Is your forward hold well organized?

A fire started in the forward hold of one our boats recently while dry-docked at a local shipyard. It was an isolated incident at best, but one that raises questions about what we do with the front holds of our vessels.

But first, what happened while in the shipyard?

The M/V JESSE B GUNSTREAM was dry-docked for scheduled repairs at a shipyard in the Channelview, TX area. The crew secured the vessel, left to operate the Higman swing boat and shipyard personnel took over the Jesse B. 

M/V Jesse B Gunstream after the fire.

While out of the water, expended zincs anodes on the Jesse B were to be removed from the hull and replaced with fresh ones. The normal procedure in this type of repair is to crop the brackets of the old anodes off of the hull with a cutting torch. The brackets of new anodes are fitted to the hull and are welded in place, providing an electrical path between the zinc and the hull.

Zinc anodes (or sometimes called sacrificial anodes) are part of the vessel's cathodic protection. In cathodic protection, a metal anode(zinc) is more reactive to the corrosive environment (seawater) then that of the steel hull. It partially corrodes or dissolves. This protects the metal of the hull it is connected to. Once the zinc dissolves, or is close to it, they have to be replaced for proper hull corrosion protection.

Fire and smoke damage on the Jesse B.

The shipyard proceeded to cut off of the zinc anodes with no regard for what was on the other side of the steel hull plate. In this case there was equipment and supplies stored in the forward hold area. Soon smoke was seen coming from push knee vent area. A fire was burning.

A quick response from a local fire department put out the fire and major damage was averted, but what a mess.

So how does this relate to my boat; it was a shipyard problem right?

It was a shipyard problem, but it brings up a question what is the level of the organization and what are the conditions of storage in your forward hold.

A quick look down in your forward hold should answer these questions:

• Is it neat?
• Is it well organized?
• Is the equipment, parts and stores down there relevant to our operation?
• Does our boat have a forward hold storage plan?
• Is there an inventory taken at least once a year to assess what you have?
• Are there flammable materials stored and where are they located?

On a vessel, the term "ship shape" has a practical message.  With limitation of storage space, a boat must efficiently store spare parts, equipment and supplies.   

In most cases in our fleet, the forward hold is "neat".

What about organization? Do you know where everything is stored? What happens when a new crewmember joins the boat? Could he find a part quickly without searching?

A forward hold storage plan can inform all on board where things belong. Sketch out your forward hold, showing where everything is located. Take that sketch and have it laminated at one of our offices. Locate the laminated sheets inside the forward hold door and now a new comer to the boat can quickly identify where a part is located.

Nice and neat on the M/V BETHESDA

Have you done an inventory lately? Not only does that keep you from ordering consumables that you may already have, it helps identify "used but good" parts that need to be disposed of.

Remember the motto "when in doubt, throw it out". The forward hold on some boats have accumulated old parts, partially filled bottles of cleaners and whatever else happened to end up there. An efficient forward hold is one that stores only usable equipment and supplies.

Flammable materials like old boxes, rags and spare lumber, need to be removed and disposed of.

The best action for a forward hold is using common sense: keep it clean, keep it neat and keep it organized.

The ICWW between New Orleans and Galveston was completed in 1933. As it was being constructed, the Galveston Daily News described the process on July 31, 1932 in the article "Intracoastal Canal to Link Galveston with the Midwest". Described as the "Race Across the Prairie", here are some excerpts from that article:

"When the canal is opened to traffic, which is expected in 1933, it will be possible to ship heavy commodities, such as sulphur, rice, oil and lumber by barge to the Mississippi, thence up the river to Cincinnati, St. Louis, Pittsburg and even to Chicago, by way of the Illinois canal, connecting to the Great Lakes. From there it will be a matter of a few days to any port on the lakes, and in a few years, the ports of the St Lawrence River will be accessible to Galveston Barges."

Dredge William S. Mitchell, 1934.

"It is a vast dream coming true. On the Galveston-Port Arthur section of the canal, which is one of the last to be completed, there are two dredges working toward each other from the two ends. Scarcely 15 miles separate them, and except for a short section where the canal is to be crossed by a railroad and a highway, they will finish their work by the end of the year."

"Race across the Prairie"

"The Standard Dredging Company is at work on the other end of the section in Jefferson County and is showing equally good progress. At night, it is possible for traffic on the Hug the Coast Highway, which parallels the canal from Point Bolivar almost to its' junction with the Sabine waterway at Port Arthur, to see both dredges at work. They operate 24 hours a day, use three shifts and give employment to 150 men."

Dredge cutting through bar at the Brazos

"The Dredge Pensacola is no toy."

"The contract with the government calls for a minimum depth of nine feet and a minimum bottom with a width of 100 feet, with sloping sides at a two-to-one incline. But the Pensacola draws ten feet of water, and to compensate for the effect of the tides it has been necessary to dredge a depth of 11 feet to float the digger"