DRY DOCKING - A PROJECT

2011

INTRODUCTION: DRY DOCKING: Dry dock is the repair or service yard for the ship where most of the maintenance of the underwater system was carried out. The ship is brought to dry land so that the submerged portions of the hull can be cleaned and inspected. Most of the machinery maintenance, replacement of systems with new installations is also carried out here. This technique of bringing the ship to dry land for maintenance purpose is known as dry docking. Often this dry docking can be considered as a project. We are going to discuss a few process of dry docking why it is termed as a Project. PROJECT: The project is a unique process, consists of a set of coordinated and controlled activities with start and finish dates, undertaken to achieve an objection conforming to specific requirements, including the constraints of time, cost and resources. Each project can be sub divided in many ways, Type of work Mode of execution Project completion time Project budget cost Maturity level or the level of risk With the above said ways, dry docking of the ship can be compared as a project. Type of work: Mainly in dry docking, maintenance works are carried out. Cleaning of the underwater hull surfaces, painting and inspection; overhauling of machineries, cleaning, inspection of anchors, DB tanks etc. Mode of Execution: The works which are carried out during dry docking is done by both ship personals and also by the dry dock peoples. Before the execution of the work, proper planning should be made and by which the work is to be done by whom. Proper communication should be there between ship staff and dry dock staffs during the execution of the planned works.

DRY DOCKING - A PROJECT

2011

Project completion time and budgeted cost: While planning the dry docking, according to the works to be done the amount of time needed for the completion of all the works should be calculated and also the time period of each work should be scheduled properly. The cost required for the completion of the entire dry docking process should also be calculated. The level of Risk: In all the projects, the risk involved in it should e studied and all the necessary steps should be taken. In dry docking there is a maximum possibility of risk is involved in it, so that all the preliminary actions should be take to eliminate the possibility of risk to take place. For a project to be successful it should be planned, well organized, executed and controlled in all aspects including time, cost and completion without any risk involved in it. PLANNING FOR DRY DOCKING: The planning commences with the production of the repairs specification. The record of this should commence from the completion of the previous dry docking, with regular review to ensure accuracy. Preparing the ship for dry docking: There are two stages of planning and preparation involved in dry docking. Prepare the ship for readiness for dry docking and prepare the dock ready for docking. Before the ship reaches the dry dock, the following has to be made ready in the ship by the ship staffs. Make a final repair and maintenance list ready and submitted to the dry dock through the company office. Create or obtain a dry dock handbook if required, and assign responsible ship staff to their duties on the list. Divide staff into groups to oversee the work carried out by the dock workers. All spare parts must be checked and repair items kept ready for use. Previous dock reports should be studied and should be aware of the works which are to be carried out. Fire fighting equipment onboard should be checked and kept ready for use.

DRY DOCKING - A PROJECT

2011

CO2 total flooding systems are secured and locked before entry. Vessel must be in even keel. Ballast and bunkers in the vessel should be minimum Tanks should be gas freed or inerted. Before the ship enters the dry dock, the staffs in the dock should plan accordingly so that it is readily available for the works to be carried out. The dock should obtain the general arrangement plan of the vessel, the docking plan, midship section plan. The dry dock should be readily arranged with the chocks, so that when the vessel enters the dock she can be seated over the chocks. Shore supply is readily available for ships use. All the necessary safety arrangements for the ship and also the workers should be made. During dry docking certain safety should be ensured to minimize the possibility of risk. Dry dock is the place where there is a possibility of risk is always available. The main risk is the cause of fire. Meeting should be conducted and proper fire plan is to be made to minimize the possibility of risk and to fight in case of emergency. Care should be taken to avoid injuries for the working personals. Time required for the complete works which are specified in the docking plan and also for the special works which are to be carried out is to be calculated. Time calculation is done so that enough time is available for the proper completion for each work going on. The cost involved in the dry docking should also be estimated. The charges for the contractors, sub contractors, spare parts, etc should be taken into account in the calculation of the cost. EXECUTION: As per the planning, the work should be done. The execution of the dry docking can be set in stages; Docking the vessel, maintenance and safety. Docking: During docking the vessel all the safety measures should be taken into account. The vessel is made to seat over the arranged chocks so that she seats safely so that there will be no damage caused

DRY DOCKING - A PROJECT

2011

to the hull. The stability of the ship is the main aspect when the vessel is about to seat in the dry dock. Maintenance: All the repair works which are made in the docking plan as agreed by both the ship owner and the contractor are executed. All the ship staffs and workers should do their assigned works n duties. Hull cleaning, painting and inspection of the same to be carried out. Cleaning of the anchor, anchor chains and inspection of the same is carried out. The overhauling of the machinery is done as per the docking plan and replacement of any systems for meeting the requirements. All safety measures should be taken to prevent any accidents. All the works carried out has to be monitored closely and should be recorded and reported to the company. Inspection of the overhauled machinery and the other works completed should be carried out so that it meets the statutory requirements. Safety: All the safety measures which were planned should be executed. The safety of both the workers and the ship are important. The workers should make sure with all the personal safety aids. The fire fighting equipments should always be kept ready to fight fire at any instance. Safety meeting should be conducted every morning before starting the work in the dry dock. The safety officer must be at the site of work with all the safety measures are taken as per the planning.

COMPLETION: On the completion of all the works that were planned, the ship must be undocked. Undocking means, making the vessel float, so that the ship can be taken away from the dock. The safety procedure should be followed while undocking the vessel. When the works were completed, the ship is inspected by the authorities (Flag state or classification society) so that the vessel can sail out as it meets all the statutory requirements.

DRY DOCKING - A PROJECT

2011

CONCLUSION: On seeing the above process that was carried out in the dry dock, was not a simple process which needs proper planning, execution as like that of a project. So the dry docking of a ship can also be said as a Project. We can define the dry docking with the definition of project. Dry docking is a process, consists of a set of coordinated and controlled activities with start and finish dates, undertaken to achieve an objective to specific requirements (IMO, SOLAS, Flag State or PSCs requirements), including the constraints of time, cost and resources. Hence we can conclude that the dry docking of a ship which can also be said as a project.