Ship keeping

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blackhatch
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Ship keeping

Post by blackhatch »

Anyone any idea if there are any regulations concerning shipkeeping. Amount of people on board. Limitations to duties etc?

Thanks
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D Winsor
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Re: Ship keeping

Post by D Winsor »

There are no Regulations per say however policies with respect to Ship keepers, at least on the Great Lakes, are set by the ship owner. Their primary responsibility is to provide security on the vessel when the crew have left the ship. They are also obliged to make regular rounds to check for oil or water leaks in machinery spaces, do soundings of ballast tanks, provide access to secure spaces to shore contractors doing work in those spaces and do daily security/fire watches after shore contractors stop work for the day, keep the accommodations clean and check in with the office/vessel manager daily.
The Captain or Chief Engineer can assign tasks such as cleaning disassembled engine parts or painting while the crew are away and assist the crew during Lay-up/Fit-Out. If the ship keeper does that sort of work he is paid extra over and above his basic salary.
The Ship Keeper is obliged to follow all provisions of the Canada Labour Code and the Company's Health and Safety policies with respect to working alone, confined space entry etc.
The Ship Keeper is not permitted to operate or make repairs to any machinery such as generators, OWS, Purifiers or Shore Power. He is authorized to operate machinery such as Cranes for shore contractors.If in the event of any machinery failure the Ship Keeper is obliged to contact the vessel manager and the manager will arrange either one of the ship's engineers that may live close by or an outside contractor to make the repairs
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JK
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Re: Ship keeping

Post by JK »

Doesn't that also fall under Class requirements for what has to be kept operational? I guess that would be the ship managers problem though.
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D Winsor
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Re: Ship keeping

Post by D Winsor »

I'm not sure if ship keepers are there as a requirement of or issue with Class. Rather more as an issue of liability for security, fire safety and personal safety of shore labour that would not necessarily be familiar with the vessels internal systems and know what to do in the event of an emergency.
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The Dieselduck
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Re: Ship keeping

Post by The Dieselduck »

Another thing to keep in mind; there is regulations on the Provincial side, which of course technically does not apply to Federally regulated workplaces, but I think are quite valid, and they pertain to one person workplaces. Where a single person needs to check in to assure there safety. Lets faces it, a ship in the winter is a very dangerous place, so even if you don't have company policies or regulations covering your back, you should set up a scheduled check in with someone that is aware of your situation and has a plan of action should you fail to check in.
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D Winsor
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Re: Ship keeping

Post by D Winsor »

Yes the shipkeeper is supposed to contact the management team (Office Receptionist, Vessel Manager or After Hours Call Center) by a certain time every day when he/she is alone on the ship, else an emergency response is initiated.
It has happened a few times when a shipkeeper didn't report in after the crew returned without all members of the management response team being notified and an emergency response team was dispatched
Troubleshooting 101 "Don't over think it - K.I.S.S. it"
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