The MPA Singapore has issued a circular announcing that it will accept the use of electronic log books as equivalent to manual log books provided conditions, including those found in IMO Res. A.916(22), are applied.
Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Regulation s Chapter V Regulation 13 and Regulation 28, requires all ships to carry deck and engine room log books to:
- record indelibly in English the performance of t he ship, her machinery, boilers and other daily events including such data as the ship’s position, speed, course, weather conditions, fuel consumption, tank soundings, machinery operating pressures and temperatures and any incidents which may appear to be of importance to safety of life at sea, prevention of pollution to the marine environment, etc.
- maintain a record of navigation and engineering a ctivities and incidents which must contain sufficient details to restore a complete record of the voyage.
Such logs when entered by hand are required to b e signed daily by the
officers of the watch and countersigned by the mast er or the chief engineer as appropriate. Such logs or copies thereof shall be m ade available to the Director as and when required.
MPA will accept the use of the electronic log bo ok as equivalent to the manual deck and engine log books onboard Singapore registe red ships, as a means of keeping a record of navigation and engineering a ctivities and to improve the efficiency and accuracy of record keeping.
The electronic log book should meet the listed guidelines in Annex A and IMO Resolution A.916(22) “Guidelines for the recording of events related to navigation”.
The MPA Singapore advises:
- Ship owners, managers, masters and officers of ships fitted with electronic log book are to use the guidelines to facilitate safe and efficient usage of electronic log book. Existing automatic recording devices (e.g. engine speed logger) would be considered acceptable as part of the electronic logbook.
- Ship owners and managers who propose to use the electronic log book must incorporate procedures in their Company’s and Ships’ Safety Management System to address the training, use, maintenance, backup and safekeeping of the electronic log book
Source: MPA Singapore
Using ELECTRONIC LOGGING DEVICES CREATES A VACUUM OF OVERALL SAFETY IF N WHEN THE ELECTRICAL SUPPLY IS EITHER DIMINISHED OR TOTALLY OUT OF ORDER. THEN THE CREW MAY NOT BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES IN ENGLISH SUFFICIENTLY TO RECORD THE REQUISITE DATA IN THE MARINE LINGO.SO A CONTINUOUS BACKUP SYSTEM OF THE ORIGINAL LOG KEEPING SHUD BE MAINTAINED.. OFCOURSE THE” CAPTAINS LOG MUST BE IN WRITTEN ENGLISH DAILY AS TAUGHT BY ALL LARGE SHIPPING LINER COMPANYS N IT HAS SERVED THEM WELL NEW CONTRAPTIONS HAS THEIR OBVIOUS N DANGEROUS KINKS IN THEIR MECHANISMS. CYBER INTELLIGENCE IS WAY AHEAD AS YET. THE ROBOTS CANNOT MAKE A DECENT CUP OFCOFFEE LIKE A 2ND. YEAR MIDSHIPMEN.