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Cold Wave Approaches and Vessel Management

2021-10-29Views：1067

The Central Meteorological Observatory issued a blue cold wave warning at 10:00 on November 8:

Affected by the cold wave, it is expected that from 14:00 on November 8 to 14:00 on November 9, parts of central-eastern Northeast China, southeastern Jiangnan, and South China will see temperature drops of 6–8°C, among which parts of northeastern Liaoning, eastern Jilin, southeastern Zhejiang, Fujian, eastern Guangdong, and Hainan Island may see temperature drops of around 10°C, accompanied by northerly winds of force 5–7 and gusts of force 8–10;

After the temperature drop, the 0°C minimum temperature line will be located from the northern Jiangsu-Anhui region and northern Hubei to northern Sichuan, and the minimum temperature in central and northern South China will drop below 10°C.

The Central Meteorological Observatory continued to issue a yellow warning for strong winds at sea at 10:00 on November 8:

It is expected that from the afternoon to night of the 8th, the Bohai Sea, Bohai Strait, most of the Yellow Sea, most of the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, sea area east of Taiwan, Bashi Channel, parts of the northeastern and central-western South China Sea, and Beibu Gulf will experience northwest to northeast winds of force 8–9 with gusts of force 10–11.

According to accident statistics,the period of cold waves and strong winds is a high-incidence period for maritime traffic accidents., so all seafarer friends should remain vigilant and must not underestimate the dangers that cold waves and strong winds pose to the safe navigation of ships.

So what hazards can cold wave and strong wind weather bring to the safe navigation of ships?

The common hazards it causes to water traffic mainly include cargo falling overboard, personnel falling overboard, ship sinking, dragging anchor, grounding, hitting rocks, collision, and flooding.

Specifically, there are the following situations:

WINTER

(1) Drop in oil temperature: low temperature can easily cause hydraulic pipelines to burst.

(2) Outdoor pipelines are prone to freezing damage, especially when residual water is not fully drained from the pipelines, they are more likely to be frozen and damaged, such as causing fire pumps or emergency fire pumps to be unusable.

(3) Some fire extinguishing equipment may be damaged or fail to operate properly outdoors due to extreme low temperatures.

(4) The originally used river or freshwater ballast water may freeze in severe cold weather because it has not been completely replaced with seawater, making drainage difficult.

(5) Due to sea surface freezing, floating ice blocks may be sucked into the cooling system, blocking the filters, which may force the vessel to stop in the fairway to clean the filters, affecting navigation order in the waterway.

(6) Strong winds can easily cause vessels to drag anchor. Some vessels are not prepared to withstand strong winds. If the main engine is not in a warmed-up and standby state, once anchor dragging occurs, collisions and anchor loss accidents are likely to happen.

(7) In winter strong winds, vessels may have difficulty mooring, and mooring line breakage events are likely to occur.

(8) When sailing in heavy weather with strong winds and waves, if the ship's rolling period is close to the wave period, synchronous rolling may occur. Severe rolling may cause cargo shift or even capsize.

Guide to Cold Weather and Freeze Protection for Ships
1. Pay Attention to Weather Changes and Make Preparations Early

As the captain, one must constantly pay attention to weather changes, especially cold waves, strong winds, temperature drops, freezing, rain, snow, fog, and haze, which directly affect the safe production of the ship. Combined with the ship's own characteristics, make preparations early and take preventive measures early.

2. Pay Attention to Machinery and Equipment, and Properly 'Add Clothes' for Warmth

1. Water pipes, water tanks, and oil pipes exposed on deck should be wrapped with insulation to prevent freezing during the cold winter period.
2. The fresh water tank in the lifeboat should not be filled with more than 3/4 full; the fresh water tank in the boat and outdoor foam fire extinguishers can be wrapped with insulating material. Check whether the lifeboat has been changed to antifreeze lubricating oil.
3. The ship's navigation lights should be kept on continuously day and night during navigation. The purpose is to drive off moisture in severe cold, keep the interior of the navigation lights dry, prevent the filament from sudden cooling and heating, and extend service life.
4. The lashing equipment for deck containers and the twist locks at the container feet can freeze and be caught in ice if they are hit by waves or splashed during navigation. It is suggested to wrap the container feet with straw.
5. Do a good job of antifreeze protection for fire-fighting water pipes. Drain off all residual water before closing them, to prevent a fire from being impossible to fight because the fire-fighting water pipes are frozen.
6. Heating and moisture-proof equipment in deck machinery and electric motors should be turned on; in severe cold weather, key electromechanical equipment may be kept running continuously as appropriate.
7. The lighting bulbs in outdoor gyrocompass repeaters, tachometer repeaters, and rudder angle indicators should be kept on continuously both day and night.
8. The drain valve of the swimming pool should be kept open in winter to prevent rainwater from flowing into the pipe and cracking it due to freezing.
Many check valves are made of plastic. If water inside them freezes into ice, these plastic valves will burst. Therefore, remember to take them back to the accommodation area.

3. Pay attention to anti-slip and anti-freezing measures to prevent personnel from falling.

Apply anti-slip measures to stairways and install protective nets to avoid the danger of personnel slipping and falling.
In cold weather, be sure to drain the water out of the deck pipes, otherwise it will be troublesome if it freezes inside.
As everyone knows, remember to drain the water from the deck steam pipes, fire-fighting pipes, compressed air pipes, and deck fresh water pipes.
Usually, the fresh water pipes in the living quarters should be wrapped with some insulation material, as shown in the figure above.
In addition, turn off the cold water pipe and only open the hot water pipe. In this way, the fresh water pipes here will not freeze.
When the deck is icy, spread a little yellow sand to prevent slipping. At the same time, in severe cold weather, straw mats and yellow sand should be prepared. If icing occurs, spread straw mats or a little yellow sand on gangways, side doors, and crew passageways to prevent slipping, and assign dedicated personnel to keep watch to ensure safety.

4. Pay attention to personnel heating and strictly prevent ship fires

Ships under repair or laid up are strictly prohibited from using high-power electrical appliances. When using medium or low-power heating appliances, someone must be present to watch them. When personnel leave, the power plug should be pulled out. Do not use heaters to dry flammable items such as clothes. Open flames for drying are strictly prohibited to prevent fires and personal injury or death accidents.
Flammable and explosive materials that must be centrally stored are not allowed to be kept privately. It is forbidden to burn paper or set off fireworks arbitrarily, and it is strictly prohibited to play with life-saving signal flares.
When smoking, cigarette butts and matchsticks must be extinguished and put into ashtrays. Do not litter or throw them overboard, and do not throw them into trash bins. When leaving the room, turn off electrical appliances such as lights and fans. In rainy or rough weather, close portholes tightly. It is forbidden to lock the door while sleeping during navigation.
Smoking is prohibited in the engine room, cargo holds, stores rooms, or storerooms. Lying down while smoking in the bedroom is prohibited. Smoking on deck is prohibited during cargo handling or bunkering.

Guidelines for Coping with Cold Wave and Strong Winds

Strengthen Watchkeeping to Prevent Vessel Dragging Anchor

1. Fully consider wind, waves, and current conditions; keep a safe distance from other anchored vessels, channels, and shorelines; and choose a suitable anchorage point for anchoring.

2. Appropriately increase the anchor chain length, or choose to drop twin anchors or a surge anchor;

3. Strengthen watchkeeping during anchoring; if dragging anchor occurs, promptly notify nearby vessels and report to the maritime traffic management center at the first opportunity.

Low temperature and strong winds: Beware of ship capsizing

1. Meet the requirements for wind resistance stability and trim by adjusting ballast water (ballast);

2. Secure loaded cargo and lash items that are prone to movement to avoid shifting and displacement caused by rough seas;

3. Keep watertight doors closed and ensure deck scuppers, bilge wells, and other drainage are unobstructed to prevent water ingress into the compartments;

4. Closely monitor deck icing caused by shipping green water, and prevent increases in draft, reductions in freeboard, and changes in stability due to icing.

Sailing in strong winds: Do not turn blindly

1. If encountering a sudden gust while underway, reduce speed appropriately and maintain the bow at an angle of 20–30 degrees to the wind, heaving to;

2. When strong winds suddenly arise, avoid arbitrary turning while sailing;

3. Strengthen precautions against conditions such as flying foam and poor visibility during navigation to prevent ship collision accidents.

With the arrival of the cold wave and strong wind season, ships should closely monitor weather and warning information, strengthen equipment maintenance and watchkeeping, strictly comply with water traffic safety regulations, enhance duty watches, maintain a proper lookout, and navigate with caution. In case of a maritime emergency, promptly call the rescue phone number“12395”