Permits to Work & LOTO
The System That Physically Prevents People Being Killed by Machinery Why Permits and Isolations Exist at All Every fatal machinery accident at sea shares the same root cause: Energy that should have been controlled was not. Not misunderstood.Not unknown.Not mysterious. Simply present when people believed it was not. Permits to Work (PTW) and Lock-Out / […]
ISM / SMS & Risk Assessment
The Safety System That Governs Every Engineering Decision Onboard Why ISM Exists in the Engine Room The International Safety Management (ISM) Code did not emerge from paperwork culture.It emerged from catastrophic failures — fires, groundings, flooding, explosions, and pollution incidents — where equipment failed, people adapted informally, and management systems were absent or ignored. For […]
Documentation & Forms
Control, Compliance, Proof & Operational Memory Introduction Shipboard documentation is not bureaucracy for its own sake.It is legal authority, operational evidence, safety memory, and liability protection. Every certificate, logbook, checklist, and form exists for one of four reasons: From a Chief Engineer or Master’s perspective, documentation is a control system — poorly managed paperwork is […]
Cybersecurity & Networks
Design Reality, Operational Risk & Engine-Room Consequences Introduction Cybersecurity at sea is no longer an IT problem. It is an engineering safety problem. Modern ships and offshore units operate as floating industrial plants. Navigation, propulsion, power generation, cargo handling, ballast, DP, drilling, safety systems, and environmental compliance are all controlled, monitored, and optimised through networked […]
Watchkeeping & Logs
ENGINE ROOM → Control & Operations (Bridge interface included where it matters) Position in the Plant System Group: Control & OperationsPrimary Role: Continuous safe operation + legally defensible record of decisions, conditions, and actionsInterfaces: Bridge watch · EOOW/UMS · IAS/AMS · PMS · ECDIS/VDR · Planned Maintenance · MARPOL recordkeepingOperational Criticality: AbsoluteFailure Consequence: Casualty escalation […]
Energy & Power Management
ENGINE ROOM → Control & Operations Position in the Plant System Group: Control & OperationsPrimary Role: Maintain continuous, stable, and efficient electrical power under all operating modesInterfaces: Generators · Switchboards · PMS/EMS · Propulsion · Thrusters · Hotel Load · Batteries · Shore Power · IAS/AMSOperational Criticality: AbsoluteFailure Consequence: Blackout · Loss of propulsion · […]
Standard Operating Procedures
ENGINE ROOM → Control & Operations System Group: Control & OperationsPrimary Role: Convert risk into repeatable, auditable actions under the SMSInterfaces: Bridge team · Deck dept · PMS · PTW/RA · Class/Flag · MARPOL records · Makers manuals · Drills/TrainingOperational Criticality: AbsoluteFailure Consequence: Injury, blackout, pollution event, detention, prosecution, or a “routine job” becoming a […]
Bridge–Engine Interfaces
ENGINE ROOM → Control & Operations Position in the Plant System Group: Control & OperationsPrimary Role: Shared situational awareness and command authority between bridge and machinery spacesInterfaces: IAS/AMS · PMS · Propulsion control · Steering · Navigation sensors · Fire & Gas · Cargo (where fitted) · Power distributionOperational Criticality: HighFailure Consequence: Loss of coordinated […]
Alarm, Shutdown & ESD Philosophy
ENGINE ROOM → Control & Operations Position in the Plant System Group: Control & OperationsPrimary Role: Escalating protection logic that prevents a deviation becoming an accidentInterfaces: IAS/AMS · Fire & Gas · Power Management · Propulsion · Cargo Systems · Ventilation · Communication / PA / GAOperational Criticality: AbsoluteFailure Consequence: Alarm, shutdown, and Emergency Shutdown […]
Instrumentation & Sensors
ENGINE ROOM → Control & Operations Position in the Plant System Group: Control & OperationsPrimary Role: Convert physical reality into measurable signals for control, protection, and decision-makingInterfaces: Automation (IAS/AMS), navigation systems, propulsion, auxiliaries, safety systemsOperational Criticality: AbsoluteFailure Consequence: False situational awareness → delayed or incorrect decisions → machinery damage, grounding, collision, or regulatory breach Ships […]