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M2208
Bunker station design
Initial Report
A reporter sent a video highlighting the poor design of the bunkering station on a very large yacht. They told us that super yachts use a variety of bunkering facilities, and it is very rare to connect with a Marpol flange.
Most bunkering hoses have cam-lock fittings, and because of poor design issues at the bunkering station and poor maintenance of the camlocks, many connections leak, creating pollution, health hazards, and fire hazards.
CHIRP Comment
Design issues with bunkering connections often need to be thoroughly thought out. Bunker connections are frequently positioned in tight spaces, making it difficult to connect the hose. Once connected, the connecting flanges can often come under much stress due to poor alignment, making a tight seal difficult to achieve.
CHIRP requests owners reconsider their bunkering design and, during the next drydock or lay-up period, consider changing the pipework to ensure connections are positioned to allow better alignment and a tighter seal to prevent leakages while bunkering.
Persistent leakages when bunkering are unacceptable and indicate a normalisation of deviance, where this practice is accepted as the new norm.
Key Issues relating to this report
Design- The design needs to be improved for secure bunkering. The workspace for hose connections needs to provide adequate space to allow alignment for the camlock. Does your bunker station have sufficient clearance to obtain good alignment when bunkering?
Alerting- Alerting management to the fact that buckets must not be used to control leakage from a bunker connection and should not be tolerated. Management should also be advised of the remedial action required to be taken.
- Alerting
- Design