Steering gear – Inspection, Trials and Practice
To avoid steering gear failure at marinetraffic and induced damage, the Master and the Chief Engineer are held responsible for monitoring devices.
a daily effective check of the steering gear and associated
The daily checks should be performed by a deck officer and an engine officer. An entry on every check, including information on who executed it, is made into the vessel’s logbook and the engine logbook.
Manuals for the steering gear should be carefully studied by all deck and engine officers, so that they are familiar with the operation and maintenance of the plant and the changing from one system to another.
The Owner demands that the Master and the Chief Engineer ensure:
That the steering gear is thoroughly tested from the bridge immediately before departure from shipyard, port, or anchorage.
That the steering gear is frequently inspected during watches, and that failures emerging are corrected immediately.
That the according to SOLAS Chapter V Paragraphs 19-1 and 19-2 demanded trials and practices within 12 hours before the departure of the vessel are carried out. The tests carried out must be entered into deck log book.
