The research vessel CHIKYU is undertaking the first research in human history aimed at reaching the Earth’s mantle. The heart of the vessel is the engine room, fitted with eight diesel generators. The electrical power produced there is used to propel the ship and operate its drilling machinery, as well as to provide onboard lighting and seawater purification for the crew’s everyday needs. We talked to Chief Engineer Makoto Horie to find out more about the workings of the engine room, which ensures the navigational safety of the CHIKYU.
(Published March 2012)
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Interviewee Makoto Horie Chief Engineer Mantlve Quest Japan Company Ltd. |
Special Mission as a Research Vessel
CHIKYU has a special mission as a research vessel. To help it carry out this mission, the ship is fitted with medium-speed diesel engines that produce all the electric power it needs. The engines on the CHIKYU not only propel the vessel, as is the case for most ships, but also are used to generate electricity to operate its drilling equipment.
“The capacity of the generators is on a par with that of a ship built to carry around a thousand passengers,” explains Chief Engineer Makoto Horie. “When you consider that the maximum number of personnel onboard CHIKYU is two hundred, it gives you some idea of just how much this is a special-purpose vessel.”
Horie is a veteran with more than 30 years’ of maritime experience, but CHIKYU is unique among the ships he has served on during that long and varied career. Along with its huge power generator, CHIKYU is regarded as the main ship of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, and therefore needs to have an unparalleled level of safety.
A view of the engine monitoring room, where the operational status of the ship’s engine can be checked. |
Team members enjoy a pleasant chat during their time off. Working together for long periods on the same ship has allowed crew members to build up a relationship of mutual trust and pass on skills to each other. |
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