Essential Requirements for Unattended Machinery Space (UMS) Ship

 

Essential Requirements for Unattended

Machinery Space (UMS) Ship

Essential requirements for any unattended machinery space (UMS) Ship to able to sail at sea are enumerated in the SOLAS 1974 Chapter II-1 Construction - Structure, subdivision and stability, machinery and electrical installations,

Part - E Additional requirements for periodically unattended machinery spaces

Regulations 46 General Regulations 47 Fire Precaution Regulations 48 Protection against Flooding Regulations 49 Control of Propulsion Machinery from Navigation Bridge Regulations 50 communication Regulations 51 alarm system Regulations 52 safety system Regulations 53 Special requirements for machinery, boiler and electrical installations

Regulation 46

General

1. The arrangements provided shall be such as to ensure that the safety of the ship in all sailing conditions, including manoeuvring, is equivalent to that of a ship having the machinery spaces manned.

2. Measures shall be taken to the satisfaction of the Administration to ensure that the equipment is functioning in a reliable manner and that satisfactory arrangements are made for regular inspections and routine tests to ensure continuous reliable operation.

3. Every ship shall be provided with documentary evidence, to the satisfaction of the

Administration, of its fitness to operate with periodically unattended machinery spaces.

Regulation 47

Fire Precaution

 1. Arrangement should be provided on UMS ship to detect and give alarm in case of fire. 

 a. In the boiler air supply casing and uptake

 b. In scavenge space of propulsion machinery.

 2. In engines of power 2250 Kw and above or cylinders having bore more than 300mm should be provided with oil mist detector for crankcase or bearing temperature monitor or either of two.

Regulation 48

Protection against Flooding

 1. Bilge well in UMS ship should be located and provided in such a manner that the accumulation of liquid is detected at normal angle of heel and trim and should also have enough space to accommodate the drainage of liquid during unattended period

.2. In case of automatic starting of bilge pump, the alarm should be provided to indicate that the flow of liquid pumped is more than the capacity of the pump.

Regulation 49

Control of Propulsion Machinery from Navigation Bridge 

1. The ship should be able to be controlled from bridge under all sailing conditions. The bridge should be able to control the speed, direction of thrust, and should be able to change the pitch in case of controllable pitch propeller.

 2. Emergency stop should be provided on navigating bridge, independent of bridge control system.

 3. The remote operation of the propulsion should be possible from one location at a time; at such connection interconnected control position are permitted.

 4. The number of consecutive automatic attempt which fails to start the propulsion machinery shall be limited to safeguard sufficient starting air pressure.

 5. Centralized control & instruments are required in Machinery Space 6. Centralized control system should be there so that engineers may be called to the machinery space during emergencies from wherever they are.

Regulation 50

Communication

A reliable means of vocal communication shall be provided between the main machinery control room or the propulsion machinery control position as appropriate, the navigation bridge and the engineer officers’ accommodation.

Regulation 51

Alarm System 

1. An alarm system shall be provided indicating any fault requiring attention and shall:

a). be capable of sounding an audible alarm in the main machinery control room or at the propulsion machinery control position, and indicate visually

b).Have a connection to the engineers’ public rooms and to each of the engineers’ cabins c. activate an audible and visual alarm on the navigation bridge for any situation which requires action by or attention of the officer on watch; d. activate the engineers’ alarm if an alarm function has not received attention locally within a limited time.

2. The alarm system shall be continuously powered and shall have an automatic change-over to a stand-by power supply in case of loss of normal power supply.

3. Failure of the normal power supply of the alarm system shall be indicated by an alarm.

4. The alarm system shall be able to indicate at the same time more than one fault and the acceptance of any alarm shall not inhibit another alarm.

Regulation 52

Safety systems

A safety system shall be provided to ensure that serious malfunction in propulsion machinery or boiler operations, which presents an immediate danger, shall initiate the automatic shutdown

Regulation 53

Special requirements for machinery, boiler and electrical installations

1. The main source of electrical power shall comply with the following:

a. In the case of loss of the generator in operation, a stand-by generator of sufficient capacity to permit propulsion and steering and to ensure the safety of the ship with automatic restarting of the essential auxiliaries including, where necessary, sequential operations.

b. If the electrical power is normally supplied by more than one generator simultaneously in parallel operation, loss of one of these generating sets, the remaining ones are kept in operation without overload to permit propulsion and steering, and to ensure the safety of the ship.

2. Where stand-by machines are required for other auxiliary machinery essential to propulsion, automatic change-over devices shall be provided.

3. Automatic control and alarm system

a. The control system shall be such that the services needed for the operation of the main propulsion machinery and its auxiliaries are ensured through the necessary automatic arrangements.

b. An alarm shall be given on the automatic change-over.

c. A centralized control position shall be arranged with the necessary alarm panels and instrumentation indicating any alarm.

4. Means shall be provided to keep the starting air pressure at the required level where internal combustion engines are used for main propulsion.

Besides solar requirement following are also to be fulfilled

• Fire station shall have remote control operation of emergency fire pump, fire and GS pump, quick closing valve, ventilators fire extinguishing medium etc.

• Automatic starting of emergency generator and audio and video alarm it started

• Level alarm should be filled with F.O, L.O & D.O tanks

• Auto top up of settling tank (FO)

• E/R sounding pipes are fitted with caps and self-closing cocks

• Fuel oil high pressure pipe are fitted with external casing which leads to a fuel oil drain tank with level alarm in cage of pipelines and pipe bust

• Purifier auto desludging

• Bilge pump long run

• All st- by pump start alarm

• Dead man alarm