Section 14 Hull planned maintenance – HPMS

14.1.1 Within the scope of Vol 1, Pt 1, Ch 2, 4.5 Existing ships – Periodical Surveys 4.5.12 an approved Hull Planned Maintenance Scheme (HPMS) can be accepted as an integral part of LR’s Continuous Survey (CSH) cycle

14.1.2 The following improved facilities for dealing with hull structural surveys are provided through adoption of the Hull Planned Maintenance Scheme:

1. A more flexible approach to dealing with Classification Surveys of selected hull structural items. Opening out for Classification inspection is restricted to mandatory items and to verify the efficiency of the scheme through annual and periodical audits. The condition as observed and reported by the ship's LR authorised staff will, subject to Annual Audit, be sufficient to credit the items for survey.

2. The Navy can operate a single system, covering maintenance, spare parts/consumables supply and survey requirements for both hull and machinery items. The level of documentation and control will demonstrate a commitment to any Naval Authority requirements.

14.1.3 The Hull Planned Maintenance Scheme will operate by allowing LR authorised personnel to carry out inspections of selected hull items to an approved schedule of inspections over a six-year period corresponding to the naval ship classification cycles. Ships currently undertaking classification surveys by either SS or CSH regimes may be accepted onto the Scheme. In order to implement the scheme it will be necessary to divide the items selected for ship's staff inspection into a programme similar to that required for CSH in which approximately 17 per cent of hull master list items are inspected each year. In preparing this schedule of inspections, due account should be taken of the items still required to be surveyed by an LR Surveyor such that these may be conveniently carried out at the time of the Annual Audit or on completion of the CSH classification cycle.

14.2.1 A list of typical hull master list items that can be surveyed by authorised personnel, and those items that remain to be dealt with by LR Surveyors, can be obtained from LR’s Southampton GTC Office. It should be noted that LR will continue to inspect, as necessary, where there is a history of structural defects in a particular area, either on the ship or on a similar ship.

14.2.2 Where protective coating condition has been found to be poor or where substantial corrosion is identified in a tank or space scheduled for inspection by the ship's staff, a Memorandum will be imposed requiring that area to be examined and gauged at Annual Surveys by an LR Surveyor. Notwithstanding this requirement, the tank or space in question may continue to be inspected by the ship's staff subject to the agreement of the Scheme Manager.

14.3.1 It is recognised that planned maintenance systems may take various forms; the type of maintenance control, the scheduling, reporting and recording methods can only be decided by the Navy, having due regard to all the factors involved.

14.3.2 Approval of the planned maintenance scheme involves approval of the overall approach to maintenance for each installation, not just approval of the planned maintenance software. The amount of information to be submitted, however, can be reduced if the planned maintenance software has been approved using LR's Software Conformity Assessment Scheme. Further details can be obtained from LR's local offices.

14.3.3 Operational requirements for the approval of Hull Planned Maintenance Schemes are as follows:

1. Ship to be operating the Continuous Survey Cycle for Hull (CSH). (Where the Naval Authority requirements preclude the operation of the ship on a continuous hull survey, an alternative arrangement of ‘modified’ Special Survey will be employed.)

2. Ship to be operating an approved Machinery Planned Maintenance Scheme.

3. All personnel operating the scheme to hold a valid LR Certificate of Authorisation.

4. The language of the scheme to be English.

5. The scheme is to be based on a computerised system and should have back-up devices, which are to be updated at regular intervals.

6. Access to computerised systems for updating of the maintenance documentation and maintenance programme shall only be permitted by personnel with a valid LR Certificate of Authorisation.

7. Approval of the scheme is required to be reconsidered if ownership or management of the ship changes.

14.3.4 Details to be submitted:

1. A description of the scheme regarding its application on board ship and the proposed flow of maintenance documents and method of filing.

2. A numbered index of the items is to be included in the scheme. This index is to include at least all hull items that appear on the 'Master List of Surveyable Items'. The scheme may also cover items that are not required for classification. The indexing system is to be such that ready cross-reference to the Master List numbers can be made.

3. Sample job descriptions, and the time schedules for each item, are to be provided. Maintenance descriptions are to cover at least the minimum work necessary to demonstrate that a satisfactory examination of the item will be made. The extent of the work to be undertaken is to be indicated but it is not necessary for approval purposes to include every detailed job description. A selection of sample job descriptions will suffice to demonstrate how the system works.

4. The reporting and recording procedures are to be sufficiently comprehensive to demonstrate that both the Navy and the LR Surveyor can verify correct operation of the planned maintenance scheme at the time of the Annual Audit. There is to be a system for reporting the following information to Navy and recording on board ship and at the Navy’s headquarters:

   • details of inspections carried out;
   • the condition as found;
   • any repairs or maintenance undertaken;

5. The details of items inspected may be supplemented with digital photographs. These may be stored within the planned maintenance software or in a clearly distinguished and labelled electronic file system.

14.3.5 Where a ship is already operating an SS classification regime it will be necessary for the survey cycle to be converted to a CSH regime. Adoption of the scheme is best effected at the commencement of the next SS/CSH classification cycle. However, where a Navy wishes to enter the scheme in mid cycle this can be achieved by the following methods:

1. Entry up to 2^nd Annual Survey:

   all hull master list items will require to be dealt with between date of entry and the SS/CSH due date;

2. Entry following 2^nd Annual Survey:

   at least 17 per cent of the hull master list items to be dealt with in each full year of the SS/CSH cycle remaining, part years to be dealt with pro rata. The balance of hull master list items to complete the SS/CSH cycle will be dealt with by the LR Surveyor at SS/CSH due date.

14.3.6 Where entry is effected following the 2^nd Annual Survey, the Navy may choose to deal with more than the minimum number of items as indicated above, in which case the number of items remaining to be dealt with by the LR Surveyor to complete the SS/CSH cycle can be reduced accordingly.

14.4.1  Navy. The Navy should make a request for approval of the planned maintenance scheme either through a local LR office or direct to the London office. The information detailed in Vol 1, Pt 1, Ch 3, 14.3 Scheme Approval 14.3.4 should be submitted. Requests for approval of planned maintenance software in accordance with LR's Software Conformity Assessment Scheme should be made to a local LR office or direct to the London office.

14.4.2  Clasification Society Register. The planned maintenance scheme will be reviewed and, if acceptable, a Certificate of Operation of an Approved Planned Maintenance Scheme for Hull Structures will be issued to the Navy. A copy of the Certificate is to be retained on board the subject ship for the information of the Commanding Officer, Marine Engineer Officer and LR's Surveyors. The HPMS notation will be assigned if requested and an appropriate memoranda item entered on the ship's survey status. The Certificate of Operation will be valid until the end of the classification cycle and, on completion of a satisfactory audit, the attending Surveyor will reissue the certificate.

14.4.3  Clasification Society Register Scheme Manager. A Scheme Manager will be appointed by LR for each Navy with ships operating the Hull Planned Maintenance Scheme. The Scheme Manager will administer the scheme on an individual ship or group basis, act as a technical consultant to the Navy and train the ship's staff in the methods of hull structural inspection and reporting. He/she will be resident in either a terminal port that the ship uses regularly or the LR office that manages the Navy’s account. More details are given in the following paragraphs.

1. Scheme Set-up

   The Scheme Manager will, on obtaining a request from a Navy to include a ship on the Scheme:

   • Identify the ship(s) to be assessed with the Navy.
   • Contact LR's Southampton GTC Office for any special requirements. For example there may be specific areas where LR will not credit inspections by a ship's staff due to a history of defects.
   • Guide the Navy through completion of the Hull Planned Maintenance Scheme implementation checklist and application form.
   • Review ship's Master List of surveyable items to determine which items will be inspected by the ship's staff.
   • Liaise with the Navy to determine a schedule of inspections to include the items to be inspected by a ship's staff and taking due account of the items still required to be surveyed by an LR Surveyor.
   • Obtain scheme approval from the LR's Southampton GTC Office.
   • Issue certification for the ship (i.e. Certificate of Operation).

2. Training

   The Scheme Manager will carry out the following actions associated with training:

   • Prepare training documentation and training workshops.
   • Deliver training to the ship's staff and issue certification (i.e. Certificate of Authorisation).
   • Maintain the database of authorised ship's officers, available through Class Direct.
   • Arrange for refresher training programmes for the ship's staff at six-yearly intervals.

3. Scheme Operation

   During operation, the Scheme Manager will act as the primary contact for Hull Planned Maintenance issues:

   • Confirm operation of the scheme through contact with the Navy's office.
   • Review and process ship's staff reports.
   • Perform, where practicable, shipboard Annual Audit of the scheme.
   • Where the shipboard Annual Audit is undertaken through another LR office, act as liaison and contact point for the local LR Surveyor.
   • To assess progress of the scheme at the end of each survey cycle and report to LR's Southampton GTC Office and the Navy. Undertake a review at the end of the second survey cycle, i.e. when the ship is 12 years of age, and, if applicable, make a recommendation to the Classification Group in Southampton that the ship be considered for extension of the scheme into the third cycle.

14.4.4  Authorised Ship’s Personnel. Authorised ship's personnel will carry out inspections of the hull structural items for which they are authorised, at sea or in port, whichever is the most convenient. Inspections of individual master list items are required to be carried out in accordance with the applicable requirements of LR's Rules for Naval Ships. The Commanding Officer and Navy should arrange for LR's Surveyors to carry out an Annual Audit of the hull maintenance records. Annual audits are to be held within three months before or after the due date and are to be harmonised with the Annual Classification Survey. Items to be credited for Class can be CSH items that have become due in the previous 12 months. In the case of new ships on their first survey cycle, approximately 17 per cent of the total number of CSH items are to be selected.

14.4.5 Requirements of the Intermediate Special Survey (ITSS) will still require to be satisfied, as applicable. Master list items dealt with by the ship's staff in the 12 months prior to ITSS may be considered for credit towards this survey and may not need to be re-examined by the LR Surveyor unless required as part of the Annual Audit.

14.4.6 At the Annual Audit, the maintenance records and associated documentation are to be made available, which should include:

• Inspection and maintenance records for each item to be credited for Class. These records should give details of any repairs carried out.
• Written details of any breakdown, malfunction or defect in hull structure. Such details should include the main cause of failure.
• An LR Certificate of Authorisation for all authorised personnel who have carried out maintenance work on items to be credited for Class.
• An LR Certificate of Operation of an Approved Planned Maintenance Scheme for Hull Structures.
• Confirmation of the type of planned maintenance software in use.
• Reports will be required to be forwarded to the Scheme Manager on a 3-monthly basis.

14.4.7  Clasification Society Register Surveyors. At the Annual Audit held concurrently with the Annual Classification Survey, the hull records and documentation will be examined in sufficient depth by the LR Surveyors to ensure that the scheme has been operated correctly and that structure and coatings/corrosion prevention systems have functioned satisfactorily since the previous Audit. The records should indicate that all scheduled maintenance has been carried out. Any items not dealt with as per the schedule will be discussed with the authorised personnel.

14.4.8 As part of the Audit the LR Surveyors may carry out a general examination of the hull structural items completed in the previous year. If the Surveyor is not satisfied with any aspect of the scheme's operation he/she may request that items be opened out for inspection.

14.4.9 If deficiencies in the operation of the scheme are identified, either from the maintenance records or from the general condition of the ship, the Surveyors may advise that a further Audit will be required and impose a suitable Condition of Class. In the event of serious deficiencies, a report will be forwarded to the Naval Ship Classification Committee in London recommending that the special arrangements for dealing with hull structural surveys be suspended.

14.4.10 The dates of items to be credited for Class will be aligned to the date of the Annual Audit, regardless of when the survey was carried out by the ship's staff. Any other surveyable items of hull structure not covered by the Scheme will be surveyed and credited in the normal way.

14.4.11 It should be noted that when items that the ship's staff are authorised to survey become due for survey between Annual Audits, they will be shown as 'OVERDUE' on the survey status until the Annual Audit has been held and reported.

14.4.12 Items approved for inspection by the ship's staff, but not inspected by them between Annual Audits according to the approved schedule of inspections, will require to be examined by the LR Surveyor at the time of the Annual Audit.

14.4.13  Inspection Results and Reporting. Results of the inspections carried out by authorised ship's staff in accordance with the approved schedule of inspection should be recorded on the report forms provided by LR and transmitted to the Scheme Manager at the required intervals. Where previously agreed with the Scheme Manager, alternative methods of reporting may be accepted.

14.4.14 Should the authorised ship's staff, during the course of their inspections, identify any defect or damage which could invalidate the conditions of class for which a vessel has been assigned, this should be reported to LR without delay. In such cases, an LR Surveyor should be requested to attend the ship to carry out an appropriate survey in accordance with normal practice. All repairs that may be required in order for the ship to maintain class are to be carried out to the satisfaction of an LR Surveyor. When repairs are effected at a port, terminal or location where the services of an LR Surveyor are not available, the repairs are to be surveyed by an LR Surveyor at the earliest opportunity thereafter.