Gard records on lessons gained from scrubber cases

An instance of bad shipyard job throughout scrubber retrofit: Deformed plates as well as misshapen scrubber real estate

A loss avoidance note from common insurance firm Gard claims that virtually 3,000 vessels will certainly have exhaust gas scrubbers mounted by 2020. For most of proprietors as well as staffs, scrubber systems are brand-new innovation as well as, similar to any type of brand-new system, teething troubles can be anticipated. Gard claims it has actually taken care of a couple of scrubber relevant cases as well as the loss avoidance short article checks out a few of these situations

Fire throughout retrofitting of scrubber

Scrubber installment calls for comprehensive warm job to help with the expansion of the channel location as well as affixing the scrubber tower to the vessel’s framework.

Gard has actually seen a couple of fire events where stimulates from welding, steel cutting, as well as various other warm job tasks fell under the internal chamber of the scrubber via exposed openings, as well as in one instance the fire additionally infected the engine area via glass strengthened epoxy (GRE) piping. Heat produced from the steel reducing for the sustaining braces, additionally added to the accumulate of warm inside the scrubber. In all these situations the backyard fire battling group reacted as well as snuffed out the fire with important help from team.

Later examinations exposed that team had actually asked for that the shipyard cover the openings however this was refrained from doing. The fire threat to scrubber packaging throughout the warm job task had actually not been recognized by backyard workers, as well as a number of them were not conscious that interior parts of the scrubber were flammable. These fire events developing from drawbacks in hotwork safety and security treatments are not strange to scrubbers as well as can take place in any type of place onboard a ship where welding, reducing or grinding jobs are taken on.

Sea water access as a result of deterioration

Scrubber waste is harsh, as well as Gard has actually seen a couple of events where within 10-15 months of the open loophole scrubber being mounted, deterioration of over the top range item or in its instant location has actually led to water access right into locations such as the engine area, ballast containers as well as freight holds. Absence of or bad application of safety layers on the within the pipeline as well as at the welds, in addition to bad application of paint on hull plating near the washwater discharge were recognized as the reasons for increased deterioration. In all these situations, momentary repair services to connect the leakage were performed by scuba divers complied with by long-term repair services at a lawn.

Scrubber damages as a result of bad craftsmanship as well as thermal shock

A vessel was consistently trading in Northern Europe as well as had actually mounted an open loophole scrubber. It needed to transition to reduced sulfur gas when going to a port that had policies in position outlawing discharge of washwater from open loophole scrubbers. It was still called for to run the scrubber in completely dry setting, i.e. with washwater supply pumps shut off, to enable the flow of warm exhaust gasses with a temperature level of virtually 400 ° C. After separation from port, washwater pumps would certainly be begun as well as cool sea water splashed via the nozzles inside the scrubber. During assessment of the scrubber by team, damages was seen to the nozzles, demister real estate as well as the drains pipes.

A study was performed as well as showed a selection of simultaneous reasons, such as thermal shock, bad craftsmanship by the backyard, as an example, just area welding done on demister sustaining plates; as well as bad layout. The scrubber had actually remained in solution for virtually 2 years.