What is the main reason for routine testing of the cooling water in a diesel engine cooling system?
To ensure that the correct levels of chemical treatment are maintained at all times.
To detect dissolved oxygen in the water.
To detect the presence of contaminants in the water.
To measure the pH-value of the water.
What is the correct method to be used to obtain a reduced output from a centrifugal pump?
By opening the pump recirculation line.
By adjusting the pump relief valve.
By throttling of the pump suction valve.
By throttling of the pump discharge valve.
What information is required to evaluate the condition of a heat exchanger during operation?
Inlet and outlet temperatures for the fluid being cooled.
Inlet and outlet temperatures of the cooling water.
Pressure drop for both fluids.
Inlet and outlet temperatures and pressure drops across the heat exchanger for both fluids.
Why is it necessary to carry out routine tests of the water in a diesel engine cooling water system?
To check that the correct concentration of corrosion inhibitors are maintained.
To check for the presence of contaminants in the system.
To check that the O-ring seals are in good condition.
To check for leakage in the cooling water system.
How often should water testing of a diesel engine cooling water system be carried out to check treatment levels and water condition during normal engine operation?
It doesn’t matter as water condition for diesel engine cooling systems is not important.
With two alternators running in parallel, and one is to be disconnected. The first step is to:
Remove the load from the alternator to be stopped.
Trip the main circuit breaker.
Make sure the load is evenly shared.
Increase the frequency on the switchboard.
A 450 volt 3 phase brushless alternator will have the following combination of items mounted on the rotor:
3 phase excitation winding/rectifier bank/main field winding.
Excitation field winding/rectifier bank/main field winding.
Excitation field winding/main field winding.
3 phase excitation winding/main field winding.
In accordance with SOLAS and other international regulations, certain important machinery functions, such as operation and control of the steering gear and propulsion machinery, must be tested at specified times. When should these tests be carried out?
Only at stand by engines.
Prior to arrival and departure from port and following maintenance.
Only following maintenance.
A ship has a medium speed engine and a controllable pitch propeller propulsion system. What would the propeller pitch normally have to be at to allow starting of the engine?
According to basic principles regarding fire protection the ship is to be divided in zones by structural and thermal boundaries. (SOLAS II-2/2.2.1).
In main horizontal zones.
Main Fire zones in accordance with the ship’s fire-fighting system.
In main zones according to utilization (Accommodation, Machinery, Cargo).
How is the activation of any detector or manually operated call point of fixed fire-detection and fire-alarm systems to be indicated? (SOLAS II-2/13.1.4).
By alarm signals at the bridge and engine room control panels.
By visual and audible signal at the control panel and indicating units.
By all the indication methods listed.
By sounding the ship’s fire alarm signal in crew accommodation and service spaces.
After water-washing the turbocharger exhaust side it starts to vibrate even though it was operating normally prior to the washing procedure. What is the most likely cause of this problem?
The rotor blades are damaged or the blades are not properly cleaned.
Water drain for washing system is clogged.
Foundation bolts for the blower unit are loose.
Inlet filter partly clogged.
In the event of a severe scavenge fire, which of the following is most likely to be seriously damaged?
Piston rod and stuffing box.
What shall you do if you see a person falling into the sea?
Throw a lifebuoy over board and report to the bridge immediately.
After main power is restored (following a blackout), a timed sequential restart of motor-driven auxiliaries is necessary to avoid:
Overvoltage due to current surges.
Overloading creating earth faults.
Over-frequency due to overspeed of generator.
Generator overload due to many motors starting at simultaneously.
A motor is protected by a thermal overcurrent relay. After tripping on overload it will not be possible to reset the overcurrent relay immediately because the:
Starter isolator automatically applies an interlock.
Bimetallic strips need time to cool down.
Line contactor spring has to be reset.
Oil dash-pot has to be reset.
A delta connected 3-phase AC induction motor is running normally at its rated current of 150 A when a single phasing fault (open circuit) occurs in one line. The likely outcome will be:
Line currents: 75 A, 75 A, 75 A. Trip condition: no trip but speed falls.
Line currents: 0 A, 150 A, 150 A. Trip condition: fuses blow on short circuit.
Line currents: 0 A, 150 A, 300 A. Trip condition: trip on overload.
Line currents: 0 A, 180 A, 180 A. Trip condition: trip on overload.
Generators work on the principle of electromagnetic induction. The internal EMF generated in the phase windings of an AC generator is controlled by:
The internal volt drop and the residual magnetism.
The diesel speed and excitation current.
The internal volt drop and the load current.
The diesel speed and load current.
Which of the following would be considered pollution, when discharged overboard, under the US water pollution laws?
Why are crankcase heaters fitted to some refrigeration system compressors?
To prevent refrigerant condensing in the crankcase when the compressor is stopped.
To control the viscosity of the lubricating oil.
To boil off any water from condensation in the crankcase.
To prevent ice from forming on the compressor casing.
What is the main effect on lubricating oil of operating for long periods at excessively high temperature?
It will cause the oil to oxidise, reducing the viscosity.
It will cause the oil to evaporate, increasing consumption.
It will change the flashpoint of the oil.
It will cause the oil to oxidise, increasing the viscosity.
During reassembly of a plate type heat exchanger following cleaning, the plate stack is normally compressed to a recommended thickness when tightening the tie bolts. Why is this recommended thickness given?
It is only a recommendation and is not really important.
To prevent overstressing the tie bolts.
To prevent serious damages to the plates.
To prevent distorting the backing plates.
What is the best method to use to remove heavy scale and fouling from the plates of a heat exchanger?
Use high-pressure cleaner with abrasive additives.
Use wire-brush, metal scrapers and chipping guns.
Soak the plates in a recommended cleaning solution and then use a soft brush or pressure cleaner.
Is it necessary to cool the samples taken from a diesel engine cooling water system before carrying out tests to determine the concentration of treatment chemicals?
No, the samples should be heated to approximately 95 °C.
Yes, the samples should be cooled to approximately 50 °C.
Yes, the samples should be cooled to approximately 25 °C.
No, the test should be carried out at system temperature.
Why may wearing sweat rags slung round your neck when working in the machinery spaces be hazardous?
The rags may be soaked with oil and catch fire.
The rags may cause sweat rash.
The rags may be caught by running machinery or power tools.
The rags may cause you to get too hot and faint.
Which electronic component does this graphical symbol represent?
Which component does this graphical symbol illustrate?
Pressure indicator, installed on panel/console.
Pressure relief valve, self-contained.
Pressure indicator, installed locally.
Which of the following detectors would you choose for measuring the torque of a steel shaft?
What is a ZENER BARRIER?
A zener barrier is a unit made to obtain intrinsic safety in installations for instrumentation in hazardous areas.
A zener barrier is a diode bridge used in rectifiers.
A zener barrier is a device used for speed regulation on electric motors.
A zener barrier is a device that allows the current to pass only one direction.
In terms of instrumentation and measurement, what is a digital signal?
A signal used by multimeters to measure resistance.
The reading of a multimeter when indicating voltage current or resistance.
A signal with discrete levels such as 0 = “low” and 1 = “High”.
A signal indicating revolutions per minute (RPM).
What is the main purpose for taking diesel engine crankshaft deflections?
To check that the shafting is in a straight line.
To check for weardown of the bottom end bearings.
To check for weardown of the main bearings.
To allow calculation of the load on each of the bearings.
Abdominal Thrust is the name on a technique which involves applying a series of thrusts to the upper abdomen in an attempt to force air out of a choking casualty’s lungs. How to perform this technique?
Let the casualty grab a list and hang up right down for a period of minimum 5 minutes.
Stand behind the casualty. Clench your fist with the thumb inwards in the center of upper abdomen. Grasp your fist with your other hand and pull quickly inwards.
Lay casualty on a hard surface, e. g. deck, and press firmly and rapidly on the middle of the lower half of the breast bone.
Remove the obstruction and restore normal breathing.
What is the minimum number of portable two way VHF walkie talkies for use in survival craft, that should be carried onboard vessels which comply with GMDSS regulations?
There is no requirement to carry them.
What is recognized as the main hazard when entering a void space?
What is the correct method to use for fitting a rolling contact bearing, such as a ball bearing, onto a parallel shaft?
Gently heat the bearing in an oil bath and use a bearing puller to draw it onto the shaft.
Use emery cloth on the bearing surface on the shaft.
Use emery cloth on the inner ring (contact surface) of the bearing.
Use a hammer and a pipe with the same diameter as the inner bearing ring and knock the bearing onto the shaft.
Every person onboard ship has a responsibility for safety and security. General house-keeping rules should be followed. Which of the listed rules is the most important onboard a tanker?
Always use gloves when operating portable grinders and chipping machines.
Never carry lighters or matches on the tank deck.
Always wear safety shoes on deck.
Always use the handrails when going up or down ladders.
What precautions should be taken for the deck covering in a steering gear room where hydraulic oil is in use?
Coat the deck with non slip paint and use duck boards provided with drainage.
No special precautions are required.
Cover the deck with sawdust.
Cover the deck with sand.
What action should be taken by the watchkeeping engineer if the running machinery is operating at slightly high temperature but everything else appears ok?
It should be shutdown temporarily, allowed to cool down and then be restarted.
It should be brought to the attention of the Chief Engineer so that remedial action can be decided upon.
It should be left running until the fault develops further.
It should be stopped and serviced immediately.
Select the option which best describes the primary duty of a watch-keeping engineer:
The primary duty of a watch-keeping engineer is to ensure that machinery spaces are properly manned.
The primary duty of a watch-keeping engineer is to maintain constant surveillance of the main engine and auxiliary machinery.
The primary duty of a watch-keeping engineer is to maintain constant surveillance of the steering gear.
The primary duty of a watch-keeping engineer is to maintain the ship’s speed.
Why is it important that a transmitter has been correctly installed at the correct location?
It must be easy to observe for troubleshooting.
Can be installed anywhere in the piping system.
It is important to have easy access to the transmitter for maintenance.
The control system is depending on the best possible process signal.
OPA-90 notification requirements:
Notify only if you mean that own vessel might be responsible.
Notify only if you mean that own vessel might be tracked and charged.
Notify as soon as you have knowledge of a spill exceeding 10 gallons of oil.
Notify as soon as you have knowledge of any spill, or threat of a spill.
With reference to diesel engine ancillary system operation, which one of the given statements is true?
The normal jacket water temperature before the jacket water cooler is approximately 80 to 90 °C.
The normal temperature of heavy fuel oil after the fuel oil heater is approximately 80 to 90 °C.
The normal temperature of the lubricating oil before the lub oil cooler is approximately 80 to 90 °C.
The normal scavenge air temperature after the charge air cooler is approximately 80 to 90 °C.
What is the correct understanding of the term “Bending moments” when applied to ships?
The longitudinal Bending Moment at any section within the ship is the total moments tending to alter the longitudinal shape of the ship.
All of the suggested answers.
The Bending Moments of a ship are the forces acting on the ship causing it to hog and sag.
The longitudinal Bending Moments are the forces between empty and full compartments causing the ship to bend and change shape.
What would the First Engineer require?
The First Engineer would require cleaning of the feed water tank.
The First Engineer would require the Chief Officer to keep him advised of bilge soundings.
The First Engineer would require weighing of the carbon dioxide gas bottles.
The First Engineer would require an inspection of the heating coils.
If Mouth-to-Mouth (M-T-M) ventilation by itself is unsuccessful and the casualty’s heart stops, or has stopped beating, you must perform External Chest Compression (ECC) in conjunction with M-T-M. What is the rythm when performing M-T-M in combination with ECC with one First Aider only?
15 compressions followed by 2 full ventilations.
5 compressions followed by 5 full ventilations.
10 compressions followed by 3 full ventilations.
20 compressions followed by 5 full ventilations.
A safety valve is sufficient to prevent a BLEVE:
Wrong, if the valve is wrongly set.
Wrong, it depends on the product.
When a fire breaks out in the accommodation, cargo holds or on deck, who is in charge of the fire fighting operations?
The First Officer arriving at the scene.
The person who is designated in the muster list.
The first person arriving at the scene.
For how long and at what speed is a fully loaded lifeboat designed to operate in calm weather?
Which of the survival craft listed below is equipped with a buoyant line, not less than 50 m in length, of sufficient strength to tow a liferaft?
What is the main theme of modern safety practice?
Consult the Chief Officer before commencing work.
Making use of Risk Assessment as a means to improving safety.
Use the same practice that has been in place for some time.
Health & Safety at Work Act.
What do you understand by the term “Risk Assessment”, and how would this be carried out on board?
Requires a great deal of preparation and involves recording everything on paper.
Identify the hazards, quantify the risks, put control measures in place, monitor the work activity and review.
States than when work has a degree of risk that the work is not carried out.
What is the minimum number of channels required for the portable two-way VHF’s for survival craft?
Which of these weapons are widely available and commonly used by criminals and terrorists to further their aims?
Ship Security Plans all look the same:
Which of the following alternatives summarise the benefits of using high voltage on ships?
Smaller conductors, machines and switchgear.
More efficient transformers and electrical machines.
Smaller conductors, insulators and transformers.
Smaller cables and better power factors.
Personnel in a high voltage switchroom smell rotten eggs. What may this indicate?
Arcing at badly coupled bus bars.
Problems with a gas (SF6) circuit breaker.
Problems with a vacuum circuit breaker.
Personnel in a high voltage switchroom smell ozone. This is likely to indicate which of the following?
Vacuum circuit breaker problems.
Air circuit breaker problems.
Arcing at badly connected bus bars.
How is the condenser cooling water flow regulating valve automatically controlled in a vapour compression refrigeration system?
By the quantity of refrigerant in the system.
By the compressor discharge pressure.
By the temperature of the refrigerant after the evaporator.
By the temperature in the refrigerated room.
What would be considered to be the normal service life for rolling contact bearings fitted to a large turbocharger for a diesel engine?
What is the main reason for keeping engine lubricating oil viscosity within recommended limits?
To reduce system pressure losses.
To neutralise any acids that may form.
To ensure the strength of the oil film is sufficient to keep lubricated surfaces apart.
A slow speed diesel engine is fitted with a slow turning facility. How would the slow turning normally be set to operate?
It should automatically operate before the normal start sequence following an engine stopped period of more than 20 to 30 minutes when manoeuvring.
It should automatically operate before every normal start sequence.
It should be manually operated before the normal start sequence following an engine stopped period of more than 10 minutes.
It should automatically operate every 20 minutes when the engine is stopped during manoeuvring.
An air compressor is being refitted in the engine room. The compressor and motor are coupled using a flexible coupling and are mounted on a common “skid” which fixed to the deck with resilient mountings. Which of the statements, from the options given, relating to the alignment of the motor and compressor is true?
Machines using flexible couplings and resilient mountings do not need to be aligned. That is why they have flexible and resilient elements fitted.
Shims should be fitted between the motor and compressor feet and the skid to ensure correct vertical, horizontal and parallel alignment of the coupling halves before it is bolted up.
As long as the two coupling halves are at the same height the flexible coupling will accommodate any horizontal misalignment or difference in the gap between the coupling faces.
The compressor and motor can just be placed directly on the common skid as they will probably be closely aligned anyway.
While alongside at a repair berth a new section of seawater pipe has been fabricated in a shoreside workshop from drawings supplied by the vessel. During fitting of the pipe by ship’s engineers it is noted that the pipe is too short leaving a gap of about 8mm between the flange faces. What action should be taken to remedy this problem?
The ships engineer’s should use extra long bolts and pull the flanges together.
The ship’s engineers should manufacture a spacer piece to fit the gap.
The pipe should be returned to the shoreside workshop for modification or to be remade to the correct dimensions.
The ship’s engineers should fit extra thick joints between the flanges to fill the gap.
Modern slow speed, two stroke diesel engines often have locating pins or pegs to keep the piston rings in a fixed position. Why is this arrangement used?
The piston ring gaps can be kept in line to control the gas pressure on each of the rings.
The piston rings are more difficult to lubricate because of the slow operating speeds and will wear more quickly if they are allowed to rotate.
It avoids the risk of the ends of the piston rings being forced out by the gas pressure and catching on the scavenge ports.
It ensures the rings cannot be mixed up and that they are fitted in the correct order on the piston.
Large slow speed diesel engines are usually of the crosshead type and have various arrangements to deliver lubricating oil directly to the crosshead bearings and guides to ensure adequate lubrication. Why are the crosshead bearings considered differently to the other bearing in this type of engine in respect of lubrication requirements?
The crosshead bearing is closer to the engine cylinder and therefore runs hotter.
The running surfaces oscillate relative to each other during operation rather than rotate and therefore full film hydrodynamic lubrication is not possible.
The lubricating oil has further to travel to the crosshead bearing and so a separate arrangement is necessary.
The crosshead bearing is more heavily loaded than other bearings in the engine so requires more oil to keep it cool.
A seawater pump requires overhaul but there are no spare wear rings for the casing and impeller. It is decided that new wear rings will be fabricated onboard using the ship’s lathe. What would be the most suitable material to use to fabricate the rings onboard?
A new cylindrical brass bearing sleeve for a pump shaft is found to be a few millimetres too long for the housing and needs to be adjusted to the correct length. Which will be the best method to use to reduce the length of the sleeve to the correct dimension?
Cut off the excess with a mechanical hacksaw.
Grind off the excess on a pedestal grinder for quickness.
Remove the excess length using the ship’s lathe.
Manually hacksaw off the excess and dress the end with a file.
What is the anticipated rolling period of a ship with a large initial Transverse Metacentric Height (GM) and would there be any associated dangers to consider?
Long slow roll and no particular hazards.
Short period of roll, but a very stable ship and no associated dangers.
Short sharp period of roll associated with breaking lashings and shifting cargo.
Long period of roll with free surface effects at a maximum.
During maintenance of a piston rod stuffing box on a large, slow speed diesel engine it is usual to measure the butt gaps between the sealing ring and scraper ring segments. What would be the effect of these gaps being too small?
If the gaps are too small then the flow of scavenge air through the gland would be reduced and the gland would overheat.
If the gaps were too small then no oil could pass up the piston rod to lubricate the sealing rings.
If the gaps are too small the rings could score the piston rod.
If the gaps are too small they could close due to the radial wear of the rings before the next scheduled overhaul preventing the rings from contacting the piston rod and sealing it.
With the set point at the actual desired value, a temperature control system is giving an unacceptably large offset (difference between set point and measured value) on high load resulting in a low system temperature. Which of the actions given in the options should be taken to reduce this effect and therefore achieve closer control of the temperature?
Increase the set point to a value above the actual desired value.
Crack open the manual bypass valve for the control valve.
Reduce the width of the proportional band for the controller.
Increase the width of the proportional band for the controller.
A vapour compression refrigeration system is usually fitted with a number of devices to give protection and control of the system. Which of the methods given in the options should be used to test the high pressure cut out during routine maintenance and checking of the system?
Charge the system with refrigerant until the high pressure cut out operates.
Close the condenser outlet valve and closely monitor the condenser pressure.
Gradually shut in the condenser cooling water valve or the condenser refrigerant inlet valve while closely monitoring the compressor discharge pressure.
Manually close each of the evaporator coils by switching off the electrical supply to the liquid line solenoid shut off valves and monitor the condenser pressure.
Some large slow speed diesel engines have jack bolt arrangements for retaining the main bearing top keep in place rather than the more conventional stud bolts. How does this arrangement affect the maintenance and checking procedures for the tie rods on the engine?
It has no effect since the tie rods and jacking bolts have completely separate functions.
The jacking bolts should be fully loaded before the tie rods are tensioned to avoid excess loads on the tie rods.
The tie rods and jacking bolts must be tightened simultaneously to avoid excess load on either component.
The tie rods should be fully tensioned before the jacking bolts are loaded to avoid overload of the bearing caps and frame structure.
When checking the closed butt gap clearance of new piston rings prior to fitting onto the piston it is normal to try the rings in the liner so that the gap can be measured. From the options given select the best part of the liner to use to carry out these checks.
Near the bottom of the liner.
Just above the scavenge ports.
Near the top of the liner.
Near mid-height of the liner.
With reference to the installation of pressure gauges for steam systems. Complete the following statement from the options given. To protect a bourdon tube type pressure gauge which is to be fitted to a steam line it should:
Be fitted to the steam pipe using a flexible hose.
Be fitted directly to the steam pipe.
Have its casing filled with water.
Be fitted with a siphon loop between it and the steam pipe.
During maintenance of a pneumatically operated, diaphragm actuated control valve the diaphragm is found to be split. Select, from the options given, a suitable material to use to make a temporary replacement if there is no spare diaphragm available.
Cotton reinforced rubber insertion sheet of approximately the same thickness but less elasticity than the original diaphragm material.
Cotton reinforced rubber insertion sheet of smaller thickness but similar strength as the original diaphragm material.
Natural rubber sheet of approximately the same thickness and elasticity as the original diaphragm material.
Natural rubber sheet of greater thickness and lower elasticity as the original diaphragm material.
A standard outside micrometer requires regular maintenance, including calibration, in order to ensure accuracy of measurement. How is the accuracy of this type of instrument normally checked? Select the answer from the options given.
By trying a go/no go gauge between the micrometer anvil and spindle at maximum opening at a common temperature.
By checking the distance between the micrometer anvil and spindle with an inside micrometer.
By measuring a standard gauge block or rod at a common temperature.
By checking the distance between micrometer anvil and spindle with an inside vernier gauge.
What would be the correct form of response to the question: “What is the visibility in your position?”
Visibility in my position is two hundred meters.
What would be understood by the message “A yacht has capsized in heavy seas”?
The message means the vessel is taking in water.
The message means the yacht has been overturned in heavy seas.
The message means the yacht has lost its Captain in heavy seas.
The message means the vessel is experiencing heavy seas and may need assistance.
Why are accommodation spaces separated from the remainder of the ship by thermal and structural boundaries?
To provide means of escape for the passenger and crew.
To increase effectiveness of the air-conditioning in the accommodation.
So that passengers can stay in the accommodation in case of fire in the engine room.