An Introduction to Engineering Systems

Producing sewage on board a ship cannot be avoided, and the management of sewage disposal must, therefore, be carefully considered. Sewage treatment systems are often fitted to ships in order to ensure the safe disposal of sewage, in line with regulatory requirements. This course gives an overview of the sewage treatment system and how it ensures compliance with the relevant regulations.

Distillate and Fresh water stored in the ship's tanks are everyday basic needs for passengers, seafarers and machinery. A high level of comfort must be guaranteed, considering up to 200 litres per day of fresh water each during long trip periods and thousands of persons aboard. All machinery recirculating cooling circuits must be readily refilled in case of maintenance or breakdown to keep their safe and reliable operation under control. That's why, for the technical operator, fresh and distillate water generation deserve a place in primary daily duties.

In this course, we will learn about Generators (Alternators); Power Distribution to users; Synchronisation; Safety; and uncommon Maintenance issues. All these are from a practical perspective to help the Engineer deal with situations on board.

The purpose of a shipboard incinerator is to provide a facility designed to incinerate wastes or other matter on board generated during the normal operation of the ship. Incinerators are predominantly designed for intermittent operation and comply with the latest IMO regulations.

An Oily Water Separator (OWS) is a piece of equipment used on board almost all marine vessels. It is used to separate oil and water mixtures into their separate components. They are found on board ships where they are used to separate oil from oily waste water, such as bilge water before the waste is discharged into the environment. These discharges of waste water must comply with the requirements laid out in MARPOL 73/78.

Fuel purifiers play a crucial role in the merchant navy, where ships rely on diesel or heavy fuel oil (HFO) for propulsion and power generation. These fuels, although essential, can contain impurities that can lead to engine damage, reduced efficiency, and increased maintenance costs. Fuel purifiers are designed to remove these impurities and ensure the smooth and efficient operation of marine engines.

Although there is an abundance of seawater available, marine diesel engines do not use it directly to keep the hottest parts of the engine cool or any other piece of machinery. This is because of the corrosion caused in the cooling water spaces by seawater; the salts would be deposited on the cooling surfaces interfering with the heat flow. Instead, the water circulated around the engine is fresh water. The freshwater is cooled using seawater.