Keep your eyes open for potential problems.

 When making your inspection rounds of the engine room each watch, what do you normally see? If you are like most of us, the obvious is staring you in the face:

• The electrical board voltage and amps are at the right levels.
• The bilge is dry.
• There are no drips or strange noises are coming from the main engines.
• The sewerage treatment system is purring away and smelling sweet.

You get the picture; the routine everyday engine room round easily becomes exactly that, routine.

But what about the small issues that are not so obvious?

Small problems can easily lead to big problems and it takes a creative mind to seek out these areas of concern.  Making a good round of the engine room involves looking beyond the obvious.  A good tankerman should challenge himself to seek out during each round at least one root problem that can be fixed so it never gets a chance to grow.

Let's look at some examples.

Vibration is King.

On a towboat, vibration is a fact of life which generates energy that can loosen, chafe and break just about anything aboard.  Vibration is always working against you when trying to keep a functioning engine room.

Look for loose wires.  It is amazing what can be done with a bag of wire ties to prevent a hanging wires, unsecured hoses or a small pipeline from breaking loose from a connection or coupling.  Not only do wire ties secure the line, they also make the area look better.

Is there a chafing problem?  Look for hoses and small pipelines that may be chafing against each other.  Use a split piece of rubber hose cut to the proper length and secured with wire ties to stop chafe damage.

This bad chafe on the generator engine injector line could be solved with a couple of wire ties securing the temperature probe line away.

Loose connectors crop up all the time.  Keeping a small crescent wrench and a screw driver in you back pocket will have you ready to tighten up any fastener that has come loose.  Be especially aware of pivot type connectors like those found on the 101 marine transmission actuators.  They should be connected with a bolt and a nylon lock nut.

Safety issues

During your rounds if you look hard enough, there is always something you can improve on to keep the crew safe.

The PSA/DW should NOT inject yourself into the role of vessel and/or terminal PIC's but you should consider the below measures to assist the vessel and terminal in safe cargo transfer:

Nothing in this Safety Alert shall constitute a standard, or an endorsement, recommendation or definitive guidance by Moran-Gulf Shipping Agencies (Moran). The Safety Alert is not, and is not intended to represent, advice on which the reader should rely, and nothing in the Bulletin should be relied on without independent and/or professional advice.

While every effort has been made to ensure the information has been compiled from sources believed to be accurate, current and reliable at the time of publication, Moran takes no responsibility for any information contained in the Safety Alert, including errors or omissions. To the furthest extent permitted by law, Moran disclaims any liability whatsoever for any costs, loss or damage which any person, group, organization or agency may claim, incur or suffer arising out of or in connection with reliance upon or use of any information in the Safety Alert.

COFR" from a Higman boat crew before allowing a barge to be dropped.  You may have heard the term "COFR" before but what does it mean and why was the fleet's request wrong?

COFR....What is it?

COFR is an acronym for certificate of financial responsibility.  This certificate is issued by the USCG National Pollution Fund Center and certifies that the red flag barge owner has proper liability coverage the event of a oil pollution incident.  Any vessel over 300 gross tons and all vessels shipping petroleum cargoes in United States waters must have a COFR.

Why was the fleet operator wrong to ask for a COFR?

The National Pollution Fund Center began the process of going "paperless" in 2007.  No longer are paper COFR's issued and are not found onboard. 

To see if the vessel is in compliance with the regulations, you must go online to COFR DATABASE SEARCH 

• Enter the  barge name
• click on "Submit Query"

Click on the Document Icon  to the left of a record to display a COFR Confirmation.  You may print the COFR Confirmation by right clicking your mouse and selecting "print" from the list.

1. You must monitor channel 16 and channel 13 (or channel 67 if in the Mississippi River) whenever the radio is not being used to communicate. If you are in a VTS area you will monitor the VTS channel instead of channel 16.

2. Channel 16 is designated as the distress, safety and calling frequency. Once you have hailed a vessel on Channel 16 switch to a working channel.

3. Channel 16 prohibited communications include: false distress or emergency messages, superfluous communications, messages containing obscene, indecent or profane words or meanings, general calls not addressed to a particular station, routine message or radio tests.

4. If you hear a distress message from a vessel and it is not answered, then you must answer. If you are reasonably sure that the distressed vessel is not in your vicinity, you should wait a short time for others to acknowledge.

5. You shall transmit and confirm the intentions of your vessel and any other information necessary for the safe navigation of vessels.

6. Other courtesies include: Don't walk on each other, give a 1-2 second delay, then respond.

According to the FCC "Interference to a maritime distress and safety frequency, including VHF Marine Channel 16, is a violation of the most critical nature, with potential impact upon safety of life and property. Violators may be subject to the penalties authorized by the Communications Act, including first offense fines as high as $16,000 for each violation or imprisonment for up to one year. Your radio equipment can also be seized and forfeited to the U.S. Government. In addition, the Coast Guard can recover the costs of its rescue efforts when the initiating distress call is determined to be false; these rescue-related costs can be as much as $5,000 per hour.

INLAND ONLY Two vessels are meeting on a clear day and will pass less than half a mile apart. In this situation whistle signals __________.

a. must be exchanged
b. may be exchanged
c. must be exchanged if passing agreements have not been made by radio
d. must be exchanged only if course changes are necessary by either vessel

BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND You are underway and hear a vessel continuously sounding her fog whistle. This indicates the other vessel __________.

a. desires to communicate by radio
b. desires a pilot
c. is in distress
d. is aground

BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND Which statement is TRUE concerning the danger signal?

a. Only the stand-on vessel can sound the danger signal.
b. Radio transmissions may be used in place of the danger signal.
c. A vessel in doubt as to the other vessel's intentions must sound the danger signal.
d. The danger signal consists of 5 or more prolonged blasts of the whistle.

BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND The Rules state that certain factors are to be taken into account when determining safe speed. One of the factors is the __________.

a. radio communications that are available
b. maximum speed of your vessel
c. temperature
d. current

BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND Which statement is TRUE concerning a situation involving a fishing vessel and a vessel not under command?

a. They are required to communicate by radiotelephone.
b. If the vessel not under command is a power-driven vessel, she must keep clear of the fishing vessel.
c. The fishing vessel must keep out of the way of the vessel not under command.
d. Both vessels are required to take action to stay clear of each other.

Today is Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent begins. For many, this means giving up certain practices such as not eating meat. During this period we will be doing lighter and healthier recipes including  fish and seafood that are traditionally eaten on Fridays.

Cajun Catfish

Ingredients:

1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 catfish filets (about 1 1/2 lbs.)

4 lemon wedges

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil a wire rack large enough to hold fish in a single layer. Place the rack on a baking sheet.

2. Whisk buttermilk and mustard in a medium bowl until smooth. Combine cornmeal and other ingredients in a shallow dish. Dip each filet in the buttermilk mixture, turning to coat. Transfer filets to the cornbread mixture, turning to coat completely. Place the filets on the wire rack.

3. Bake approximately 10-15 minutes. Fish should be firm to touch. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Maque Choux

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup water

1 medium tomato, chopped

3 green onions sliced

1/4  tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning to taste

4 ears of corn or 1 16 oz. bag of kernel corn (if using fresh corn, cut kernels from the cob by standing cob on the stem end in a bowl and slice downward with a small thin knife).

Preparation:

1.  Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until starting to soften. All bell pepper and garlic and cook stirring about 2 minutes. Add corn kernels and water and cook stirring until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in tomato, green onions, thyme, paprika, and cayenne or Cajun seasoning to taste.

Cajun Catfish (1 filet per serving)    Maque Choux (1 cup per serving)

Calories: 239                                      Calories: 105

Fat: 11 g                                            Fat: 3 g

Cholesterol: 67 mg                               Cholesterol: 0

Carbohydrates: 24 g                             Carbohydrates: 18 g

Sodium: 452 mg                                  Sodium: 209 mg