My first Experience in a ship sea trial at Colombo Dockyard PLC

In the last week,while I am working in the Colombo Dockyard as a mechanical engineer, I had my first experience in a sea trial of newly constructed NC0260 Misje Lily vessel in Misje series.(Sea trial is an experimental run of a newly constructed vessel to test the performance under the real sea conditions to verify suitability as a commercial purpose). Misje Lily is a vessel constructed for Norway which consists of 5000 DWT (Dead Weight Tonnage).Also, this is one of the vessels in hybrid vessel series which can use both fuel power and battery power for the propulsion of the vessel main engine.My main purpose of this sea trial is to test the auxillary generator fuel oil supply, ballast and bilge water systems and other alarm systems in the vessels.

My journey started in the last sunday morning around 7.40AM.My team included one supervisor and two technicians.We departed from the workshop to participate in the sea trial after having the breakfast.Around 7.45AM, we reached the vessel and boarded the vessel

After boarding , we reached to the CCR (Cargo control room) which is the place we have to do our duty. We noted down the initial conditions of the auxillary generator before powering up the main engine of the vessel.Around 8.00AM, we embarked our journey to the ocean from the pier.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to witness the departure from the pier as I was required to remain in the CCR to test the conditions.After half an hour from the departure, I was able to come out from the CCR to witness the outside.It was a marvelous experience as we were away from the land.I went to the wheel house of the ship to meet the captain and others in the ship and also to experience the view from the highest point of the ship. Already, we have gone nearly 2km away from the land at that moment.

In the wheelhouse, I had a small chitchat while having tea with snacks and I returned back to the CCR to continue rest of the duty.

In the afternoon, we came to the deck of the ship before having the lunch.At that moment, the vessel has gone more than 10km away from the land and we were only able to see the buildings in the coast line of Colombo.The sea was rough on that day and we felt the sway of the vessel due to the sea waves.However, the view from the vessel was magnificent as there were some other vessels nearby.In the mean time we had our delicious lunch while enjoying the sea view from the vessel