Safety First

SAFETY FIRST! from the SQE Department

MESSAGE FROM THE DPA: Keep up & “share” the good work! This is the meaning of Best Practices.

Dear seafarers,

Over the past few years, the Shipping Industry has considered the process of collecting and circulating Best Practices to be a vital tool for continuously improving Safety Culture. During December 2020 a Health & Safety Campaign was launched to IDENTIFY, COLLECT and SHARE Safety Best Practices in common areas of Risk Assessment across the Company Fleet. The goal was to receive ONE Best Practice from each vessel per month for SIX months. That Campaign ended in June 2021 and another one commenced for the 2nd semester of 2021. This one will conclude by the end of December 2021. We have received your ideas and noticed quite a lot of enthusiasm across the Company fleet! Our shore personnel in the relevant Departments have reviewed all your Best Practices. All of your suggestions have been great. However, we needed to short list them so that we can easily share: a. the more beneficial ones. There are 11 of these and they will be circulated to the Fleet. Each vessel will choose whether to adopt them on board. b. the Top 5 Best Practices, i.e. the winners of the award. These are published in our Elli Moretti Wavelength Safety Bulletin. However, as it has been difficult to choose from among some very good cases, we have decided that there will be 9 finalists with the ideas coming from 8 different vessels. All 9 best practices will have to be implemented across the fleet. c. From the 9 finalists, we chose the number ONE! -As a token of our appreciation, all the Officers/Crew who were on board the specific vessels at the time when one of the Top Best Practices was suggested will be awarded an Internet card. -The Officers/Crew on board the vessel providing the Top Best Practice will receive twice the aforementioned prize!

Top 9 Best Practices

M/T Alexia – • Safe Access to the Ship’s Manifold • Steps fabricated on board

M/T Yannis P. – • For the smooth, safe and fast operation of the WB spool piece installation, the vessel suggests installing a strong point at the next dry dock in the relevant position, abeam of the spool piece storage position.

M/T CE-Niriis – • Warnings signs ''MOORING LINES DO NOT CROSS'' posted on mooring lines while the vessel is at berth

M/V Alliance - • On the Engine Control Room Main Circuit Board, there should be added for all equipment an indication of kW. When one Aux. Generator is running and the EOW knows the maximum capacity for the AG, he can then start any other equipment as it will be easy to calculate if it is necessary to start one more generator or not.

M/V Alliance – • Lifting gears organised with markings and certificates with the S.W.L. indicated

M/V Apageon – • Use of a Retractable Type Fall Arrester at all times when taking draft M/T CE-Hamilton – • The safety harness always together with the life vest on stand- by at the gangway area during preparation before arrival and departure at ports

M/T Mikela P. – • A “tools stand” placed in the starboard mast-house with all essential tools- this is very useful during cargo/bunker hose connection /disconnection operations at the manifolds

M/T Mikela P. – • Always keep on stand-by in the Engine Control Room a tool box with essential instruments for the Duty Engineer.

Finally, the Top of the Top Best Practices chosen is:

M/T Merapi – • Lighting panel – “Let there be light” We would like to congratulate our 2nd Officer JACOB THOMAS PRITISH for the meticulous preparation of the Best practice with the title “Let there be light”. This is a text extract from his excellent presentation: “On ships lighting systems are continuously monitored and checked and serviced on a timely basis; with due regard given to emergency lighting and backup systems. Many times, it’s not completely conclusive through standard onboard safety familiarization the entire operation of lighting and control and current status especially on bridge. It takes time and experience eventually leading to an instinctual nature to find and illuminate a particular area of the vessel…. The OOW faces the typical scenario to go through the labels with a flashlight in dark hours to identify the right switch to toggle and relate, and at times, it is an experimentation process… Use numbers or color codes or a combination of both to identify the light ...” (Detailed instructions on how to implement this best practice will be forwarded to the Fleet)

We would like to thank all our Seamen for taking the time, in addition to their various tasks, to observe and report best practices that will not only make their lives on board the vessel safer and easier but at the same time will also improve safety on board other vessels of the Fleet. Keep up & “share” the good work! I wish you safe voyages and a safe return home, Elli Moretti