PONDICHERRY MARITIME ACADEMY

  Life rafts are survival equipment provided as a life-saving appliance on every seagoing merchant or passenger ship, in addition to the  lifeboats . Life rafts are much easier to launch than lifeboats. In emergencies, evacuation from the ship can be done without manually launching any of them, as the life rafts are designed with an auto-inflatable system. SOLAS Chapter III  gives all the details for types and the number of life rafts to be carried as per the size and type of the ship. Where Are Liferafts Located On Ships? Life rafts are normally located on the muster station, on the port and starboard side near the  lifeboat , and fwd and aft of the ship. The location generally depends on the size of the ship. Life rafts are stored in a fibreglass container, with a high-pressure gas used to inflate life rafts during an emergency. A Hydrostatic Release Unit (HRU) is connected to the raft container and ship, which releases the raft even after the vessel sinks in...

  Land and Sea Breeze On a hot early afternoon, take a walk along a dry beach. You start hopping and leaping as soon as you place your bare feet in the sand and sprint towards the sea to soak your burning feet in the water. Yes, the sun warms them both. Land and water, on the other hand, do not heat up or cool down at the same rate. In coastal areas, the differential heating and cooling of land and water create breezes. A sea breeze is any wind that blows from a large water body towards a landmass. Whereas, the offshore winds are called a land breeze that arises from land. The main difference is because of the property of water to retain heat for a longer duration as compared to land. Here, we will discuss more about the land and sea breeze along with some important questions.  What is a Breeze? Breeze, the light and cold wind is one of the most wonderful sensations to feel a cold and moderate wind on a hot summer day at the beach. The breeze is classified into two types: Se...

A recent grounding incident of a ship turned out to be fatal as the master declared “Abandon-Ship”. Though the decision to abandon the ship was, some say, dubious; it was nevertheless a-moment-of-panic and given the conditions the only chance to survive. Subsequently, as the crew managed to get away from the wretched ship, the fate had its own plans; the lifeboat which was carrying the survivors capsized under steep breakers and heavy surfs, while they tried ‘beaching’ it. Except a few crew members who went missing in the bad weather conditions, others found themselves extremely lucky to be alive. Beaching a life boat in good weather seems doable, although a bit tricky, but when it is to be done in a bad and inclement weather, it is a nightmare. A boat can easily be toppled over its broad side when approaching dangerous breakers and surfs near the shore, if not handled skillfully and of course, with a lot of patience. That’s what exactly happened to the folks in the life boat who w...

  You can’t manage what you don’t measure. For ship managers who want to keep a close eye on their fleet, the internet of things (IoT) is a dream come true. Maritime IoT devices increase engine efficiency, decrease maintenance costs, and reduce the frequency and severity of breakdowns. For the crew on board, IoT cuts down on administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on their core tasks. In simple terms, the internet of things connects physical objects to a network. Ashore, IoT devices can include smart light bulbs, moisture sensors to water your plants, and a growing range of health-tracking gadgets. IoT blurs the line between physical and digital objects by connecting the physical and digital worlds. By providing a continuous stream of data, IoT unlocks the power of  big data ,  artificial intelligence  (AI) and machine learning (ML). How can IoT improve ship management? The strength of IoT isn’t in the sensors and the network, but in the data they provide. Ship ...