Integrated Automation Systems and Unmanned Machinery Space (UMS)
UMS allows periods with machinery spaces unattended when the approved arrangements, plant condition and watchkeeping arrangements permit. Automation monitors and signals; the designated engineer officer remains on call and ready to respond.
Operational Explanation
UMS means periodically unattended machinery spaces. The ship must retain safety equivalent to the attended arrangement. The absence of continuous personnel in the space does not end the engineering watch or transfer all machinery responsibilities to the bridge.
An integrated automation system may bring data, alarms and commands for several installations together in one supervisory system. The functions remain distinct: monitoring displays condition; an alarm requires attention; control regulates or commands; protection acts on dangerous conditions according to the design. The ship's documentation describes the functions and their dependencies.
The operational decision follows a cycle: verify conditions, prepare the plant and on-call arrangements, begin the UMS period, respond to abnormalities and return to attended operation when needed. A panel without alarms does not by itself demonstrate that all conditions are satisfied.
Regulatory Reference
SOLAS II-1, Part E: regulation 46 addresses equivalent safety, reliability, regular inspections and tests, and documentary evidence of fitness for UMS (§46.3). Regulations 50–53 cover communication, alarms, safety systems and machinery arrangements. Regulation 54 requires specific consideration by the Administration for passenger ships. Institutional SOLAS text consolidated to 2017; corroboration of §§46.2–46.3 in UK guidance MGN 670 Amendment 2, 2026, table 10.
Regulation 51 distinguishes indication in the machinery spaces, connection to engineer officers' accommodation and bridge alarms for situations requiring attention by the officer on watch. If an alarm receives no local attention within the prescribed time, the engineers' alarm is activated. Acknowledgement is not clearance of the fault. Routing, standby power and time delays follow the approved arrangement.
STCW Code A-VIII/2, Part 4-2, §64: in the periodically unattended condition, the designated duty officer shall be immediately available and on call to attend the machinery spaces. Paragraphs 62, 67 and 73–78 address defects, work, records and communication. IMO text of the Manila amendments, 2010. Apply the ship's flag and class requirements, approved instructions, SMS and standing orders: the linked sources have the stated editions and scopes.
Scope of Application
This card concerns ships fit to operate with periodically unattended machinery spaces and the related engineering watch activities. Part E concerns cargo ships, with specific consideration for passenger ships under regulation 54. For passenger ships, the Administration considers whether UMS is permitted and what additional requirements are necessary.
An IAS or class notation does not replace checking documentary evidence of fitness and the authorised conditions. Who may begin or suspend UMS, which checks to perform and when to retain attended operation depend on the ship's arrangements and procedures.
Procedure / How to Complete It
- Check whether UMS is permitted. Consult fitness conditions, the SMS and standing orders for the intended situation. Consider plant condition, ship operations, work in progress and available personnel.
- Complete the ship's checks. Perform the prescribed rounds and checks; verify the required plant and standby arrangements, alarm and communication systems and the condition of safety systems. Tests follow approved methods and intervals; do not improvise activation of trips or protective functions.
- Review defects and work. Make out-of-service equipment, manual operation, isolations and inhibited alarms or protective functions visible. If a necessary UMS condition is lost, retain or restore attended operation and follow the required reporting and authorisation process.
- Prepare on-call arrangements and handover. Identify the duty engineer officer and call routing; confirm communication with the bridge. Hand over abnormalities, work and instructions. Record the beginning and end of the period under the SMS and standing orders.
- Manage each call. Respond under the procedure, identify the alarm and safely assess the plant. Notify the chief engineer and bridge where required; take the immediate action needed for safety without expecting notification alone to resolve the situation. Assess whether UMS may continue.
- Record and restore. Record the event, actions and residual condition, open or update relevant PMS jobs and hand over the information at watch relief. After work, checks and return to service follow the ship's procedures; UMS resumes only when the necessary conditions are satisfied again.
Practical Example
Before the UMS period, a round finds that an alarm channel was inhibited during maintenance. The officer compares the inhibition and open job with the ship's procedural conditions. If the function is necessary for UMS and no permitted alternative arrangement exists, machinery spaces remain attended; the defect is reported and the job stays visible.
After repair, restoration of the channel and the prescribed check are recorded. Entry conditions, on-call arrangements and handover are checked again before beginning UMS. If an alarm then occurs, acknowledging it means taking responsibility for the indication: the fault still needs assessment, action and a decision on continuing unattended operation.
What Typically Goes Wrong
Common Mistakes Mistake Library
| Mistake | Consequence | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Deciding on UMS solely because the panel shows no alarms | Defects, inhibited safety functions or work may remain invisible | Use the entry procedure and compare actual condition, inhibitions and open jobs |
| Confusing alarm acknowledgement with restoration | The fault remains active without follow-up | Separate acknowledgement, assessment, action and verification; record residual condition |
| Not updating the duty officer, call routing or handover | Delayed response or loss of defect information | Confirm the recipient, communication and handover under the ship's arrangements |
| Improvising daily full tests of all alarms and shutdowns | Uncontrolled tests or misleading evidence of reliability | Follow the applicable plan, methods and intervals, retaining results and abnormalities |
What the PSCO Checks
Operational Tips
- Know where to read condition, inhibitions and alarm priorities, and which functions remain available if supervision is lost.
- Link defects, tests and PMS jobs to the UMS decision; retain actual outcomes and actions still open.
- At handover, make manual operation, out-of-service equipment and conditions requiring attendance or notification explicit.
Class note: DNV announced in 2025 that some E0/AUT survey items were moved into main class, stating that technical requirements remained unchanged. An item no longer appearing in the same survey list does not demonstrate that its check has been removed: consult the rules and programme relevant to the ship. DNV announcement, 2 June 2025.
Preparation checklist
- Fitness and UMS conditions verified for the intended operation
- Prescribed rounds and checks completed, with actual outcomes
- Defects, work, isolations and inhibitions assessed and handed over
- Alarms, communication and necessary functions available under the required arrangements
- Duty officer identified and call correctly routed
- Records and handover updated; criteria for returning to attended operation understood
FAQ
Related Topics
Certified substantive revision: 12 October 2026 · page fingerprint dabe5b838b3e