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ME603
Deck Crane Tripping
Technical committee
Ship type Bulk carrier
Date of build September 2002
Navigation route Far East
Trouble machinery
Category Deck crane
Name
Type
Maker
Date of trouble March 2007

1. Outline of damage
While engaging in unloading operations in March 2007, the No. 1 crane frequently experienced rises in
hydraulic oil temperatures and tripped.
We adjusted the thermostat temperature setting (75 80) and the unloading valve setting (120
100kgf/cm2); no tripping has occurred since these adjustments were made.
In August 2007 in the same port, another ship equipped with cranes of the same model experienced tripping
of the No. 1 crane; an investigation revealed the following:
The Oil Temp High/Motor Over Load warning lamp lit up.
During tripping, the oil cooler also ceased operating (but not because it reached the oil temperature
upper limit).
A relay (THXI) failed to respond.
Although the relay (THXI) responded 10 minutes later, the warning lamp did not go out.
An inspection was made of the status inside the control panel and operability of the thermal relay
(51F) was confirmed. By pressing the reset button, the warning lamp was extinguished, making the
thermal relay ready for re-starting.
The sensor setting for the oil temperature upper limit during tripping was 95.

2. Probable causes
Unloading operations in the port in question were being carried out at a very quick pace (40~80 sec. cycles)
using a grab bucket with a total weight of 13 tons. At the time it became known that the automatic winching
selector (operation/non-operation) valve for unloading had become unstable as the result of the type of
cargo being handled.
For a cargo weight of 13 tons, the automatic winching selector valve normally switches over the two-motor
drive, changing the winching speed to high-load mode (winching speed: 18.5m/min.). In this case, however,
the automatic winching selector valve failed to switch over; unloading was carried out with the winching
speed in medium-load mode (winching speed: 37m/min.) during the bucket operation processes (bucket
closing grabbing lifting cargo off the ground winching). This was another factor contributing
to the high speed of the unloading cycle.

3. Action and countermeasures taken

We were able to reconfirm the responsiveness of the automatic winching selector valve in an
actual-machine test at the manufacturers plant and to confirm that the valve switches between
operation/non-operation modes according to its operational speed. On the other hand, the reason for the
valve switching between operation/non-operation modes is still being investigated.

1
The Marine Engineer Nov.2007
 RETURN

The flow force of the hydraulic oil is one of the likely causes affecting the motion of the automatic selector
valve spool. So we reviewed some aspects of the spool shape and conducted a responsiveness verification
test in an effort to reduce the impact of the flow force. The test proved that the valves responsiveness
remained unchanged regardless of the operational speed if the load was the same. This meant that the
valves responsiveness could be improved. So we incorporated the improved spool into the onboard crane.
We are now in the process of confirming its effectiveness.

2
The Marine Engineer Nov.2007