TRACING OF LINES/PIPING SYSTEM ONBOARD A SHIP

Pipes connotes almost 60% of the total mass of most vessels and on tankers, it can reach 75% of the total mass of the ship. The importance of piping system cannot be over emphasized as most operations offshore require piping systems.

Piping systems onboard ships include ballast lines, bilge water lines, fresh water lines, fuel oil lines, lube oil lines, hydraulic oil lines, compressed air lines, fire water lines, CO2 line, sea water cooling line, freshwater cooling line, soil discharge line, grey water discharge lines, dirty oil line, liquid mud line, steam line, Cargo pumping system, OWS line, and so on.

It is the duty of the engineers to know the various piping arrangement in the Engine Room (E.R) so as to carry out smooth operations while at Sea. Piping system familiarization is mostly carried out by the on signing engineer upon his arrival, this is a Ritual practice and should not be neglected. Neglect can lead to damage of machineries, pollution to the marine ecosystem, loss of the vessel and may also cost the lives of the seafarers.

As a cadet onboard a merchant vessel, it is usually the first assignment given to you. It can be stressful and frustrating but believe you me, it builds your confidence and lets you take charge of your workspace.
Below are tips on how to successfully trace pipes and lines in a vessel.

1. Be precise and decisive: Brainstorm and decide on what pipe system you wish to trace. Tracing different system at the same time can be a confusing venture. Tracing different lines at the same time would reduce your ability to understand the piping systems.
2. Know the colour codes for the piping system: All ships have colour code charts for their piping system to guide seafarers and facilitate stress free line tracing. Without knowing the colour codes, it may become difficult to trace a line. Example: Tracing a pipe with colour code YELLOW as freshwater would be a journey with a sad end. This is because yellow is the universal color code for lubricating oil (lube oil).
3. Use appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment): Lifting floor plates, bending and stretching motions, crawling may be involved in pipe tracing. This is because the engine room floors are covered by floor plates which may have to be removed to reveal the pipes underneath. Without appropriate PPE, you will be sure to pause your tracing exercise as a result of injuries. PPE needed include: safety gloves, safety eye protection, coverall without tear (one that covers most parts of your body), and safety boots and in most cases; a hard hat.
4. Get good illumination/torch light: Beneath floor plates can be dark which would need a well charged torch. Some pipes may also be hidden and torch lights can do a lot good in such cases. A torch light is the most effective instrument in line tracing as it can reach where the human hand cannot. Most people use a pen or pencil to guide their eyes when reading, the torch serves as the guiding pen/pencil during line tracing.
5. Know the type of valves and their symbol: Along a piping system, it is impossible not to have valves and cocks. Valves restrict or regulate liquid flow across a piping system. Knowing the symbols of valves will make the line diagram easy and accurate.
6. Show overlapping and crosslines: Overlapping lines do not touch while crossover lines are connected to each other.
7. Draw line diagram of each system: This will be the hard copy of the lines you traced, it will serve as reference in case you forget or you wish to describe a piping system to your reliever onboard the vessel. In most cases, before the eligibility for the certificate of competency is given to a cadet, he/she may have to present line diagrams drawn during the cadetship period. Although it is not a requirement, the Shipping Master may request for it. Take this seriously.
8. Mark forward, aft, Starboard and Portside directions and position in your diagram: This will reduce confusion and provide precise location of various components of a piping system.
9. Never trace and draw two systems in one diagram: Just like the first point, be decisive in your line diagram. Drawing more than one system in a line diagram renders the drawing questionable and shows incompetence of the engineer.
10. Seek assessment from a superior officer: You may seek advice from a senior officer who understands the ship piping system, he/she will bring to light your flaws and the area you need to improve. Do not hold bad comments to heart or harbor grudges, remember, you can always do better.
11. Compare diagram with line diagram in ship’s library: This is more like an assessment and more boaster. Getting each detail correct in your line drawing as compared to that of the ships library is a sign of mastery in line tracing.
12. Make modifications and corrections: If you notice that there is a difference between your drawing and that of the ships library reference, cross check and retrace, if yours is absolutely correct, call the attention of the superior officer and make modifications to that of the ship library. Modifications should only be made with pencils.
13. NOTE: TAKE THE PROCESS GRADUALLY, RUSHING INTO UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT PIPE LINE DIAGRAMS AT THE SAME TIME WILL A WASTE OF TIME AND EFFORT. IT TAKES TIME, SLOWLY GRASP ALL DETAILS.