
permitted by the stability instructions provided to the master or individual in
charge.
Ensure bilge high level alarms are arranged to provide the earliest warnings of
abnormal accumulation. The high level bilge alarms should be set as low as
possible to the deck or bilge well and positioned along the centermost area of
the compartment or in a location at which the fluids will gravitate to first. In
areas where bilge water routinely accumulates, the bilge high level alarms
should be placed just above the point where under normal working conditions the
accumulation would be pumped to a holding tank, overboard, or through an oily
water separation system if required. Alarms may be fitted with short time delays
to prevent nuisance alarms caused by the rolling and pitching of the vessel.
Ensure all crewmembers understand the importance of minimizing water in the
bilges.
Provide the funding, labor, spare parts, and vessel availability necessary to
ensure leakages stemming from machinery, equipment and other components are kept
to a minimum at all times in accordance with good marine practice.
This safety alert is provided for informational purposes only and does not
relieve any domestic or international safety, operational or material
requirement. Developed and distributed by the Office of Investigations and
Analysis, United States Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC. Contact the
Office of Investigations and Analysis at: http://marineinvestigations.us.