09/044 - Tank Cleaning Operations

I work for a major Far Eastern Ship owner. I have been with them since early 2008. I work as a Chief Officer on their VLCCs. I have been a Chief Officer on VLCCs since 2005. I was part of a team that prepared a VLCC for dry dock under another management. This team had 2 Chief Mates and so both of us had our 6 hour breaks.

While I was being briefed before joining the vessel, I was briefed at the office in the Far Eastern Capital. They mentioned about the dry docking and I enquired if they would be adding an additional hand to the team for help with preparations. This question was met with surprise by the Marine Superintendent. However he promised to help. And the promise remained just that. The last discharge for this vessel was over two Japanese ports less than 24 hours apart. And then the drydocking was scheduled in Singapore. The washing, purging, gas freeing , de mucking and decanting had to be completed before the Anambas Islands. We drew up a plan long before. And this was possible. But with only the Chief Mate to supervise the operations, it meant that I had to go without sleep for almost 4 days.

Well I was lucky I got my breaks because the Captain would come down and relieve me for a few hours. It was very kind and supportive of him. But if the Master does come down to the Cargo Control Room to supervise tank cleaning operations, the ship is left effectively without command. What if a COLREGS situation develops where the duty officers already on a 6hour watch needs support?

I expressed my anxiety to the Master. He said he needed a Chief Mate and not a dead man! While a lot has been written about fatigue creeping into bridge watch keeping routines; not much is said about the other operations on the ship. All these adds to the fatigue element. And in such a situation, the junior officers who are manning the bridge don't find time to come and tutor under the Chief Mate. By doing so they compromise on their rest hours. And so we have less competent juniors to take over as mates later on. They have never seen a tank cleaning operation because they rightly had more important things to do.

I think the fatigue element in other areas of ship operations has to be looked into and given importance. And office impressed on the need for posting an additional officer. The extra expenditure might just result in a better performing team. And safer too.