One of the best thing that keeps a ship deck and body long in service is how they are being maintained.

Inadequate maintenance of the ship equipment causes the ship to grow older than it supposes to.

On this article, we will like to enlighten more on simple ways to keep the ship deck clean and safe.

Firstly, how often do you clean your ship or boat deck?

Well to our recommendation, the deck should be clean on a daily bases while at sea. But since there is not enough time onboard due to other daily activities, it’s recommended to clean the deck at least three times per week.

Why?; because over time saltwater dries on deck, leaving behind numerous chemicals, including salts, which will hasten corrosion and create an unsafe surface.

In addition, while discharging cargo, some fall on the deck and push by the wind to accumulate in some areas. Depending on the type of cargo, with time you will find out that the area will start to get rusty.

Therefore, Giving vessel deck one quick wash daily or three times per week removes all this accumulation and leaves the deck nice, clean, safe and reduce chipping job.

Having said that, considering the deck equipment, like mooring winch and windlass, hydraulic valves, etc. These equipment are always exposed to the sun, rain, salt water splash, which requires proper protection ( eg. cover the operational leavers after usage, grease joints, etc).

Not only that the equipment will work correctly, but also it will be easier for the engineers to carry out maintenance services when it develops a fault.

Planned maintenance system (PMS)

The PMS is a measure which company provides to guide the ship crew in carrying required system services onboard ship.

Related post: Weathertight Doors And Watertight Doors Maintenance

On the deck department, the master and chief mate serve as a watchman to make sure the jobs listed on the PMS (when due) are executed and recorded properly.

In our previous articles, we have discussed chipping and painting of the decks, you might like to see below video.

Proper housekeeping

To keep the deck safe and clean, proper housekeeping should be done by removing unwanted objects, used spares, oil drums, etc.

Note: we have also discussed some of this issue in an article “easy way to pass ship annual survey”.

Conclusion

To all ship crews and new joiners, the ship is your working place, home(for contract time). We strongly encourage to practice the above subjects or even add more.

With that, your ship can enter any port without questions. Adding more credits to you and crews.

Hopefully, this article will be a useful guide not only to the deck department but also to the engine department.

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