Mespas

Brief Introduction

14.11.2011
Index of Content
1. Login ............................................................................................................................................ 3
2. Synchronize ................................................................................................................................. 4
2.1 Offline Sync................................................................................................................................ 4
3. File  Settings ............................................................................................................................. 5
4. My Profile .................................................................................................................................... 6
4.1 My Profile .................................................................................................................................. 6
4.2 Change Credentials .................................................................................................................... 6
5. Maintenance................................................................................................................................ 7
5.1 RHR ............................................................................................................................................ 7
5.1.1 Entering Running Hours.......................................................................................................... 8
5.1.2 State Variables ........................................................................................................................ 9
5.2 Jobs to do................................................................................................................................. 10
5.3 Job History ............................................................................................................................... 10
5.4 Job Overview ........................................................................................................................... 11
5.5 Part Management.................................................................................................................... 11
5.6 Execute Jobs ............................................................................................................................ 12
6. Stock Tool .................................................................................................................................. 13
6.1 Stock Overview ........................................................................................................................ 13
6.2 Inventory Location................................................................................................................... 13
7. Document Management System ............................................................................................... 14
8. Operation  Task List ............................................................................................................... 14
9. Extras ......................................................................................................................................... 14
10. Nice to know things ................................................................................................................. 15

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1. Login

After starting the Offshore Client you see the login window, type here the username you got in and
the password. Usernames are mostly look like following for example.

- master-mgul
- cheng-mgul
- 2eng-mgul
- eleng-mgul
- choff-mgul

and so on, a complete list should be on board. The login with the right name is important to check
later who did the entry.

The “mgul” off course does not work on Merkur Cloud, there it is “mclo”. After the login you see
some shortcuts, the cube IP, date and who is logged in, in this case “Cheng Office”, means Chief
Engineer. Menu

Shortcuts

Username Cube IP Date and Time

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2. Synchronize

The synchronization you can find within the shortcuts or in the menu “Extras”. If you click on
“Synchronize” a new window will open.

Here you have some options you can choose from.

Sync Mode:

- Regular sync, only jobs you enter will be synchronized, and also little changes which are done
by the office.
- Complete Sync, the name say’s it already everything will be synchronized.

Transfer Mode:

- File: Send per E-Mail, the cube creates a sync file which will be saved on the computer for
further transfer to the Mespas Server. The file has to be send to sync@mespas.com
- Dial-up: Direct Sync, is only useable with a constant internet connection.

The transfer by E-Mail works as follow:

1. Choose regular or complete

2. Click the button “save” and choose where the file should be saved.
3. Send the file you saved to Mespas and wait for the reply
4. When you got the reply from Mespas, load the attached file in Mespas with the “load”
button.
5. Mespas is synchronized

2.1 Offline Sync

The Offline Sync will be used when the system crashed to restore the data or to transfer new
documents (Manuals, Drawing, ...) to the ship. The Offline Sync file you get via agent or by office mail
via USB-Stick.

To load the data just click on the Sync button and then on load.

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3. File  Settings

The settings you only need for two thing’s.

1. Set the Adobe Read path after an Update of Adobe or when it was not done during the
installation of Mespas
2. Logging, here you can choose the kind of logging for Mespas. The standard setting is “Info”
which is enough to find small errors. For major errors the logging level has to be switched to
“Debug” which will give the developers more information about what happened. But the
client has to be restarted and the errors needs to be reproduced before the option will take
effect. Afters reproducing the error the log level should be changed again because the debug
level produces a lot of data. To export the log files just choose what you like to export and
save at a location you find it later. The files should be send to support@mespas.com and to
the office technical@vinnen.com

Change Adobe
Reader path

Change Log Level /

Note the reboot remark

Export the
client/server(Cube) log
files (ZIP File)and save at
the computer

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4. My Profile

Here you find the submenu points “My Profile” and “Change Credentials” both are not so important,
changes should be avoided.

4.1 My Profile

As you can see you find here some information about the vessel and some employee information
which are all not needed. This information are important for shore business but on a ship not
necessary only first and last name are needed.

4.2 Change Credentials

This is just to change the password. Usually you get a password which should not be changed.

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5. Maintenance

This is the most important menu, here you can find everything what you need for planning the
maintenance, reviewing the maintenance, get an overview over the aggregates in Mespas and take a
look at the Running-hours.

5.1 RHR

This window is important for all jobs which are running-hours based, it’s the basement for the
calculation of the jobs. The main aggregates should be updated daily and everything else 2 times per
week.

Not writable

Here you can change RHR, like

delete and edit or just review
the history

Save, after you Add a date, mostly

entered all RHR the actual date

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5.1.1 Entering Running Hours

To enter new running hours you click first on add date, enter or choose from the calendar the right
date and click save. The appearance of the column will change. The date you entered will be
displayed on top of the column and the fields are now writable. After you entered all new running
hours you click save.

Writable after entering a new date

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5.1.2 State Variables

When you mark one item in the list, the button state variables becomes clickable. After you pushed
the button a new window will open where you can see the history of the running hours for the
aggregate you choose. You also can see a changelog where you find all changes on the aggregate and
you did it and in the last tab you find a chart which shows you graphically the running hours.

Further it’s important to know that you only can edit/delete the LAST entry, means if you like to
change the running hours from 11.10.2011 you have to delete the both before, 26.10 and 19.10.

Also nice to know is that Mespas is checking your running hours entry’s, called plausibility control .
This makes it really hard to enter wrong running hours. If the new running hours you are entering
deviates more then 20 % from the average, you will get a warning to check again the numbers you
entered. This warning is mostly wrong but checking it is better than getting later a lot of errors due to
inconsistent Rhr.

My opinion is that this validation from Mespas is working really good and in the most cases when I
got an error Mespas was right.

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5.2 Jobs to do

In the window jobs to do you can get an overview about all upcoming jobs. You can choose the range
until which date in the future jobs should be showed, which department, overdue or not, regulations
and persons in charge and some more. Jobs to do becomes useable when you got your overdue jobs
down to 10-20 jobs, because it’s not really helpful when it’s displaying 300-400 jobs.

5.3 Job History

Is looking similar like the Jobs to do window, you can say it’s the same with some more search
options and that this one looks in the past not in the future.

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5.4 Job Overview

In the job overview window you find all jobs listed by aggregates. You start with selecting the
aggregate in the tree and then click on search. The search always takes a lit bit time, but then it
shows you all jobs of this aggregate.

In this window you also can see the details of the aggregate, the documents attached the job card
which belongs to the job and you can execute the job (Activity).

You can also as in nearly all windows of Mespas search for jobs by entering some data’s in the search
fields. But I would say it’s faster to go with the tree and also more accurate.

5.5 Part Management

It’s somehow ready and somehow not, I would say it’s not useable because it’s works in the moment
only for new ships because you cannot enter old running hours for used parts. You only can state the
part as new what is for the most ships not correct.

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5.6 Execute Jobs

There are two possibility’s to execute jobs, in the window “Jobs to do” and in the “Job Overview”. In
both windows you will find the button execute job in both windows and in “Jobs to do” you also can
click in the line activity to execute the job.

Further we have to kinds of jobs, running hours based and date based. The different is that you have
to enter for the RHR based jobs the date and the RHR’s and for the date based only the date.

Here you
also can
execute
jobs

To execute jobs

Date
based
interval

To execute jobs
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6. Stock Tool

Here you can manage your chemicals, gases, oils and paint stock.

6.1 Stock Overview

In the Stock overview you find all items which you can manage via stock tool. In the moment are
these the above mentioned items.

The use of the stock tool is really easy, you select the category you like view and click search. Now
you get a list which should show you all, in this case gases which you have on board. To change the
quantity you select the product you like to change and click on “add to Stock” or “remove from
stock”. A small window appears where you can enter the removed or added quantity and also a
remark, like used for welding or in case of add delivery from 10.06.2008.

6.2 Inventory Location

This is not yet in use.

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7. Document Management System

Here you find all Documents which are stored on the cube. As before said you can search as in nearly
all Mespas windows. You also have the possibility to add new documents. For example in the case
you got a electronically manual (PDF Format or Word) you can upload it to the Mespas cube where it
should be save. After you add new documents you can see in the sync option under regular sync and
complete sync that the sizes are differs. So you can choose if the document should be synchronized
or not. Remember also the 1 MB which are the limit for the satellite transmission.

8. Operation  Task List

Is in the moment not in use, if you like to learn more about please refer to the Mespas Offshore
Client manual.

9. Extras

Here you find the one more time the sync button and the tool messages which is used in
combination with the postponement tool which is not yet ready. So the message tool is also not in
use/useable.

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10. Nice to know things

In nearly every window you can mark the jobs or the items and create a report. The buttons
“STRG/CTRL and shift” working in Mespas and they are sometimes very helpful.

After you marked the jobs you need, click on the dropdown arrow on the right side under the close
button. You will get a new field with the name “Jobs to do report”. Mespas starts to collect the
data’s from the marked items and after a while the Adobe Reader opens with the report. Then you
can print the report or save it somewhere to send it by email.

In Mespas you have two kinds of jobcards, the standard card which is attached to all normal jobs and
then the specialized cards which were made especially for this job.

There is or better there was a error which was really frustrating, when you forgot to set the ticker at
important remarks and tried to save the card, the adobe reader just shuts down and the data’s are
lost. This should be solved but i wouldn’t try it.

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