owner is taking back ship after bareboat charter, what are things to check as chief engineer??

Answer

Taking back a vessel at the termination of a bareboat charter is known as Redelivery. As the incoming Chief Engineer representing the Registered Owner, your primary objective is to protect the owner’s capital asset from liabilities, hidden damages, and non-compliance fines.

Under maritime law and standard contracts (like BIMCO BARECON), the charterer is legally obligated to redeliver the vessel in the "same structure, state, and condition as upon delivery, fair wear and tear excepted."

To protect your owner, you must focus your physical inspection, documentation, and data gathering on five core technical areas:

1. The Redelivery Bunker & Sludge Survey (The Financial Handover)

This is the most critical commercial task. A joint, independent bunker survey must be conducted at the exact time and place of redelivery.

• Fuel Quantity Verification: Quantify all Fuel Oils (VLSFO, HSFO) and Marine Diesel/Gas Oils (MDO/MGO) on board. This data is tied directly to the final financial settlement between the owner and charterer.

• Lubricating Oils Inventory: Take physical soundings of all main engine, auxiliary engine, stern tube, hydraulic, and system lube oil tanks.

• Sludge & Bilge Holdings: Measure the exact quantities of sludge, bilge water, and oily residues remaining in the holding tanks.

Owner's Protection: Ensure the charterer pays for the disposal of excess sludge, or that quantities match the contract limits. Ensure they haven't accumulated huge amounts of waste to avoid landing fees.

2. Structural and Class-Related Verifications

Bareboat charterers sometimes defer long-term structural maintenance to maximize short-term profits.

• Under-Water Inspection: Ensure a Diver's Hull Inspection / Cleanliness Survey is carried out (or scheduled) to check for hull fouling, propeller roughness, and mechanical damage to the rudder, sacrificial anodes, and ICCP (Impressed Current Cathodic Protection) systems.

• Crankshaft Deflections: Request and witness physical crankshaft deflections for the Main Engine and all Auxiliary Engines. Compare these readings directly against the original delivery data and manufacturer limits to check for bearing wear or bedplate misalignment.

• Boiler Water and Cooling Water Reports: Review the water treatment logs for the past 12–24 months. Poor chemical treatment can cause hidden scaling and thermal stress, leading to localized tube failures shortly after you take over.

• Stern Tube Seals: Check the stern tube gravity tank oil consumption logs. High consumption or water contamination indicates compromised seals, which means an immediate, expensive dry-docking liability.

3. Statutory Compliance and the Digital Trail

You must ensure the vessel is legally compliant the moment ownership/management reverts to you.

• Oil Record Book (ORB Part I): Meticulously verify all entries for bilge transfers, sludge incineration, and oily water separator (OWS) operations. Ensure the code entries perfectly match the physical tank soundings and digital data logs.

Critical Risk: Any discrepancy or falsified entry inherited from the charterer can result in catastrophic port state control (PSC) detentions and criminal liabilities for the new management.

• MARPOL Annex VI & BDNs: Verify that all Bunker Delivery Notes (BDNs) and representative fuel samples from the charter period are safely retained on board (BDNs must be kept for 3 years, samples for 1 year). Check that the data matches the SEEMP (Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan) and CII (Carbon Intensity Indicator) reporting lines.

• PMS & Spares Inventory: Cross-check the digital Planned Maintenance System (PMS) overdue jobs. Conduct a physical verification of critical, class-mandated spare parts (e.g., Main Engine cylinder liner, piston assembly, cylinder cover, fuel pumps, and critical automation cards). If the charterer depleted the statutory spares inventory, it must be billed back to them.

4. Machinery Trial Performance Data

Never accept the vessel based purely on a cold, static inspection.

• Sea Trial Data: If possible, witness or review recent sea trial or full-power run data.

• Performance Parameters: Analyze the scavenge air pressures, exhaust gas temperatures, turbocharger RPM, and fuel index vs. load. High exhaust temperatures or falling turbocharger efficiency indicate internal fouling, worn fuel injection equipment, or poor maintenance that you will have to pay to fix.

5. The Comprehensive Inspection Checklist

Compile your findings using this structural framework to present to the redelivery surveyor and the owner's legal team: