Nostalgia

In recent years technology has made huge steps in all sectors, including the maritime industry. In this Nostalgia edition we will see the progress made in means of communication and on other operational equipment on board vessels as well as the risks involved.

Technology has made our lives easier, taking us from the days of Morse code, telex machines, telegraphs, typewriters, carbon papers and airmail to modern day computers, printers, scanners, emails and other online real time applications/ programs. I am sure the more experienced remember the time consuming and tiring procedure of sending/receiving messages on the telex and those long sheets of printed voyage orders! Everything is easier and simpler now, sitting comfortably at your desk, typing on your keyboard and sending messages with a click of the mouse.

The M/T CE Wave’s (Aframax tanker built in 1992) radio room with telex

There are three main reasons why vessels require communication: for navigation purposes, communication between ships or helping ships in need/saving lives at sea, and for obtaining information. You can understand how much technology has helped in all the above, with telephone communication, computers and the Internet setting milestones in communication. Until the discovery of radio waves, navigation was limited to what a seafarer could see or hear. During the age of sailing with the power of the wind, trumpets, flag signals and flares were the means of communication. And flying the national flag upside down is still an internationally recognized distress signal. I am sure the more senior crew on board all remember the difficulties of communicating with their loved ones. The only means of communication was letters, which could only be sent when the vessel called at a port. Having to wait for weeks, or even months, to hear news from family and friends and sometimes only finding out important news well after it at had actually occurred must have been nerve racking. I am sure you can almost still feel the anxiety of not hearing from your family and the joy and strength that receiving a letter via airmail gave you. Luckily, technology now gives the crew on board vessels the opportunity for direct, efficient and regular communication with their families and loved ones. Technology has improved and simplified things not only as far as communication is concerned (IT) but also in operation technology (OT), meaning the technology of machines, equipment and software on board ships, with the invention of ECDIS, GPS, CCTV, Remote support for engines, Engine control and Dynamic positioning. My first visit aboard a Marine Trust vessel, the Captain A. Stellatos in 2018, certified the progress made in IT and OT systems on board vessels. M/T Captain Stellatos, aframax 105,484 mt deadweight, built in 2010 was acquired from the historic company, India Steamship, in 2017 together with her sister vessels Merbabu, Semeru and Namrata. Constructed in Hyundai Heavy Industries and fully coated, she was named after, and in memory of, our former Marine Operations Manager, who passed away in 2015.

Just one view of a modern vessel’s bridge: marine radars, antennas Left: Mr Fivos Christopoulos (Operations Manager) and right: Ms Eleftheria Lemontzoglou (Operator)

The Bridge seems quite complicated, but actually makes the seafarers life easier, as at the touch of a button, major operations such as steering/maneuvering the vessel can be carried out.

Nostalgia

The ECDIS, electronic chart system utilizes the GPS to greatly ease the navigator’s workload with its automatic capabilities such as passage planning, automatic ETA computation and ENC updating.

Radar system, the eyes of the navigator, minimizing the risk of collisions

Echo sounder, sonar used to determine the depth of the water, eliminating the method of measuring depth via lowering a sounding line until it touched bottom Automated gauging, loading, discharging system saves time, effort and errors.

Unattended Machinery Spaces (UMS), a marine automation system for ship’s engine room

Modern technology in IT and OT systems has made working on board a vessel less complicated or at least that is what we think… While technology has saved a lot of time and effort, it also has its own pitfalls and dangers. With the increase in software and automation, we continuously increase the risk of being exposed due to a leak in Cyber security. Cyber-attacks, cyber security policies and procedures are the new reality and a challenge for our seafarers nowadays. A cyber security threat to IT would impose mainly a financial and reputational risk. However, a threat to OT could lead to loss of life and property as well as environmental damage! Risk factors are limited education / awareness, age of technology deployed, limited and irregular network connectivity. Typical targets are Ransom (vessel or crew), Cargo theft (while on board or once landed), theft of information and external damage. The direct targets are people and assets. Assets are usually targeted with Malware. People are usually targeted with Social Engineering. So, although sending emails via telex was a lengthy and tiring procedure or steering a vessel over the globe required an experienced and very capable Captain, there was no room for intrusion. Nowadays technology has made our lives easier, but we always have to be aware, avoid complacency and maintain chronic unease in order to avoid the dangers that cyber reality hides.

At this point, as another Nostalgia edition comes to an end, I’d like to once again thank our Wavelength readers who have gained a vast interest in the Nostalgia section, as exhibited by their increasing participation in the collection of the material required to make this feature possible, which is nothing other than treasured and priceless memories captured by the click of a camera! So please keep up the good work and continue sending in the photos you have collected over the years (contact@wavelength.gr) so that we all have the chance to enjoy the story they have to tell.

Eleftheria Lemontzoglou, Operator

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b. Sliding pads on deck and tank piping Sliding pads of phenolic resin or teflon are inserted between pipes and supports for longitudinally and transversely installed pipes on deck, cargo tanks and ballast tanks to prevent bimetallic contact corrosion, prolong the pipes and supports lifetime and maintain the deck’s good appearance.

Figure 24: Sliding pads c. Bolted type zinc anodes in ballast tanks Bolted type zinc anodes are used in ballast tanks and preferred to welded type anodes, as they allow for easier installation. There is also another benefit of using bolts for connection which is that anodes are replaceable so no damage is caused to the ballast tanks surface coating, as is the case with welded type anodes.

Figure 25: Zinc anodes of bolted type

d. GRP Ballast Pipes Glass-reinforced plastics technology is applied in the ballast piping of various Company vessels such as in the HSHI Suezmaxes, NTS Capesize bulk carriers, sister vessels Apanemo, Apnoia and Sereno. There are many advantages to using this technology. These are as follows: • Compared to the carbon steel pipes, GRP pipes have an elevated corrosion resistance because of the inert nature of the materials they are composed of. It is not unusual to design a GRP pipe for a working life of 50-60 years. GRP pipes can be designed to resist corrosion on the inside and outside. In fact, with the aid of an internal-external barrier, and the use of the correct resin barriers, the pipe can withstand varied corrosion environments

Figure 26: GRP ballast pipe

• A nother major benefit is lightweight construction. Typically, the weight of a GRP pipe is 1/4th to 1/8th of the weight of a steel pipe and is easy to install or modify. This means the costs of handling, shipping, long-haul transport and site installation are significantly lower. • Ordinary GRP pipes don’t conduct electricity and consequently have much more beneficial electrical properties than their steel counterparts. • Due to their composite structure, GRP pipes can be designed to exactly match the project requirements, leading to cost savings; an additional advantage of GRP pipes is the pressure absorption: they are designed to absorb 40% of the surge pressure, without the need to increase the pressure class. • GRP pipes also possess a natural damping property. The fatigue endurance and strength to weight ratio are the key attributes associated with the replacement cost and the ability to design lightweight pipes. • Thanks to their smooth inner surface, there is minimum friction loss, and they keep this characteristic throughout their entire service life. • The last but not least feature of GRP pipes is their low maintenance, which comes from the fact that they don’t undergo the corrosive attack that the metallic counterparts do.