1. STANDARDIZED
INSTRUCTION
MANUALS

2. IMPACT OF ACCIDENTS
Spectacular accidents stimulate Media’s Attention and Public Perceptions.
The shipping industry is unable to stem the wave of indignation.
Politicians often respond in a knee-jerk reaction.
As a result of two major accidents within less than three years Politicians have not only focused on Accidental pollution but also on OPERATIONAL pollution.
Perpetrators are sanctioned with heavy fines and in some cases with Prison terms.

3. LLOYD’S LIST zeroes on OPERATIONAL POLLUTION
Last year , on 2 consecutive days, 2 leaders
“Scrub The Gorilla” & “A separate Society”
It points out the additional burdens imposed on ship crews by additional equipment and new regulations.
Ships crews are already submerged in vetting inspections, ISM, ISPS all this in addition to the operational requirements:
The SAFE OPERATION & MAINTENANCE of the SHIP

4. SAFE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE REQUIRE PROPER MANUALS
Increased regulation increases paper
processing, reducing time available for
maintenance and paper records
Crew changes frequency is increasing
Crew familiarity with English is decreasing
New sources of equipment manufacturing have
emerged
Unlike in aviation equipment is not standardised

5. Where is the problem? ISM makes planned maintenance systems mandatory
Whereas computer hardware is cheap and is now used routinely both ashore and at sea, it is underused
Shore is however heavily tasked in time for training and for input-ing manually
- Maintenance routines
- Spare part lists
Often the manual is for a range of models
Ship training on board is made difficult, even more so when English is not the language of neither the reader or the writer of the manual.

6. IS THE ANSWER NOT OBVIOUS?
WHERE COULD CLASS HELP?
CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES APPROVE THE MACHINERY EQUIPMENT ON SHIP
THIS IS THE HARDWARE
EQUIMENT MANUFACTURERS ARE FREE TO PROVIDE OPERATIONAL MANUALS TO THEIR OWN STANDARDS
THIS IS THE SOFTWARE
IS THE ANSWER NOT OBVIOUS?

7. A POSSIBLE SOLUTION
On board manuals to be standardized both in format and terms and cover for and only the actual equipment on board
The manuals to be translated in the basic crew shipping pool languages( far East )
The manuals to be also produced in electronic form
The spare part list to be made available electronically in a standardized universally accessible data-base format.

8. STANDARDIZATION Manuals to cover in same standard order
- Description and scope of equipment
- Operation (including operating parameters)
- Maintenance (including routines and frequencies)
- Trouble shooting
- Spare part list
Spare part list to have
both Manufacturer part No and also part Number corresponding to number on equipment or subpart drawings which are reproduced in on board manual.

9. HOW TO DO IT? Develop COMMON STANDARDS AT IMO
Develop Common Rules within IACS
Enforce CONFORMITY with those Standards by only approving equipment
- if the manuals are in the format required,
- in the available in the principal seafarers
languages
_ - and intelligible

10. A SAFER FUTURE WE CAN IMPROVE SAFETY OF NAVIGATION AND
REDUCE COSTS THROUGH STANDARDIZATION
We may even get more standardized equipment as designers are forced to explain their design
CLASS MUST APPROVE BOTH
HARDWARE + SOFTWARE