The special campaign launched by China MSA on April 1st is now in full swing. A large number of vessels have been inspected and detained during the campaign. To facilitate self-inspection and prevent recurrence of similar detentions, China MSA has also been releasing electromechanical failure cases from the campaign from time to time.

Some colleagues have commented that the official releases are overly conventional and not easy to circulate among fleets, hoping that PSCReady can refine and condense these cases. Since all our readers are our valued clients, we’ve specially compiled the electromechanical failure cases officially announced by MSA since the launch of this special campaign. Feedback from industry experts has been overwhelmingly positive, and we will continue our compilation in this issue.

Case 19: Pilot reported stuck air intake check valve — the vessel narrowly avoided detention!

This case was handled by Zhejiang MSA.

At 1500 hours on May 7, during berthing, the main engine of a certain vessel R triggered an alarm for excessive exhaust temperature deviation on Cylinder No.5, activating the SLOW DOWN safety protection. Unable to identify the root cause of the alarm, the pilot deemed the vessel unseaworthy and suspended piloting, after which the PSCO boarded the vessel.

The crew and PSCO conducted troubleshooting in an order from easy to difficult, and finally identified two fault points:

1.The air intake check valve of the spring air chamber for Cylinder No.5 was stuck.

2.The elbow of the main air pipe supplying air to each cylinder's spring air chamber was approximately 80% blocked. (This case only involves the check valve fault; other potential causes for exhaust valve closing failures are not analyzed herein)

After cleaning the air pipe elbow and replacing the corresponding check valve, the pressure of the spring air main pipe rose from 0.63 MPa to 0.74 MPa. The test run was normal and the safety protection alarm was eliminated.

After the faults were identifie, the PSCO required the crew to disassemble and inspect the check valves of the remaining cylinders one by one to prevent similar faults. Thanks to the pilot's timely report, no adverse consequences were incurred. The PSC only ordered rectification prior to sailing and did not detain the vessel.

Case 20: The high-pressure oil components are severely worn and require a full disassembly inspection.

This case was handled by Tianjin Dagu Kou MSA.

In May 2024, when a vessel was entering Tianjin Port, its No.1 and No.2 generators suddenly experienced frequency drop and shut down automatically. After being assisted by tugboats to berth alongside the quay, the vessel was boarded by PSCOs. The master and chief engineer informed the PSCOs that the generators had operated normally and the fault had been eliminated after startup following the removal and replacement of the high-pressure oil pumps.

After testing and confirming the normal operation of the generators, the PSCOs acknowledged the vessel’s fault diagnosis, but attributed the root cause to inadequate timely maintenance of the generator sets by the vessel in accordance with relevant requirements, which led to abnormal wear of the high-pressure oil pumps. They required the vessel to conduct a comprehensive inspection and overhaul of the working condition of each cylinder of the generators.

The two cases above share a common point: A problem in one component affects the whole system, requiring a full disassembly inspection and troubleshooting of all relevant parts.

Case 21:The steering gear limit switch was faulty, and the chief engineer tried to muddle through.

This case was handled by Shanghai Wusong MSA.

On April 26, 2024, a vessel was navigating in the deepwater channel at the Yangtze Estuary when its rudder angle jammed at 10° port rudder and failed to return to midship. Switching the steering gear and steering gear control system both proved ineffective. The vessel was assisted by tugboats to shift berth to the outbound channel, after which FSC inspectors boarded the vessel.

The vessel’s self-inspection identified the root cause of the fault: the starboard rudder angle limit switch was accidentally activated during starboard rudder operation due to jamming of the internal contact travel switch, and remained in the open position without being able to reset, resulting in failure of the steering function.

The FSC/PSC in Shanghai are highly professional and generally adopt a cautiously skeptical attitude toward vessel’s explanations.

Upon investigation, the FSCO identified the root cause of the fault: the plastic housing at the bottom of the travel switch inside the limit switch had aged and cracked, causing the return spring of the travel switch to dislodge and lose its resilience. Deprived of the spring’s restoring force, the contact copper plates bent and deformed under the action of the pull spring, failing to maintain contact with the terminals on both sides and thus remaining in an open state, which in turn led to steering failure.

In stark contrast, the vessel was clearly trying to fool the FSCO. The FSCO required the company to procure limit switches of the same model, and the vessel was only allowed to sail after the new switches passed classification society inspection and testing.

Case 22: Concealment is not advisable; penalties will be imposed once discovered.

This case was handled by Qinzhou Port MSA.

On May 22, 2024, during the berthing of vessel K at Qinzhou Port, the main engine suddenly malfunctioned and lost power, rendering the vessel out of control. The vessel was towed out of the port by tugboats, after which PSCOs boarded the vessel.

The crew reported the cause of the incident as a cracked cooling jacket on the main engine's No.4 cylinder, which caused a large amount of jacket cooling water to leak out. This triggered the main engine's low cooling water pressure alarm and shut down the engine.

They added that the crew had conducted cylinder maintenance by lifting No.4 cylinder on May 12, claiming the incident was an unexpected and low-probability event.

The PSCO ordered the crew to start the main engine cooling water pump, and obvious cooling water leakage was found at the exhaust valves of Cylinders 3, 5 and 6. Confronted with the undeniable facts, the crew admitted concealing the exhaust valve cooling water leakage, which they had long been aware of.

Needless to say, the vessel was highly likely detained in the end.

Case 23: Auto-to-manual switch: The so-called "genius" fully deserved the enforcement action.

This incident was dealt with by Fujian MSA.

May 2024, the 3824KW main engine of small container vessel A shut down suddenly during berthing. Law enforcement officers boarded afterward.

Root cause confirmed: Damaged automatic thermostat valve of main engine jacket cooling water disabled auto temperature regulation, only manual adjustment available. Duty motorman found jacket cooling water overcooled, tried to stop main sea water pump but wrongly pressed No.1 main lube oil pump stop button, causing main engine lube oil pressure loss and shutdown.

Switched the main engine cooling system to manual—didn’t you fear wrecking the main engine? This shipowner is exactly that "genius" who deserved being penalized.

Case 24: No surprise, the air system malfunctioned.

At 1900 hours on June 2, 2024, during the departure preparation phase of a bulk carrier at Huanghua Port, a fault was found in the main engine's astern starting system while the ahead starting worked normally. The pilot suspended piloting, and then the PSCO boarded the vessel and confirmed a malfunction in the main engine control system.

After thorough checks, the crew identified the root cause: No.14 control valve fault in the main engine control system caused the astern start failure. The valve was disassembled, cleaned and reassembled, with the fault cleared.

Case 25: Steering gear phase failure; detention is inevitable.

On April 12, 2024, FSCO of Tianjin Nanjiang MSA conducted an FSC inspection on Vessel H. Combined with the requirements of the special campaign on electrical and mechanical systems, a total of 10 deficiencies were identified, including 4 detention-worthy deficiencies. Among them, the open-phase alarm fault of the steering gear was covered by the special inspection on electrical and mechanical systems.

Fault cause: The phase monitoring relay of the vessel's No.1 steering gear malfunctioned, resulting in failure to trigger the steering gear open-phase alarm.

The above are 7 official electrical and mechanical fault cases released by MSA, which are of certain reference value. Help yourselves, you're welcome.

-----------------------------Reprinted from PSCReady