Duties of ship's Master during controlled entry into a dock Turn stabilisers into their stowed position Withdraw

any engine room bottom speed logs into the stow position Lower any cranes or derricks to the stowed sea-going position Place all hatch covers and athwartships beams into position to ensure continuit y of strength throughout the length of the vessel Complete any ballast operations to satisfy the docking requirements regarding l ist and trim Reduce any free surface activity within tank levels where possible Brief the ships Chief Officer of the need to obtain 'wet soundings' as well as 'on the block' 'dry soundings'

Duties of ship's Chief Officer when entering dock Sound round all internal tank soundings (wet soundings) before entering the dry dock Communicate with the Dry Dock Manager regarding the vessels' draught and trim t o suit the dock construction Prepare all necessary documenation which may be required to complete the dockin g operation and the expected workload inside the dock Calculate that the ship has adequate positive stability to withstand the expect ed 'P' force that will affect the vessel when taking the keel blocks. The GM sho uld be large enough to compensate for a virtual rise in 'G' once the keel touche s the blocks and the vessel enters the critical period To enhance the positive stability all slack tanks, and subsequent free surface effects should either 'pressed up' or alternatively pumped out if possible Any repair list should be completed and kept readily avialable to hand over to the dock authorities All utilities required should be ordered in ample time to be supplied to the sh ip on docking All store rooms, toilets and ships cmopartments should be locked for the purpos e of security and any loose gear should be stowed away before entering the dock Rig fenders around the vessel before entry into the dock Plug and secure all upper deck scuppers to reduce the risk of pollution

Log Book Entries when entering dock -Tugs engaged at rendezvous position -Vessel proceeding towards open lock (usually under piolatage) -Line ahore foward and aft

-Tugs dismissed -Moorings carried up port/starboard -Stern clears gates -Vessel stopped making headway inside the dock -Dock gates closed -Moorings checked to hold vessel -Moorings adjusted to align ship fore and aft -Dock pumps commenced pumping out dock water -Block contact made and vessel enters critical period -Vessel sewed on blocks fore and aft -Side shores passed to port and starboard -Residual water cleared from dock -Gangway access landed between shore and ships side -Gangway walkable -Pilot dismissed -Pumping of the dock complete and dock floor walkable

The Docking Process When it is decided that a ship is to enter the dry dock the first thing that is done is the keel block arrangement. This is done by the Asst Dock Manager. The c entre keel block arrangement is always the same. However, the rest of the keel b locks are arranged according to the ships' structure. These are based on the shi ps construction drawings. Docking of any ship depends on the ship's draught. It is important to note the d raught of the ship so as to estimate the tide at which she should enter the dock . The draughts of container ships are usually 5-7m and for tankers about 3m. When the ship is near the entrance of the dock, a crane is used to lift wires to secure the whip to the dock winches. Two winches are secured at the aft end and two at the forward end of the ship. These winches are used to guide the ship in to the dock and bring it to the exact spot at which it should be laid on the kee l blocks Once the ship is braught directly above the keel blocks on which it will be laid on, divers are sent in the dock to ensure the ship sits exactly on the keel blo cks as the water is being pumped out of the dock. The pump room located at the foward end of the dock controls the rate of water b eing pumped out of the dock. This process can also be refered to as de-ballastin g the dock. This is what a ship will look like after the dock is fully de-ballas ted. Once the ship sits properly on the keel blocks, fire hydrants, safety signs and a shore gangway is attached to it. Safety personnel then inspect the ship and ma rk dangerous areas on it with a Red tape. This is done so that hot work can be c arried out with care. An example of such an area would be the fuel oil tanks. Application for all the necessary permits are then made. These permits include h ot work permit, cold work and enclosed space permits. Gas checks are also carrie d out in enclosed spaces every day to ensure maximum safety.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Duties of the Chief Officer prior undocking Ensure all the listed work is completed to a satisfactory standard. In particul ar that all 'survey work' is completed, prior to leaving the dock. To this end a final internal inspection of the vessel would be the order of the day. Carry out an external inspection of the hull and enter the Dry Dock. This final visit to the dock floor would also encompass the replacing of any tank plugs th at have been drawn. This task should not be deligated to a junior officer as the Chief Officer must sight all the tank plugs being replaced. The Dry Dock Manager would accompany the ship's Chief Officer on final inspecti ons and ensure that no vehicles, materials or personnel are remaining in the doc k, prior to commencing any flooding operation. Inform the ship's Master of the expected departure time and the crew would be e ngaged in activities to make the vessel ready for sailing. These activities woul d include odering the Navigator to plan the ships movement from the dock, postin g the sailing board and cancelling shore leave, placing the engine room and resp ective personnel on standby, carrying out checks on all navigation equipment and making relevant entries into the deck and offical log books. Ensure that a full set of tank soundings have been taken and that adequate supp lies of fresh water, fuel and lubricating oil are on board to suit the ships mov ement needs. These tank quantities would then be applied to a complete stability check to ensure that the vessel has an acceptable GM once she floats clear of t he keel blocks. Stability checks are the sole responsibility of the ships person nel and comparison should be made between the entry soundings when the vessel wa s last afloat. All hatch covers would be closed up and the watertight integrity of the uppermo st deck assured. Anchors and cables would be heaved up and stowed correctly aboa rd the vessel. All pipelines, power lines etc. would need to be disconnected and relavent manpower should be made available both ashore and aboard the ship in o rder to release these safely and at the appropriate time. Tugs, the marine pilot and linesmen would need to be ordered to standby for the time of departure. Ships crew would be placed on standby on the fore and aft en ds to tend moorings. Finally, the chief officer would sign the Authority to Flood Certificate. This is provided that he is satisfied that the Dry Dock Authority has completed the d ocking specification and that the ship is in a seaworthy condition. This certifi cate should then be completed to allow the flooding of the dock to commence.

The Undocking Process Before water is pumped into the dock, there are a few checks that must be made. Bottom plugs must be closed and sea chests should be in full working condition. Also, ballasting of the ship must be done. This is to ensure that the ship does not have an even keel draught (the aft draught is usually greater than the forw ard draught).

The pump room, which is usually located at the forward end of the dock control s the amount of water being pumped out of the dock. This is also referred to as ballasting the dock. The gangway is lifted sometimes by means of a crane once the dock personnel hav e cleared the ship. Fire hydrants and all shore connections are disconnected. The forward and aft ends of the ship are attached to shore based mooring lines which are winch controlled. A crane lifts these lines and places them on the de ck so that they can be attached. These help to control the movement of the ship as it leaves the dock so as to ensure it leaves smoothly. When the level of seawater in the dry dock reaches the sea level, the dock gate s are opened. A tug boat attaches a tug line to the aft end of the ship and begins to pull t he ship backwards (out of the dock). The shore based mooring lines help to guide the ship smoothly out of the dock. Another two tugboats are on standby on eithe r side of the ship. Once the ship is halfway out of the dock, the aft shore based mooring lines ar e disconnected and the standby two tugboats attach themselves to the ship by mea ns of tug lines. When the ship has cleared the dock gates, the front shore based mooring lines are detached and the tug boats turn the ship around. Once the ship is some distance away from the dry dock, the tug lines from all three tug boats are detached and the tug boats move away from the ship. The prop eller is then started and ship moves away on its own propulsion.