If the mechanical and electrical equipment (main propulsion device, main power supply, emergency power supply, boiler, steering device) fails in the process of entering and leaving the port and channel with heavy water traffic, the ship's maneuvering will be limited, and it is very easy to cause dangerous accidents.
Since April 7, the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport has carried out a nationwide special action to prevent the failure of ship mechanical and electrical equipment, focusing on reducing the risk of ship mechanical and electrical equipment failure, and focusing on preventing and curbing water traffic accidents.
Below, Xiaobian will introduce a case of marine main engine cylinder head injector failure, exposing the potential safety hazards of ship mechanical and electrical equipment caused by substandard spare parts quality, hoping to arouse the vigilance and attention of relevant shipping companies and ships, draw inferences from one another, and strengthen investigation and self-correction.
Failures caused by quality problems in spare parts for electromechanical equipment
01
Near danger of failure of the main power system
In March 2024, a large bulk carrier "A" sailed from the anchorage to the berth, and the main engine suddenly surged, black smoke, and power plummeted during the voyage until it made an obvious abnormal noise and slowed down by itself. After receiving the report from the ship, the maritime agency immediately initiated emergency response and coordinated the temporary anchorage point for the ship to anchor next to the water area under the alignment system. After nearly 8 hours of investigation and repair, the ship completed the repair and berthed smoothly.
After boarding the ship, the maritime law enforcement officers found that the direct cause of the failure of the main engine of the ship was the sudden poor atomization of the fuel injector of the No. 4 cylinder head during work, which caused the continuous deterioration of the working condition of the main engine and the sudden drop in power, and finally had to be shut down for maintenance.
02
Root cause of failure
After inspecting the ship's 2023 and 2024 engine room equipment maintenance plans, monthly maintenance plans from January to December 2023 and January to March 2024 and related maintenance work records, maritime law enforcement officers found that the NO.4 cylinder head injector of the ship had been replaced when the total operating time of the main engine was 38386 hours, and there were 2780 hours left before the next maintenance time. After comparing the total working time records of the main engine with the electronic records of the main engine running time of the main engine in the centralized control room, the operation console, and other relevant records, it is confirmed that the ship has indeed maintained the main engine in accordance with the relevant maintenance plan.
After further evidence inquiry and interviews, the maritime law enforcement officers found that the faulty injector was not the original spare parts of the main engine, and the management company supplied the same type of spare parts from other manufacturers to the ship in order to save expenses.
The same type of hidden danger exposed by related cases
Coincidentally, on April 15, when maritime law enforcement officers conducted a flag state inspection of the "C" ship whose main engine failed during the domestic coastal voyage, they also found that the ship suddenly failed and shut down the main engine due to the non-original parts of the main engine high-pressure oil pump plunger.
Security management recommendations
In view of the same type of problems exposed in the above-mentioned cases, shipping companies should purchase and supply reliable original spare parts for ships according to the type of mechanical and electrical equipment used in the engine room. Before the company re-supplies new spare parts, it is recommended that the person in charge of the equipment make statistics and pay attention to the same batch of spare parts in use, and increase the frequency of maintenance in a targeted manner to avoid the recurrence of mechanical and electrical equipment failures caused by similar problems.
Source: Hebei Maritime Safety Administration
Picks:
Today's Notices and Warnings
A picture to understand the "Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Ship Inspection"
Case Study (6) - Fuel Quality or Fuel Heating?
The theme for World Seafarers' Day 2024 has been officially launched
Media Focus丨Maritime News Quick Facts, Issue 92