International Journal
on Marine Navigation
and Safety of Sea Transportation
Volume 2
Number 4
December 2008
397
The Paris MOU on PSC, Propulsion and
Auxiliary Machinery Deficiencies and the
Maritime Safety
G. de Melo & I. Cobos
Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
ABSTRACT: This article tries to show the relationship between one important set of deficiencies included in
the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control procedures, propulsion and auxiliary
machinery, the importance of this set of deficiencies for the PSC inspection and also its importance for the
Maritime Safety. The maintenance of the propulsion and auxiliary machinery systems has become less
important that it deserves, that means while the ship sails everything is supposed to be properly maintained,
this is the most extended policy in the Companies and accepted and supported by the Owners. This article
studies the deficiencies included in the category propulsion and auxiliary machinery detected by the Port State
Control Officers (PSCO) of the Paris MOU area, and tries to demonstrate how important they are in these
inspections. At the same time can be seen the professional profile of the PSCO’s as well as the assessment
made by them of those areas included in this set of deficiencies.
1 OBJECTIVES
This article tries to show the relationship between
one important set of deficiencies included in the
Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State
Control procedures, propulsion and auxiliary
machinery, the importance of this set of deficiencies
for the PSC inspection and also its importance for
the Maritime Safety.
It is also an objective of the article to know how
important this set of the deficiencies is in the PSC
inspections. At the same time can be ascertained
the professional profile of the PSCO’s as well as
the assessment made by them of those areas
included in this set of deficiencies.
2 USED DATA
In this article have been used the SIRENAC database
(this is the informatics application used by MOU-
PSC for consulting and reporting the data related
with ships inspected under their provisions), the
2005 Blue Book and different annual reports
published by the Paris MOU.
3 METHODOLOGY
Different ships registered in black list, grey list and
white list flags have been selected. To establish the
list in which a Flag State must be included, its
performance is calculated using a standard formula
for statistical calculations in which certain values
have been fixed in accordance with agreed Paris
MOU policy. Two limits have been included in the
system, the “black to grey” and “the grey to white”
limit, each with its own specific formula.
Two of the next ship types have been selected per
Flag list:
− General cargo multipurpose
− Bulk carrier
− Container ship
398
− Ro-Ro Cargo Ship
Why these ship types have been selected?
The main reason is that the three lists are analysed
and must be considered that certain types of ships
are unusually registered in Flags included in the
Black List, so we have had to select ship types easily
found in all Flag Lists.
In those ships the deficiencies regarding
propulsion and auxiliary machinery have been
studied and they become the basis of the article.
4 PROPULSION & AUXILIARY MACHINERY
DEFICIENCIES
– Propulsion main engine
General
Astern power
Protection main engine against:
Overspeeding
Excessive pressure
Lub. oil supply failure
Max. working stresses
Explosion S74-1/CII-1/R27.4, .5
– Cleanliness of engine room
– Auxiliary engine
General
Protection
Overspeeding
Excessive pressure
Lub. Oil supply failure
Max. working stresses
Explosion
– Gauges, thermometers, etc
– Bilge pumping arrangements
Passenger ship
Cargo ship
– UMS
General
Control of propulsion
– Guards/fencing around dangerous machinery
parts
– Insulation wetted through (oil)
General
UMS – Ship
– Other (machinery)
5 RESULTS
Different ships registered in black list, grey list and
white list flags have been selected for being studied.
Two of the next ship types have been selected per
Flag list:
− General cargo multipurpose
− Bulk carrier
− Container ship
− Ro-Ro Cargo Ship
The results of analyzing the “PROPULSION &
AUXILIARY MACHINERY” deficiencies found
in the last inspection made in the selected ships by
the Paris MOU are as follows (tab. 1, 2, 3, 4).
6 CONCLUSIONS
Explanation of the deficiencies included in the table
of the ships analyzed:
− The deficiency cleanliness of Engine Room –
Insufficient. This is a very subjective deficiency.
This description does not define the scope and
the risks that it implies (maritime safety, safety
at work); what is being affected because of it?
Which is the origin of the cleanliness? Which are
the instructions to define the criterion to be
applied by the officers? Furthermore the ignorance
image given if it is considered that that is
the most common deficiency detected in the major
category propulsion & auxiliary machinery.
− Aux. Engine – Inadequate: Cooling syst. not
appropriate. Spray of water over electric systems.
“An inadequate or not appropriate” cooling
system means that the whole system is
not adequate for that ship, and it is supposed
that it was approved by a Classification Society
or an Administration before being installed.
Furthermore, with reference to the spray of water
over electric systems, we can not know which
the affected systems are and if the spray comes
from a hole, a flange...
− Aux. Engine – Not as required: Fuel purifier
leakage. With this description, the importance,
the product leaking (H
2
O, F.O), the risk and the
scope can not be known.
− Propulsion main engine – Not as required: On
STBD main engine fuel leakage. It does not
define where the leakage is, is a pipe leaking?
Or is a pump?... The scope and the risks can not
be known.
399
− Auxiliary engine – Not as required: On boiler
safety valves disconnected. Deficiency badly
classified, the safety valves of a boiler are not
elements of the auxiliary engine.
− Other (machinery) – Other: Emerg. Generator not
properly maintained. What does it mean?
− Aux. Engine – Not as required: Rubber lines to be
removed from diesel engines. Replaced by fire
proof ones. Which are the lines to be removed,
water, F.O? Which is the deficiency detected?
− Propulsion main engine – Not as required:
Available some of fuel oil and lubricating oil
leakages on main engine. Deficiency badly
expressed, lack of precision, lack of scope and
risks not defined.
− Aux. Engine – Not as required: Some leakages
from diesel generators. Lack of precision, with
this description it is impossible to know where
the leakages are, the scope and the risks.
− Propulsion main engine – Not as required: Some
leakages from the main engine. Lack of precision,
with this description it is impossible to know
where the leakages are, the scope and the risks.
To conclude we can emphasize the lack of
precision in the definitions of all the deficiencies,
some incorrect expressions, and the lack of the scope
and the risks that the deficiencies represent.
We understand that the port state control officers
must detect deficiencies which mainly affect the
maritime safety and the pollution prevention without
excluding others that can also be important and it
can be emphasized that the deficiencies most
commonly found are cleanliness of the Engine Room
and leakages.
Because of the above mentioned reason, it can
be understood that an element as important as
the propulsion and the auxiliary machinery, of
which the ship depends, has the correspondent
major category of deficiencies in the 5
th
place of
the ranking of the summary of deficiencies (see
table 2).
REFERENCES
1. IMO, STCW-78/95 Convention.
2. IMO, SOLAS 2004.
3. SIRENAC Database of MOU of París.
4. Results CIC-STCW-78/95 Campaing 2002.
5. Blue book of 2004 of MOU of París.
Table 1. Propulsion and Auxiliary Machinery deficiencies detected by the Paris MOU on PSC
IMO
FLAG
FLAG
LIST
TYPE OF SHIP
Ner OF
DEFIC.
DETEN
TION
PROP & AUX MACH DEFIC.
8117835
GEORGIA
Black
Gen Cargo Multip
8
N
Cleanliness of ER – Insufficient
7531591
EGYPT
Black
Gen Cargo Multip
23
N
–
8103822
ALGERIA
Black
Bulk Carrier
5
N
–
7701691
UKRAINE
Black
Bulk Carrier
35
Y
–
9322877
TURKEY
Black
Container Ship
0
N
–
8322210
TURKEY
Black
Container Ship
5
Y
–
8206533
LEBANON
Black
Ro-Ro Cargo Ship
5
N
Cleanliness of ER – Insufficient: Area close
to Main Engine
Cleanliness of ER – Insufficient: Purifiers
area
Aux. Engine – Inadequate: Cooling syst. not
appropriate. Spray of water over electric
systems
Aux. Engine – Not as required: Fuel purifier
leakage
8318116
EGYPT
Black
Ro-Ro Cargo Ship
5
Y
Fire safety measures – Jacketed high
pressure lines – Not as required: All three
DG’s leaking alarms connected with rubber
pipe to open fuel tank No21
Fire safety measures – Jacketed high
pressure lines – Not as required: On both
main engines collecting pipes to fuel leakage
alarms disconnected
Fire safety measures – Jacketed high
pressure lines – Inoperative: PS main engine
fuel leaking alarm inoperative
Propulsion main engine – Not as required:
On STBD main engine fuel leakage
Auxiliary engine – Not as required: On
boiler safety valves disconnected
400
8866929
RUSSIAN
FEDERATI
ON
Grey
Gen Cargo Multip
2
N
–
7434729
PANAMA
Grey
Gen Cargo Multip
21
Y
–
7721316
BULGARIA
Grey
Bulk Carrier
10
N
Cleanliness of ER – Insufficient
Other (machinery) – Other: Emerg.
Generator not properly maintained
7806908
PANAMA
Grey
Bulk Carrier
21
Y
Alarm signals – UMS alarms – Inoperative:
DG No2 fuel leakage alarm inoperative
9002726
PANAMA
Grey
Container Ship
0
N
–
8419726
PANAMA
Grey
Container Ship
4
N
–
7816094
MOROCCO
Grey
Ro-Ro Cargo Ship
14
N
Aux. Engine – Not as required: Rubber lines
to be removed from diesel engines. Replaced
by fire proof ones
Cleanliness of ER – Insufficient
8125844
VANUATU
Grey
Ro-Ro Cargo Ship
2
N
–
8209638
LIBERIA
White
Gen Cargo Multip
1
N
–
9113226
ANTIGUA
&
BARBUDA
White
Gen Cargo Multip
11
N
Propulsion main engine – Not as required:
Available some of fuel oil and lubricating oil
leakages on main engine
9044700
MALTA
White
Bulk Carrier
15
N
Aux. Engine – Not as required: Some
leakages from diesel generators
Propulsion main engine – Not as required:
Some leakages from the main engine
9018751
BAHAMAS
White
Bulk Carrier
1
N
–
7907477
LIBERIA
White
Container Ship
0
N
–
9110535
ANTIGUA
&
BARBUDA
White
Container Ship
4
N
–
7707853
GREECE
White
Ro-Ro Cargo Ship
4
Y
- Cleanliness of ER – Insufficient
8521218
ITALY
White
Ro-Ro Cargo Ship
1
N
–
Notes:
In yellow deficiencies not classified as propulsion and auxiliary machinery major category, but related with it.
In red deficiencies bad classified
Table 2. Summary of deficiencies and action taken
401
Table 3. Major categories of deficiencies per ship’s gross tonnage and age
Table 4. Number of deficiencies per ship’s gross tonnage and age
