tank gauging
Time for better bunker management on board
PSM Marine says its remote bunker management system gives owners and crew enhanced control over these operations
by Wendy Laursen
system can bring new hope to those facing the increasing problem of trusting the quality of bunker supplies, and traceable usage afterwards, says the company. Given the high cost of bunkers, the scrutiny
P
of accurate onboard deliveries, quality and consumption is a major concern for ship operators. PSM has been making marine tank level gauging systems for 30 years. Aware of the increasing challenges facing the industry, the company says that although great strides are being made to improve fuel efficiency, even greater benefits can be realised through better control of a vessel’s bunkers from the point of delivery. PSM says that the latest version of its iCT
digital tank level/volume measurement technology combined with its TankView data transmission system will provide operators with a remote view of bunkering operations as they take place. Along with delivered volumes, parameters such as settled density, water content, temperature and accurate tank settlement levels can all be displayed and logged on the operator’s desktop while the vessel is still receiving bunkers. Anecdotal complaints about quality, water content and ‘cappuccino effects’ would be quickly brought to the operator’s attention so that disputes can be settled at the time of delivery. From there the fuel consumption and tank
stocks will be automatically logged periodically and any high consumption or adverse stock reduction during a voyage will be recorded. Warnings of such events would be sent to the operator in real-time together with the vessel’s position, speed and heading. ClearView also has its own integrated ‘geofence’ that alerts crew and operator when the vessel approaches an Emissions Control Area zone where a switch to low sulphur fuels is required. This is all made possible by the system’s satellite data communications, which are designed
40 I Tanker Shipping & Trade I October/November 2011
SM Marine’s latest high-accuracy digital level transmitters combined with its ClearView remote data acquisition
The ClearView system provides operators with a remote view of live bunkering operations
to provide a real-time least-cost data transmission via satellite and Internet specifically developed for fast, low-cost shipboard remote monitoring. ClearView has a three-year record of success
in monitoring various functions such as oily water separators and overboard discharge on a number of vessels. It was recently approved by the US Coast Guard and the US Department of Justice as a compliant solution for preventing Marpol infringements. In a recent Danish press article, Captain
Benny Nielsen (corporate compliance manager for Nordic Tankers) commented: “ClearView is a magnificent tool enabling us constantly to check how the vessels with the equipment installed handle and treat oil containing slop/waste. It is not only a tool to check the crew’s handling, but it also works the other way round: it protects the crew if any questions are raised. With ClearView we have a precise tool and log to prove what exactly has been done on board.” According to PSM’s managing director Geoff
Taylor, “With the world price of bunkers, it is not the investment in the technology that is unaffordable. In reality that would be recovered in fuel cost savings of only a few of days of a voyage. However, owners and operators are often more concerned about the docking and
refit costs if the vessel has to be withdrawn from operations to make modifications.” Mr Taylor says that PSM drew on its long experience of retrofitting instrumentation systems to create its iCT sensor technology, and that the company has now developed “a portfolio of versatile retrofit opportunities, remote configuration and simple bus digital cabling to enable modifications to be carried out swiftly without long-term docking. ClearView itself can even be fitted on a voyage.” In-line flowmeters and analysers can be
included in the system to provide onboard fiscal metering. ClearView signal input is not limited, so data from other equipment on board can be routinely logged, analysed and transmitted. Control of emissions to air and water are typical applications, enabling shipowners to avoid problems and heavy fines for accidental violations. Producing an inviolate remote oil record book can be proof of a crew’s good practice without taking the daily operations and responsibilities away from them. For the crew, ClearView provides inviolate
displays and alerts designed to assist operations. For the operator, a software suite is provided: the format is an easy-to-read interrogative spreadsheet that offers logging and reporting at the touch of a button. TST
www.tankershipping.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68