List of critical equipment

The list of critical equipment is a document that identifies the equipment on board that is critical to the safety of the vessel, crew, passengers, and the environment. This list is used to prioritise maintenance, spare parts, and regular inspections to ensure that critical equipment is always in good working condition.

This list is specific to each vessel and is based on the vessel's design, operations, and risk assessment. It is regularly reviewed and updated as necessary to reflect changes in the vessel's equipment, operations, or risk profile.

Definitions

1. Criticality for equipment is defined by “The sudden operational failure of which may result in hazardous situations” and is therefore specific to vessel type and design.
2. Critical Equipment is identified in the vessel maintenance programme.
3. The Level of Risk:
   1. Threat to life (from negligible injury through to multiple fatalities)
   2. Threat to the environment (from minor pollution through to major pollution)
   3. The Likelihood of Occurrence
4. The frequency of use of the equipment
5. The redundancy of the equipment (Equipment that are redundant are less critical in case of failure, equipment that are designed to be activated in case of failure is already a backup plan)
6. Ease of testing and maintaining the equipment
7. Does the weather have any influence in case of breakdown?
8. When relating to equipment, be as accurate as possible. For example – do not consider only “the crane” but also “the crane cable”, “the crane lifting system”, the “crane limiting switches” etc.

Evaluation Criteria

• In general, all equipment supplying and supplied by the emergency switchboard should be considered.
• Safety equipment that is not redundant. For example: EEBD, fire dampers, quick closing valves, emergency stops, MOB rescue boat, Fire central detection, CO2 systems, watertight sliding door remote closing system, oil mist detector, alarm systems etc.
• Anti-Pollution equipment that is not redundant. For example: 15ppm alarm cell, deck connections.
• Water-tight integrity protection.
• Navigational Communications equipment, including sound and light signalling systems.
• Emergency power supplies, including batteries
• Fuel systems including emergency stops and quick closing valves
• Fire, gas and heat detection systems.

Examples of critical equipment

Machinary

Bridge

Safety

Deck

Any defect or delay of service on one of the equipment on this list are considered as major non-conformities and should be reported directly to the company’s DPA and actions reported into the Chief engineer’s monthly report.

Revision History