RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT OF CARGO ALARM SYSTEMS

The authors of the present publication released by the world respected SIGTTO organization recommend that the alarm management philosophies are implemented for the cargo alarm systems of the modern gas carrying vessels. Nowadays, the subject systems can actually be set up with the endless number of alarms, and the huge number of alarms can be generated nearly simultaneously, should any abnormal condition take place.

In the industry, this is usually called alarm flooding. This condition can eventually disable the entire alarm system, reducing the effectiveness of it as the information source, and eventually leading to the incident. There are some other alarms with the potential to deduct from the efficiency of the shipboard alarm system, for example the stale and chattering alarms. It is critically important for the operator to be able to rapidly check the cargo system status together with all safety elements.

Also, the information available to the operator of the system, shall be duly grouped for easier reference, enabling him or her quickly react. The alarm management shall be treated as the systematic process covering all common issues and addressing all important aspects of the system design and maintenance, as well as the periodic audit and training of the personnel involved.