Ship-to-ship transfer / Operational guideline and check item for oil tankers
Ship-to-ship (STS) transfer is an operation where crude oil or petroleum
products are transferred between seagoing ships moored alongside each other. Such
an operation may take place when one ship is at anchor or when both are underway.
In general, the expression includes the approach manoeuvre, berthing, mooring, hose
connecting, safe procedures for cargo transfer, hose disconnecting and unmooring.
Prior Ship-to-Ship operation
reference should be made to the vessel’s ship specific STS Plan.
Risk Assessment is to be undertaken in accordance with the STS Plan. STS locations shall be individually risk assessed and the assessment approved by the management office.
Where such an operation is expected the Master will be advised in advance. Before agreeing to a ship-to-ship transfer operation the Master must satisfy himself that all appropriate safety precautions have been taken and are in force on the lightering vessel as well as his own vessel. Procedures and checklists detailed in the ISGOTT Manual and the OCIMF Ship-to-Ship Transfer Guide are to be followed on both vessels involved.
All mooring, transfer and safety equipment for STS transfer must be checked and prepared ready for use prior to arrival.
During in-port ship-to-ship transfer operations a specialist Supervisor may sometimes be appointed to the ship. The Master must be in no doubt that this appointment in no way relieves him of his responsibility for the safety and security of his vessel and cargo.
If a Vapour Emission Control (VEC) system is to be used by vessels during a ship-to-ship transfer operation this must be done in accordance with, and having a full regard to the provisions of ISGOTT.
If the Master considers that a proposed STS transfer operation is either unsafe or unnecessary, it must not continue and the Company is to be advised immediately.
Checklist 1 – Pre- Fixture Information (for each ship)
What is the LOA ? What is parallel body length at loaded and ballast draughts?"
Will the transfer be conducted underway and, if so, can the ship maintain about five knots for a minimum of two hours?
Fig: ship to ship transfer at berth
Is the ship’s manifold arrangement in accordance with OCIMF Recommendations for oil Tanker Manifolds and Associated Equipment?
Is the ship’s lifting equipment in accordance with OCIMF recommendations for oil Tanker Manifolds and Associated Equipment?
What is the maximum and minimum expected height of the cargo manifold from the waterline during the transfer?
Sufficient manpower will be provided for all stages of the operation?
Are enclosed fairleads and moorings bitts in accordance with OCIMF Mooring Equipment Guidelines and are they of a sufficient number?
Can the ship supplying the moorings provide all lines on winch drums?
If moorings are wires or high modulus synthetic fiber ropes, are they fitted with synthetic tails at least eleven meters in length?
Full-sized mooring bitts of sufficient strength are suitably located near all enclosed fairleads to receive mooring ropes eyes?
Both sides of the ship are clear of any overhanging projections including bridge wings?
The transfer area has been agreed?
Checklist 2- Before Operations Commence
The two ships have been advised by ship owners that Checklist 1 has been completed satisfactorily?
Personnel comply with rest requirements of ILO 180, STCW or national regulations as appropriate?
Radio communications are established?
Language of operations has been agreed?
5. The rendezvous position off the transfer area is agreed?
6. Berthing and mooring procedures are agreed, including fender positions and number/ type of ropes to be provided by each ship?
The system and method of electrical insulation between ships has been agreed?
The ships are upright and at a suitable trim without any overhanging projections?
Engines, steering gear and navigational equipment have been tested and found in good order?
Ship’s boilers and tubes have been cleared of soot and it is understood that during STS operations, tubes must not be blown?
Engineers have been briefed on engine speed (and speed adjustment) requirements?
Weather forecasts have been obtained for the transfer area?
Hose lifting equipment is suitable and ready for use?
Cargo transfer hoses are properly tested and certified and in apparent good condition?
Fenders and associated equipment are visually in apparent good order?
The crew have been briefed on the mooring procedure?
The contingency plan is agreed?
Local authorities have been advised about the operation?
A navigational warning has been broadcast?
The other ship has been advised that Check-List 2 is satisfactorily completed?
For discharging ship/receiving ship checklist 3- Before run-in and mooring
Checklist 2 has been satisfactorily completed?
Primary fenders are floating in their proper place? Fender pennants are in order?
Secondary fenders are in place, if required?
Over side protrusions on side of berthing are retracted?
A proficient helmsman is at the wheel?
Cargo manifold connections are ready and marked?
Course and speed information has been exchanged and is understood?
Ship’s speed adjustment is controlled by changes to revolutions and/ or propeller pitch?
Navigational signals are displayed?
Adequate lighting is available?
Power is on winches and windlass and they are in good order?
Rope messengers, rope stoppers and heaving lines are ready for use?
All mooring lines are ready?
All mooring personnel are in position?
Communications are established with mooring personnel?
The anchor on opposite side to transfer is ready for dropping?
The other ship has been advised that Checklist 3 is satisfactorily completed?
Checklist 4 – Before Cargo Transfer
The ISGOTT Ship/Shore Safety Checklist has been satisfactorily completed?
Procedures for transfer of personnel have been agreed?
The gangway (if used) is in good position and well secured?
An inter-ship communication system is agreed?
Emergency signals and shutdown procedures are agreed?
An engine room watch will be maintained throughout transfer and the main engine ready for immediate use?
Fire axes or suitable cutting equipment is in position at fore and aft mooring stations?
A bridge watch and /or anchor watch are established?
Officers in charge of the cargo transfer on both ships are identified and posted?
A deck watch is established to pay particular attention to moorings, fenders, hoses, manifold observation and cargo pump controls?
The initial cargo transfer rate is agreed with other ship?
The maximum cargo transfer rates agreed with the other ship?
The topping-off rate is agreed with other ship?
Cargo hoses are well supported?
Tools required for rapid disconnection are located at the cargo manifold?
Details of the previous cargo of the receiving ship have been given to the discharging ship?
The other ship has been advised that Checklist 4 is satisfactorily completed?
Checklist 5 – Before Unmooring
Cargo hoses are properly drained prior to hose disconnection?
Cargo hoses or manifolds are blanked?
The transfer side of the ship is clear of obstructions (including hose lifting equipment)?
Secondary fenders are correctly positioned and secured for departure?
The method of unberthing and of letting go moorings has been agreed with the other ship?
Fenders, including fender pennants, are in good order?
Power is on winches and windlass?
There are rope messengers and rope stoppers at all mooring stations?
The crew are standing by at their mooring stations?
Communications are established with mooring personnel and with the other ship?
Shipping traffic in the area has been checked?
Main engine(s) and steering gear have been tested and are in a state of readiness for departure?
Mooring personnel have been cancelled (when clear of other ship)?
Navigational warnings have been cancelled (when clear of other ship)?
The other ship has been advised that Check-List 5 is satisfactorily completed?
Internal Transfer Of Cargo
It may become necessary to transfer cargo from tank to tank after sailing from a port because of short loading, or to adjust trim or stress. This may be carried out provided the required degree of separation is maintained. When this operation is carried out the safety precautions for loading/discharging must be in force, and due regard must be taken of the need to avoid any accidental spillage.
Internal cargo transfer may not be accepted by the charterers therefore prior to carrying out any cargo transfer operation, the Company’s permission must be obtained.
Acceptance / rejection of fuel in a quality dispute
Accepting fuel oil for ship use needs some careful consideration since poor quality fuel can cause ships main engine fuel system operational problems, such as purifier or filter clogging, fuel pump scoring or failure, severe cylinder liner wear, fuel injector seizure, exhaust valve seat corrosion or blow-past and turbocharger turbine wheel is fouling. Above is just a shortlist of potential problems. Ships chief engineer should apply his best judgment before deciding to accept or reject bunker fuel oil......
Operational guideline during bunkering
Fuel oil bunkering is a critical operation onboard ships that require receiving oil safely into the fuel oil tanks, without causing an overflow of oil. With the cost of bunkers amounting to 50% of the total operating costs of ships, shipowners need to seek ways to monitor and control this vast expenditure continually. Typically, physical custody transfer of bunkers is made thousands of miles away from the contracting parties' offices, with neither buyer nor seller present during actual bunkering operations.
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Common bunker terms and related guideline
Ships bunkering is generally applied to the storage of petroleum products in designated tanks for ship's main engine propulsion and power generation at sea. Bunkering is a major voyage cost for ship owners to run their business. A prudent shipowner/operator needs a bunkering plan – allowing for the purchase of bunkers at the best price in quantities sufficient for a safe voyage, but also allowing for the maximum carriage of cargo. Refueling of ships is carried out at all major seaports.
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Ships bunkering guideline- planning, preparation, safety checks & confirmation
Bunkering checklists should be implemented to reduce the risk of negligence and other operational errors. They must be followed in consultation with the chief engineer, as he is normally the designated officer-in-charge of the bunkering operation. Before bunkering, usually, a junior engineering officer takes soundings of bunker tanks and calculates the volume of fuel oil available in every fuel oil tank on the ship. Then a bunker plan is prepared for the distribution of the fuel oil to be received.
Bunkering arrangement and safety factors onboard When disputes arise over quantity and quality transferred, investigations after delivery are usually inconclusive if the shipboard personnel of the receiving vessel is not correct and or fully informed and trained. Protests, legal fees, management time, loss of goodwill, stress all add on to costs with usually neither party concluding with certainty what transpired onboard......
Bunkering safe procedure and detail guideline for ships
Bunkering may take place offshore, at anchor or alongside. It may be pumped from a road tanker, bunker barge, or another tanker or ship. Whatever the provider, the procedures followed are similar. Bunkering should be considered a high-risk operation, where mistakes can result in pollution, high financial penalties, or even imprisonment......
How to keep bunkering record ?
The consequences of bunker shortage or off-specification bunkers can be very severe. A lower quality bunker supply can lead to ship engine failure, incur loss-time, and additional expenses for refueling. In many parts of the world, greedy bunker suppliers make tricks to supply less.
Both this situation not only increases the financial burden of a shipowner but also damages business reputation. Some critical considerations, therefore, need to be made for a safe bunkering operation.
Precautions prior transferring fuel oil into storage tanks
Fuel oils are loaded through deck fill connections that have sample connections provided to allow the fuel to be sampled as it is taken aboard. HFO is placed in storage tanks fitted with heating coils. In preparation for use, HFO is transferred to the fuel oil settling tanks via FO transfer pumps, which are equipped with a suction strainer. Piping is so arranged that the pumps can convey fuel between storage tanks and the deck connections for offloading. Settling tanks are used to sanction gross water and solids to settle on the bottom.
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Treatment of waste oil and oily bilge
All modern cargo ship types are now essentially equipped with incinerators to process waste oil, bilge, and sludge generated in ships' machinery spaces and also overboard discharge arrangements under 15 ppm. However, if such onboard disposal is improper or impossible especially when ship transiting through a special area, all waste items should be taken ashore for disposal at a shore receiving facility......
Procedure for oil tankers and how to maintain records
Tankers are specialized vessels that include crude oil, product, chemical, LNG, and other tanker types. Tankers spend considerable time in ballast given the typical one -way nature of the underlying trades. Tankers are selfdischarging and most are equipped with a series of pumps that allow for a fast turnaround in port......
Heating of fuel oil storage tank
Ships fuel oil bunker tanks and waste oil tanks must have some form of tank heating. Normally the heating is by way of steam produced by an oil-fired boiler and passed through coils inside the oil tank. Other ways to heat the fuel tanks are by using thermal oil. It also utilizes an oil fired boiler that heats the thermal oil, which is circulated through coils inside the tank by a pump. Temperature regulation and monitoring can be automatic and self-adjusting but are commonly effected by checking the tank temperature and manually adjusting the heating accordingly......
Fuel oil viscosity control
Fuel viscosity control is a method to control viscosity and temperature of Fuel Oil (FO) for an active fire in diesel engines of motor vessels and generators of oil-fired energy plants. Fuel oil's viscosity heavily depends on the temperature; the higher is the temperature, the lower is the viscosity......
Tanker vessel safety guideline - inert gas system
Vessels carrying cargos that produce hydrocarbon vapors require an inerting solution to eliminate the risk of explosions and fires in cargo tanks ( crude oil tankers, chemical tankers, product tankers, gas carrier, etc.). Inert Gas System is used to keep the oxygen content below 8%, a standard set by the International Maritime Organisation ( IMO )......
Tanker vessel safety guideline - gas freeing procedure
The safest way to gas free an oil tank which is fitted with an inert gas system is to use a fan and vent the tank. Before entry, an O2 meter must be used and the tank must also be checked with an explosimeter. These meters must also be used while in the tank. The sketch shows a diagrammatic view of an explosimeter.....
Precautions prior entering freezing zone - Check items in oil tankers operation
Ocean water freezes just like freshwater, but at lower temperatures. Freshwater freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but seawater freezes at about 28.4 degrees Fahrenheit, because of the salt in it. Due to the presence of many hostile conditions, any merchant ship, while entering a freezing sea area, significant challenges are being encountered concerning safety and reliability of navigation. Shipmaster should ensure that the following measures have been taken to prevent damage to Vessel, Machinery, Pipelines, and Equipment prior entry into areas with Freezing Conditions......
Tanker vessel safety guideline - how to prevent oil spillage
There exists an inherent risk of oil spillage while handling oil cargo on board an oil tanker. However, good prevention initiatives can go a long way in reducing the risk of oil pollution from ships. In the event of any oil spillage from the ship, it is necessary to ensure that effective preparedness measures are in place to ensure a timely and coordinated response to limit the adverse consequences of pollution incidents involving oil and hazardous and noxious substances (HNS). We have summarized below some fundamental guideline for safe handling of oil cargo.....
Tanker vessel safety guideline - tank cleaning procedures
Tank cleaning is the process of removing hydrocarbon vapors, liquids, or residues from cargo tanks onboard a tanker. Tank cleaning may be required for one or more of the following reasons:
To carry clean ballast, gas-free tanks for internal inspections, repairs, or before entering the dry dock. Also to remove sediments from tank top plating.
Pumproom procedure
A pump room onboard an oil tanker contains the largest concentration of cargo pipelines of any space within the ship and leakage of a volatile product from any part of this system could lead to the rapid generation of a flammable or toxic atmosphere......
Pumproom inspection for tankers
Correct use and setup of pump room(s) ventilation systems are essential to ensure that pump room(s) remain free from explosive or toxic atmospheres. Invariably the system fans are set up to make suction from below the bottom floor plates, i.e., from the bilge area. It gives full and proper circulation of all air in the pumproom to maintain a safe atmosphere......
Crude oil washing for tankers Crude oil washing (C.O.W.) is a system whereby oil tanks on a tanker are cleaned out between voyages not with water, but with crude oil - the cargo itself. The solvent action of crude oil makes the cleaning process far more effective than when water is used. However, such a technique of washing cargo tanks involves many hazards, and careful consideration will need to be made for safe planning and execution. ......
Oil pollution prevention method
Any misuse of fuel oil can lead to significant claims and jeopardize the safety of the ship. The International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT) makes recommendations for the safe carriage and handling of petroleum cargo, which is seen as a fundamental part of overall Tanker Safety.
General precautions for tankers Navigating through thunderstorms should be avoided as far as practically possible by changing of course while cargo related activities are carried out which may result in discharge of flammable vapors. If the passing through thunderstorms cannot be avoided, all open cargo oil tank hatches should be closed until the vessel has passed through the thunderstorm The valves in the main vent lines may be temporarily secured in locked position, but must be opened immediately after passing through the thunderstorm........
Tanker equipment and machinery The Chief Engineer and Chief Officer shall jointly be responsible for the inspection and maintenance of the following cargo oil transfer equipment and machinery before entering port. The Chief Engineer shall prepare and maintain the equipment manuals of machinery and equipment, including critical components related to cargo operations including the procedures for their Emergency operation. All items should be in good operational condition.
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