Sea trials of New

Ships.
B. Ramamurthy. Retd GM. HSL,
Visakhapatnam
What is sea TRIAL
Sea trials are the final trials in the
construction stage of ship where all the
machinery euipment and all fittings on the
ship are tried out for the first time in sea
conditions, and each system is tried and
tested as far as practica!le at its ma"imum
capacity. #ll the trials which are included in
the sea trial programme are those which are
not capa!le of !eing carried out as a part of
the dock side trials of machinery and
euipment.
CONTRACT CONDITIONS
$he conditions under which sea trials are to
!e held like draft and wind conditions are a
matter of mutual agreement !etween the
ship owner and the ship !uilder. $he tests to
!e carried out during the sea trials, and in
some cases the duration of the trials are also
a part of the contract. Some of the tests and
trials are mandatory from classification and
%M& reuirements.
ACTUAL TRIAL CONDITIONS
%t is to !e noted that the actual trial conditions
'i(. am!ient temperature, sea water
temperature, wind speed, sea condition, sea
current and depth of water ha'e a large
%nfluence on the ma"imum power the engine
can de'elop as well the ship)s manoeu'ring
characteristics.
MAIN ENGINE RATING AND LOADING
DURING SEA TRIAL
%n most cases it may !e seen that it would
not !e possi!le to load the engine e'en to its
*SR rating e'en though the propeller is run
at its ma"imum R+M, due to freshly painted
and smooth hull condition and polished
propeller. %n some cases such as on !ulk
carriers the draft and trim limitations under
!allasting may also !e a restricting factor.
Sea conditions also would not !e steady due
to wa'e and wind conditions and would not
render ensuring steady load conditions of the
engine as is possi!le in the shop conditions
RELAVANCE OF SO! TRIAL OF MAIN
ENGINE
%n 'iew of the limitations on the loading of
engine as stated earlier, the shop trial data of
the main engine and generator engines,
which are tested under steady load
conditions, in steps up to ma"imum power, at
the manufacturers) works would form the
most important reference, for these two
machineries.
SEA TRIAL !ROTOCOL
$he ship!uilder has to prepare the sea trial
protocol and get the owner)s appro'al for the
trials and its schedule sufficiently in ad'ance.
SEA TRIAL GUIDELINES AND CODES
SNAME,Society of -a'al #rchitects and
Marine .ngineers/, "SRA, Norwe#ia$ Co%e
for sea trials were de'eloped !y the
respecti'e societies, for !ringing a!out a
uniform code of practice for conducting sea
trials of ships. $hese are only guidelines for
the sea trials and are not mandatory. 0hile
guidelines are a'aila!le for na'igation and
manoeu'ring trials, specific guidelines are
not a'aila!le for communication euipment,
gyro, magnetic compass, GM1SS, Radars,
and these are tested !ased on the
performance reuirements prescri!ed for the
respecti'e euipment and for their
satisfactory performance.
Guide lines for carrying out ships spee%
trials are also a'aila!le from "ARA&
SNAME& DNV etc including details of
permitted corrections for wind and sea
conditions, current, depth of water etc.
Howe'er it must !e appreciated that such
corrections to the measured speed is su!2ect
to the contract with the ship owners, and
cannot !e applied uni'ersally.
RE'UIREMENT OF CLASSIFICATION
SOCIETIES a$% SOLAS RE'UIREMENTS
Some trials are mandatory according to the
*lassification societies. $hese include main
endurance trials, astern running trials,
torsional 'i!ration trials to check !arred
speed range, steering gear trials, and anchor
trials, !lack out trials, emergency generator
trials, and safety and alarm systems, e"haust
gas !oiler accumulation trials.
OWNERS CONTRACT CONDITION
TRIALS
$rials like speed trials, generator capacity
and margin of electrical power at sea trials,
endurance of main engine, astern trials,
steering gear trials, crash stop, 'i!ration and
noise trials, and air3conditioning and
'entilation trials ,including machinery space
'entilation/ are included in the ships)
contract.
1
MAIN AND AU(ILIAR) ENGINE*DG
SETS+ SO! TRIALS
$he main engines are tested at the
manufacturers) works for its rated capacity
!efore the despatch of the main engines for
installation on !oard the ship. $hough the
engines, especially for the merchant marine
operations, are all designed to operate with
!unker oils the shop trials are normally
carried out using diesel oil only. $he shop
trials of main engines are 'ery important,
since the data recorded during the shop trials
form the !asic reference parameters for the
su!seuent performance e'aluation of
engine during the ser'ice, since the engine is
loaded gradually from low load to full load3 in
steps, and is operated with steady load
condition, for continuously for the specified
period, with a water !rake as the load.
1G S.$S are tested at shop at 'arious loads
in steps, and similar recordings as for main
engine are made. Besides the indi'idual
1iesel Generator trials, trials are also carried
out if mutually agreed as per contract for
parallel operation of the 1iesel Generators,
and for go'ernor operation !y sudden
application and remo'al of loads.
D,ri$# the trials the -ai$ e$#i$e is
a%.,ste% to %eli/er the power a00or%i$#
the propeller 0,r/e
$he cur'es of performance are drawn for
+ower 's R+M
S4&*
$5* %nlet $emp
$5* outlet $emp
+ comp
+ ma"
+ sca'.
M.+
The 0ra$12we3 %efle0tio$ readings are
taken 3efore the start of test a$% at the
e$% of test ,hot condition/ which form the
reference 'alues for further alignment
condition check after installation on !oard the
ship.
$he trials include recordings recording of
#m!ient temperature and pressure,
*ooling water inlet temperature and outlet
temperature for tur!ochargers and 2acket
cooling water ,outlet of each cylinder/,
$ur!ine rpm
Lu!e oil inlet and outlet temperatures for
main !earings,
*harge air temperature,
."haust temperatures for each cylinder,
4uel oil consumption
+ower on water !rake
R+M
E4a-i$atio$ after Shop Trials
Generally after the shop trials the engine
parts such as one main !earing, piston and
one liner are e"amined !y the trials team for
any damages. Magnetic particle test is
carried out for the sump oil to check for any
metallic particles.
FUEL CONSUM!TION TRIALS AT SO!
TEST
Since load conditions are not steady o'er
the a gi'en period of trial and measurement
cannot !e accurate in sea conditions, the
F,el 0o$s,-ptio$ #,ara$tee for the -ai$
e$#i$e is alwa5s #i/e$ o$ the 3asis of
-eas,re-e$t ta1e$ at shop trials o$l5.
The f,el 0o$s,-ptio$ -eas,re% at sea
trials is for /erifi0atio$ o$l5.
TESTS AND TRIALS CARRIED OUT AT
SEA TRIALS
$he trials can !e !roadly di'ided into
6. .ngine Room $rials
7. 1eck .uipment $rials
8. -a'igational $rials
9. &ther contractual trials.
ENGINE ROOM TRIALS
$he engine room trials in'ol'e trying out all
the machinery and euipment installed in the
engine room, including stand!y machinery
when the machinery is running at the
ma"imum power in the mutually agreed trial
condition of displacement of ship and its trim
condition.
%t would !e possi!le for the tankers,
container ships, and modern !ulk carriers
with side !allast tanks ,dou!le hull/ to load
the 'essel with !allast water to get parallel
sinking to normal !allast displacement
condition unlike the earlier generation !ulk
carriers where the 'essel)s sea trials were
carried out at accepted !allast trim condition,
and for which draft condition the model tank
test is carried out ,with trim !y stern for
getting proper propeller immersion/. $he
speed achie'ed in such !allast condition sea
trials are e"trapolated for the full load
conditions and compared to the tank test
data.
$he main engines of modern era !eing highly
stressed machinery, it is essential to load the
main engine gradually till it attains its
ma"imum R+M which may or may not !e the
full power setting e'en under clean hull
2
conditions. $he engine is loaded in steps and
at each step the engine is run for the
reuired time as per engine !uilders)
recommendations. #t the end of each power
setting an e"amination is carried of the
cylinder liners through sca'enge ports, the
lu!e oil condition is e"amined, and crank3
we! deflections are taken to check the
alignment and check any undue deflections
which indicate misalignment of shaft3line.
&nce the ma"imum R+M is reached and it is
seen that all parameters are in order the ship
can proceed with the rest of the trials of
machinery.
$he trials consist of:
Main engine and Shafting system:
.ndurance trials
&'erload running of main engine ,6;8< of
full R+M/
Minimum R+M $rials
*rash Stop #head and *rash Stop #stern
,$his is also a part of -a'igation trials/
#stern $rials
*oasting stop
Boiler #ccumulation ,."haust Gas
.conomiser/
-o. &f starts of main engine to esta!lish the
adeuacy of air !ottles ,in cold engine
condition/
$orsional 'i!rations, #"ial Vi!ration trials
.ngine room Vi!ration le'els
.ngine Room -oise Le'els
Black out and .mergency generator trials
Generator Load trials.
#uto changeo'er of essential pumps
demonstration.
4resh water generator trials
#uto change o'er ,or manual change o'er/
from 1& to H4&.
E$%,ra$0e trials
$he .ndurance trial is the most important
trial for the main engine which normally will
!e for duration of 9 to = hours when the
engine is run at the ma"imum achie'a!le
power under trial conditions. 1uring the
a!o'e period for o$e half of the perio% o$e
set of p,-ps& p,rifiers et0 are run and for
the other half the stand!y set is kept in
operation. $he Ge$erators are 0ha$#e% to
ensure that all the generators are tried out at
full load trials of main engine.
#t the e$% of e$%,ra$0e perio% the engine
is shut down and the 0ra$12we3 %efle0tio$s
are noted.
$he engine is again run up to the full R+M
and the safet5 f,$0tio$s s,0h as a,to
slow %ow$ a$% sh,t %ow$ features are
demonstrated.
The e$#i$e alar-s are %e-o$strate% !y
simulating the conditions and audi!ility of
alarms and 'isual indications of alarm
conditions are checked for proper
functioning.
1uring the .ndurance trials at e'ery hour the
complete re0or%i$#s of press,res a$%
te-perat,res 3esi%es& R!M& !ower a$%
i$%i0ator 0ar%s are taken. %f power
measuring euipment is installed it is
cali!rated during this period. %f MI!
i$%i0ator is a'aila!le it is also cali!rated with
the shop trial data of the main engine.
#deuacy of e$#i$e roo- /e$tilatio$ and
its proper distri!ution is checked so that any
hot pockets noticed during the trials can !e
rectified after the trials.
The E$#i$e Co$trol roo- air 0o$%itio$i$#
system would also !e working in its peak
condition and its satisfactory performance
can !e esta!lished.
$he recordings made during the endurance
trials, form the reference parameters for
su!seuent main engine operation analysis
and for all the engine room au"iliary
machinery performance.
Fresh water Ge$erator is put into operation
during the endurance trials and the fresh
water production per hour is esta!lished.
Crash Stop
$he crash stop manoeu're trials
demonstrate the proper seuence of
operations 'i(. $he time taken from crash
stop order to actual engine telegraph !eing
put to from full ahead to full astern,
automatic sca'enge air !reaking operation at
set R+M, starting of engine in re'erse
direction and attaining full astern R+M which
would normally !e a!out >;< of full ahead
R+M. $his is a 'ery important data which is
essential for the operating engineer to !e
aware for dealing with emergencies.
Howe'er it is to !e noted that while
conducting the ship is normally put against
the wind and current to o!tain the optimum
conditions and in actual conditions during
ser'ice the same may !e so. Hence these
form the guidance data only.
Mi$i-,- R!M Trial
$his test demonstrates the minimum R+M at
which the main engine can !e run smoothly
3
with the assistance of au"iliary !lowers ,for
large slow speed engines/ which is a 'ery
useful data for the ship)s engineers specially
during manoeu'ring operations of the 'essel.
$he R+Ms at which the a,4iliar5 3lowers
start a$% stop are also noted for reference.
Torsio$al Vi3ratio$ Trials
$he torsional 'i!rations are recorded and if
!y calculations any !arred speed range is
en'isaged the theoretical analysis and the
engine is tuned to uickly pass o'er the
!arred speed range of R+Ms, it is 'erified.
De01 E6,ip-e$t Trials
Steeri$# #ear Trials.
$rials are carried out to demonstrate the
timing of steering gear operation from 8?
deg. &n one side to 8; deg on the other side
and 'ice 'ersa with single pump ,one pump
after another/ is demonstrated, the
reuirement !eing 7@ secs., with ship at f,ll
ahea% rp- at the start of ea0h trial.
$he operation with !oth pumps in operation
is also demonstrated though it is not
mandatory #s per %M& guidelines this trial is
also 0arrie% o,t at half power of the main
engine.
Similar tests are carried out at ?;< of power.
A$0hori$# Trials
$he proper performance of 'essel)s
anchoring euipment is demonstrated. $he
depth of water for carrying out the trials is
specified !y the classification rules. $he
anchors are lowered, during the trials to
water le'el and then the anchors are allowed
to drop freely ,without gear control or
!rake control/. $he !rake function is
checked at inter'als !efore the reuired
length of chain is lowered and !rake holding
is demonstrated. $he anchor is then hauled
up on gear, to demonstrated that the anchor
can !e hauled up at the reuired speed ,min
speed reuired is Am5min/.
Air20o$%itio$i$# a$% Ve$tilatio$ s5ste-
trials
Na/i#atio$ Trials
!ro#ressi/e Spee% Trials
Speed trials are carried out at power settings
of 7?<, ?;<, >?< and full R+Ms. $he trials
are carried out with minimum of 7 runs one
run with ship heading with the wind and 7
runs against the wind and taking the a'erage
of the runs to gi'e the speed of the 'essel at
each power setting. 0ith the ad'ent of
1G+S euipment the accuracy of speed
measurement has impro'ed. 0ith a plotting
of the speed power cur'e the power at any
particular speed can !e easily ascertained.
#lthough the standard codes permit some
corrections for wind, current, displacement
from accepted trial conditions to the actual
conditions, application of the corrections are
su!2ect to the contract with ship owners.
$his is a good guidance for planning the
'oyage reuirements. %t also helps in
knowing the increase in hull resistance and
planning for necessary docking or cleaning of
hull5polishing of propeller as the case may
!e.
Crash Stop Trial
0hen engine room *rash stop recordings
are !eing made the deck side also the
following recording is made for na'igational
data
$ime from crash stop signal to propeller
re'ersing
$ime from crash stop signal to actual ship
speed coming to ;
$ime from crash stop to propeller reaching
full astern rpm
$ime for attaining full astern speed.
$he plotting of the data including the heading
data of ship is to !e plotted and e"hi!ited in
the wheel house according to the %M&
reuirements
Aster$ R,$$i$#
B Manoeu're trials
#t full and half full power R+Ms. $he
recordings after plotting are to !e e"hi!ited in
the wheel house as per the %M&
reuirements
T,r$i$# Cir0le Trials
$urning circle trials are carried out at full and
half full power R+Ms and the plotted circle
data is framed and e"hi!ited in the wheel
house as per the %M& reuirements.
Big(ag Manoeu're $rials at 4ull and ?;<
R+Ms as reuired !y %M& guidelines.
Na/i#atio$ e6,ip-e$t trials
.cho sounder, speed log are checked for
proper operation
Radars are checked for proper operation
#ll *ommunication euipment is checked for
proper operation. $he interfacing !etween
the a!o'e euipment is also checked.
$he na'igational lights are checked
Loud hailer, intercom system, !roadcasting
system are tried out for proper functioning
Ma#$eti0 Co-pass
Cali3ratio$7A%.,st-e$t
4
*ompass is the difference !etween magnetic
north and the direction in which the compass
is pointing.
#ll 'essels ha'e numerous magnetic fields.
Some of these fields are permanently !uilt
into the structure of the 'essel and some are
caused !y the type of cargo carried,
electronic instruments, position of machinery
and euipment, etc.
*ompass de'iation is the difference
!etween magnetic north and the direction in
which the compass is pointing. Both 'ariation
and de'iation are measured in degrees east ,C/
or west ,3/.
Swinging the compass, or swinging the
ship ,as the operation is sometimes more
accurately called/, typically in'ol'es taking the
'essel to a suita!le location and, with the
'essel steady on each of the eight primary
compass points, comparing the difference
!etween e"isting compass headings or
!earings with what we know the actual
magnetic headings or !earings should !e, the
difference !eing de'iation. 1uring the process,
any magnetic fields, created !y the shipDs
structure, euipment, etc, which cause the
compass to de'iate are reduced or, if possi!le,
eliminated, !y creating eual !ut opposite
magnetic fields using compensating correctors.
Trials e4perie$0e a$% 0riti0al %e0isio$s8
$he following are some of interesting and
critical pro!lems faced during my ser'ice
when the 'essels were taken on sea trials.
9.Steeri$# #ear tor6,e pro3le-.
$he 'essel was first of a series and the
steering gear torue was calculated
theoretically as per normal practice and
steering gear, rudder stock carrier !earing
were ordered according to the calculated
rudder torue. $he euipment was installed
and checked for normal operation !efore
proceeding for trials.
1uring the steering gear trials, it was noticed
that the rams were mo'ing sluggishly when
helm was gi'en on !oth port and star!oard
sides till it reached a!out 7? to 7@ degrees
and then the relief 'al'e was lifting relie'ing
the pressure. $he greasing was checked
and 'enting was carried out to remo'e any
air entrapped. $here was no air entrapment.
$he pro!lem was seen to repeat. $he rudder
hydraulic relief 'al'es were set to lift at 66;
!ar. $he relief 'al'es were checked and
seen to operate at the correct set pressure.
#t this stage a decision was taken to
increase the relief 'al'e setting gradually till
the pro!lem is resol'ed, so that the
functioning of the steering gear is
demonstrated satisfactorily as per class
reuirements. $he classification society
sur'eyors on !oard were informed a!out the
decision which may in'ol'e e"ceeding the
actual hydraulic test pressure of the steering
gear as tested at Manufacturer)s works. $he
pressure setting was gradually increased and
the steering gear functioned smoothly at
a!out 6;?!ar.
$he pro!lem then was to demonstrate that
the rudder stock, rudder, steering gear
hydraulic pump motors as installed would
meet the reuirements. %f the rudder stock
scantlings are not suita!le for the re'ised
torue with 6;? !ar hydraulic pressure, the
yard would ha'e suffered a serious pro!lem
of ordering a new forging, redoing the !oring
installing the new rudder stock and modifying
the tiller, in'ol'ing huge financial loss and
delay in deli'ery of a completed ship !y a
considera!le time. Hence the issue of
rudder stock was considered primary issue.
$he rudder stock scantlings were calculated
and ordered !asing on the tensile strength of
97;-5s.mm. Howe'er it was noticed, on
'erification, that the actual tensile strength of
the material as per the certificate was ?9;
-5s.mm. 0orking !ackwards with the
actual rudder stock diameter, it was found
that the tensile strength of the rudder stock
was adeuate to take the additional torue.
$he frame si(e of the electrical motors of the
hydraulic pumps was also found to ha'e
capacity to operate at higher load current as
per manufacturer)s standard for the frame
si(e. $he motor suppliers were contacted
and the their confirmation and copy of
certificate of another motor of identical frame
si(e tested for higher current rating was
o!tained as a proof.
$he supplier)s were in'ited to 'isit the yard
and retest the steering gear for the higher
test pressure of 6=; !ar to pro'e the static
pressure and pro'e the seals. $his was
presented to the classification society
sur'eyors and new hydraulic test certificate
was o!tained.
0ith the a!o'e the steering gear was
certified for higher torue and 'essel could
!e deli'ered without any pro!lems.
:.After 3,r$i$# i$ the Mai$ E$#i$e
05li$%er
5
1uring the initial running in of the Main
engine the cylinder lu!ricating oil is set at a
higher le'el than normal reuirement in
ser'ice which is progressi'ely reduced to
lower le'els as the cylinder liner is run in
and polished during operation of the engine
and as load is gradually increased.
$he engine supplier)s engineer was setting
the cylinder lu!ricating oil, as per the
guidelines gi'en to him !y their factory. $he
engine was operating on marine diesel oil.
#t ?;< power setting the cylinder liners were
checked through sca'enge air ports and they
were seen to !e 'ery !lack. $he engine
supplier)s engineer was apprehensi'e of the
condition !ut howe'er continued with ne"t
higher power setting of >;<. #t the ne"t
inspection it was again inspected and he was
of the opinion that the liners were not getting
polished and that the fuel is of low uality
recommended that the trial !e deferred to a
later date and the reasons are properly
ascertained. #t this stage the it was
suggested to him that the since the fuel was
only marine diesel oil and cylinder oil !eing
the one recommended there could not !e
any dou!t on these and that we may reduce
the cylinder oil and proceed with higher load.
Since the engine supplier)s representati'e
was unwilling to take the risk, the decision
was taken !y me on !ehalf of the yard to
reduce the cylinder lu!ricating oil and
operate at @; < load. $he engine was run in
at that load for 8 hours against the
recommended 7 hours. #t stop o'er period
the liners were seen to !e !etter and the
!lackness was reduced considera!ly. $he
.ngine supplier)s engineer was con'inced of
the impro'ement and !y the time we finished
the endurance trials the liners were clean
and there was no pro!lem. $he cylinder oil
setting initially was found to !e the cause of
the !lackening.
;. Te-perat,re re#,lati$# /al/e2 re/erse
operatio$.
%t was noticed during the trials that the piston
cooling water was raising as the load was
increased and the automatic slow down
function was !eing repeated as the
temperature limit is reached. 0e checked
the cooling water pressure and flow. %t was
seen to !e in order. 0e opened the
su!mersi!le pump to check and found it was
also in good condition. 0e checked the
cooler and found there was no pro!lem. 0e
checked the direction of operation of 'al'e
as the temperature increased and found
'al'e was mo'ing in the correct direction to
open water to the cooler as the temperature
increased.
Ha'ing found no pro!lem with any of the
a!o'e we opened the temperature regulating
'al'e and to our surprise it was seen that the
'al'e was re'ersed in assem!ly and
although the direction of operating was
correct the 'al'e was closing di'erting the
'al'e away from cooler as the temperature
increased. $he piston cooling water
temperature control was satisfactorily
achie'ed !y correcting the 'al'e assem!ly
on !oard. Steering gear failure and use of
mooring winch
<. Air 0o$%itio$i$# s5ste- /i3ratio$s a$%
$oise.
%t was during the early days of air
conditioning of ships in %ndian shipyards.
$he owners decided to ha'e central air
conditioning on their 'essel and since the
engine room had no space the owners asked
us to install the same on the second deck
le'el con'erting a store space to the #ir
conditioning machinery. Eard accordi$gly
procured and installed the machinery. $he
foundations for the machinery were designed
as per normal design procedure. 1uring the
sea trial the entire compressor assem!ly was
seen to !e 'i!rating hea'ily and the fle"i!le
connections of the refrigerating piping
pro'ided were getting highly stressed. $he
noise le'el was also high. Since the
compartment was directly !elow crew)s
accommodation there was serious o!2ection
from owners and the MM1 Sur'eyor. 0e
in'estigated the possi!ility of stiffening the
structure and pro'ide hea'ier seating !ut
same could not !e done due to limited
headroom !oth !elow the deck and deck
head a!o'e. #s a last resort we decided to
pro'ide a solid 7?mm thick plate o'er the
stool and !olt the compressors directly on to
the plates. 0e found the le'el of 'i!ration
was !etter in port condition and on the
condition that it will !e kept under
o!ser'ation during the 'oyage the 'essel
was accepted. $he su!seuent reports from
the 'essel were uite fa'oura!le and
pro!lem was satisfactorily resol'ed.
=. !ropeller ro,#h$ess a$% E$#i$e R!M
$he 'essel was the third 'essel of a series
and the earlier two 'essels) performance
6
during the sea trials were good. $he 'essel
was out of the dock for 7 months only
appro"imately and the contract permitted that
we could take the 'essel within three months
of pre'ious docking we took the 'essel out
for sea trial.
Vessel was taken out for trials and as the
'essel was proceeding to the sea through
the entrance channel of the har!our a distinct
noise was heard as if something had
impacted the hull. #s an inspection did not
re'eal any pro!lem anywhere on !oard sea
trial was continued. #s the R+M was !eing
increased as per normal power settings it
was noticed there was distinct de'iation
!etween the power reflected !y parameters
such as rack position, sca'enge air pressure
$ur!ine R+M etc and the corresponding
propeller R+M when compared to the shop
trial data. $he power a!osor!ed was much
higher than what should !e normally
e"pected !y comparison to shop trial of main
engine and the results of earlier two ships
sea trial data. .'en !efore the full rpm could
!e reached the engine was seen to !e
de'eloping almost 6;;< power where as it
should !e a!out @?< at sea trial conditions.
%nitially it was suspected that the noise heard
during the passage through the entrance
channel could ha'e resulted in some
damage to the propeller or the two months
inter'al !etween the docking and sea trial
could ha'e caused some hull roughness.
$rial had to !e a!andoned. 1i'ers were sent
to e"amine the hull and the propeller and it
was reported that the propeller was intact
and there was hardly any fouling of the
e"ternal hull.
Since two ships ha'e performed well with
identical propeller and engine, no dou!ts
e"isted on the a!o'e. Ha'ing read in one of
the papers presented at %nstitution of
.ngineeers and Ship!uilders in Scotland,
regarding performance of propeller due to
roughness, wherein it was noted that e'en
roughness of ;.7?mm may cause a reduction
of 8 R+M or a!out 6;< higher power
consumption, it was suggested to the
management of shipyard, to redock the
'essel, e"amine the !ottom shell and
propeller and proceed to sea after !uffing
and polishing the propeller. #fter a lot of
persuasion on the su!2ect the 'essel was
docked. $he hull antifouling paint was
o!ser'ed to ha'e held well and there was
hardly any fouling on the e"ternal hull. $he
propeller was howe'er o!ser'ed to !e thinly
coated with e"traneous hard material and
was seen to !e reasona!ly rough. $he
propeller was cleaned, !uffed and coated.
0hen the 'essel was taken out for trials
again the performance of the engine was
seen to match the performance of the engine
on the earlier two 'essels. $his was a !itter
!ut good e"perience regarding the need to
ensure 'ery smooth propeller surface at the
time of sea trials of the ship.
7