Once the statutory formalities are out of the way, but often completed at the same time, the vessel will undergo an inspection to confirm compliance with the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) CMID. Although the IMCA CMID is deemed to be valid for twelve months, some wind farm operators and contractors require the CMID to be less than six or even less than three months old when the charter begins. As a CMID often has to be submitted when bidding for work and with the current trend towards shorter contracts with different parties, any given vessel involved in the construction of wind farms may undergo multiple CMID inspections each year. From a vessel operator’s point of view, there is hope that with the better history and tracking of the new eCMID findings, the need for multiple inspections each year will diminish - from a surveyor’s point of view, the importance and frequency of CMID inspections, soon to become eCMID from 1 January 2018, is clearly an area of opportunity.
The wind farm industry is now firmly established along the whole of the northern European coastline. The workforce and fleet are truly international and it is not uncommon to see Danish flagged vessels in Barrow-in-Furness and UK flagged vessels in the Baltic. This has added further complexity to the compliance regime, as some Port State authorities require additional inspections or different manning requirements. For example, foreign vessels operating in German coastal waters must obtain a Certificate of Equivalence from BG Verkehr. For UK vessels under 100 gt this is a relatively straightforward process, however, even non-classed vessels are required to have a radio survey or similar GMDSS verification report from a recognised body such as a Certifying Authority.
With small vessels operating a long way from their home port, some intermediate surveys are inevitably undertaken by local surveyors
3
Common Marine Inspection Document. IMCA M 189 is applicable for crew transfer vessels and other vessels under 24 metres.
that can also provide useful, local knowledge and assistance. When life saving or fire fighting appliances require independent inspection, a local surveyor can be a useful source of information and some marine surveyors now also offer inspection services such as portable appliance testing (PAT) and lifting equipment inspections to meet lifting equipment regulations, commonly known as LOLER4
on UK flagged vessels.
Safety is clearly at the forefront of every master’s and operator’s mind but, regrettably, incidents occur and local surveyors may also be called upon to inspect vessels that have grounded or suffered mechanical failure. As all parties want to keep any off-hire time to a minimum, an adaptable approach to working anti-social hours is vital for all parties working in the sector.
Surveyor skills and competency
The latest CTVs are clearly complex vessels with potentially large passenger, cargo and fuel carrying capacity. Certifying Authority surveyors should be experienced in inspecting aluminium alloy and GRP hulls and structures and high performance machinery and running gear. This experience is best gained through formal training, followed by mentoring
4
Merchant Shipping (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment) Regulations 2006 (LOLER)
Photo courtesy of Offshore Turbine Services
and even working on the vessels as master or engineer. A background in fast ferries or high performance motor yachts is also clearly relevant. The surveyor also has to fulfil the role of auditor and needs to familiarise themselves with planned maintenance systems, stability books and crew certification all within the usual tight time constraints of a survey. For this reason, most vessel operators tend to work with the same surveyor, or group of surveyors for the majority of their routine recertification. This long-term relationship best prepares the vessel and vessel operator for the often, more rigorous standards of the modern wind farm operator and charterer.
The eCMID and/or on-hire inspection (also known as an in-survey) process is slightly different and the principle role of the surveyor is as an auditor of the safety management system and as an independent, critical eye of other parties’ work. The more thorough in-surveys may require the vessel crew to demonstrate a man overboard drill; target plotting on the radar; or even a push on test to check the bow fender functionality. To an experienced and qualified surveyor, these practical demonstrations provide great insight into a vessel operator’s approach to safety and add an important, additional dimension to the statutory, physical inspections.
Admiral P The Report • September 2017 • Issue 81 | 41
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