Given that the HS will open up again now I was wondering what’s involved in starting those huge engines in tankerships.
The uneducated me thinks the starter motor will be like truck engine. Or so.
Any deeper knowledge here and any discussion of those huge engines welcomed .
They use compressed air to drive the cylinders around till the engine starts
There are large compressors on board filling compressed air tanks for starts and re-starts.
No starter motor as such.
And I’d guess smaller diesels to drive the compressors to fill those tanks as well.
Not too small but yes. Typically three to five large auxiliaries. They also provide electrical power when the main engine isn’t running and during manoeuvres, and are always on standby.
Another issue I read about - you have ships sitting there waiting that were not intended to be sitting offshore for this length of time. Some were running out of fresh water and the ports really didn’t have the infrstructure to shuttle large quantities of supplies out to anchored ships, or the facilities for fully loaded tankers to re-dock to take on supplies. Not to mention, the month some have been waiting at anchor is about the length they would have been underway, so they may be reaching the end of food supplies too. So apparently there’s a serious logistics problem over and above starting the engines. Also the Gulf states are not keen to have large numbers of third-world crew wandering their cities on shore leave, even if the crew could afford it, so they’ve been stuck on those ships.