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Former Harbor Ferry Hamburg — Tank Level Alarm and List Monitoring

For a former harbor ferry in Hamburg, we implemented two monitoring systems: a fill-level alarm for the port and starboard tanks and a calibratable list monitoring system with email notification based on a Siemens LOGO!.

Location Hamburg Service Area Marine Electrics

The Problem

The vessel lies as a permanent moorage at a pier and is no longer used in regular service. Two tasks needed to be solved: First, when refueling the heating oil tanks (port and starboard), it had to be ensured that the tanker truck stopped in time — installing classic limit switches was not structurally possible. Second, the owner wanted list monitoring that would raise an alarm in case of unusual heel.

The Solution

The Vessel

The former harbor ferry lies as a permanent moorage in Hamburg and is now used for other purposes. Two independent monitoring systems were retrofitted, sharing a common audible alarm.

Fill-Level Alarm for the Heating Oil Tanks

On board are two heating oil tanks — port and starboard. When refueling by tanker truck, it is critical that the pump is stopped in time before the tanks overflow.

Installing classic limit switches — such as vibration limit switches or electrical probes — was not possible due to the tank construction. However, float switches were already installed in the tanks. These were utilized and integrated into the new signal chain. The alarm can be activated and deactivated separately for each tank.

When the fill level is reached, the float switch triggers the audible alarm — the signal for the tanker truck driver to shut off the pump.

A vessel permanently moored at a pier can develop a critical heel due to leakage, uneven loading, or other causes. To warn the owner at an early stage, a list monitoring system was implemented.

Components:

  • Inclination sensor from Pepperl+Fuchs (industrial version)
  • Siemens LOGO! as the controller for evaluation, display, and alarm logic

The LOGO! shows the currently permitted inclination as well as the actual deviation on both axes on its display. The system can be zeroed at the press of a button — the ship’s current position is set as the zero point. The threshold values for the X and Y axes are freely adjustable. If a threshold is exceeded, the system reacts in two stages:

  1. Audible alarm on board (shared buzzer with the tank fill-level alarm)
  2. Email notification, which can be automatically processed as a call or SMS

Network Installation: From Cable Clutter to a Tidy Rack

At the same time, the existing network installation on board was reorganized. Over the years, the cabling had grown into a confusing tangle — troubleshooting and extensions would have been correspondingly time-consuming. All active and passive components were structured in a 19-inch server rack and the cables cleanly routed.

Result

Both systems are in operation. The float switches of the port and starboard tanks trigger the audible alarm when the fill level is reached. The list monitoring continuously records the X and Y axes, can be zeroed at the press of a button, and configured with individual threshold values. When triggered, the onboard buzzer sounds — additionally, an email notification is sent that can be automatically processed as a call or SMS.

Project Photos

Former Harbor Ferry Hamburg — Tank Level Alarm and List Monitoring Former Harbor Ferry Hamburg — Tank Level Alarm and List Monitoring Former Harbor Ferry Hamburg — Tank Level Alarm and List Monitoring

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