Question 1

You are asked: what is the purpose of a Planned Maintenance System (PMS), and what is the risk of allowing PMS jobs to be repeatedly deferred?

Accepted Answer

PMS schedules maintenance based on running hours, calendar intervals, or condition, ensuring equipment is serviced before failure becomes likely; repeatedly deferring jobs (often due to operational pressure) erodes the basis on which the maintenance intervals were set, increasing the probability of in-service failures and potentially constituting an ISM non-conformity if deferrals are not formally risk-assessed and approved PMS intervals are derived from manufacturer recommendations and class requirements based on expected wear/degradation rates, and the assumption underlying "it's still running fine" is that the equipment has not yet reached the point of accelerated failure — by the time symptoms appear, damage may already be advanced. A pattern of deferred PMS jobs without documented risk assessment is a recognised audit finding and is often identified as a contributing factor in machinery failure investigations, since it represents a systemic erosion of the planned maintenance philosophy rather than an isolated decision.

Question 2

You're draining a thermal oil system that was running normally a short time ago. Before opening the drain point, what should you confirm?

Accepted Answer

That the system has cooled and depressurised, and you are positioned clear of the drain point's discharge path On the dredger MV Amazone, two crew members draining a thermal oil system after months of contamination were sprayed with hot oil, suffering severe burns. The investigation found company procedures lacked clear instructions for safe drainage — confirming the system has cooled and depressurised, and standing clear of the discharge path, are essential before opening any drain point on a hot oil system.

Question 3

A thermal oil system has been contaminated and needs draining for cleaning. The written procedure tells you to open the drain valve but doesn't specify a cooling-down period or PPE. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Treat the gap as a hazard in its own right: apply a suitable cooling/depressurising period and full PPE before proceeding, and raise the procedure gap with the Chief Engineer The FEBIMA investigation into the MV Amazone incident found that although the crew followed company procedures, those procedures lacked clear instructions for safely draining a thermal oil system. A procedure that's silent on cooling time and PPE for a hazardous task is a gap to be closed before the job starts — not a green light to skip those precautions.