EMERGENCY SITUATION

TYPES OF EMERGENCY:

1. Abandonment 11. Loss of main engine propulsion

2. Collision 12. Loss of man steering gear
3. Stranding/Grounding 13. Entry into enclosed spaces
4. Fire 14. Jettison of cargoes
5. Flooding 15. Loss of electrical power
6. Emergency evacuation 16. Manoverboard
7. Marpol Annex 1,2,3 17. Listing
8. Serious injury 18. Capsizement
9. Piracy 19. Rescue operation
10. Stowaway

Here are some of the safety procedures that must be followed during the stated emergency situation.

1. FIRE ON BOARD THE VESSEL

Actions to be taken

As soon as a fire is detected, several actions should be taken to ensure the safety of the vessel and the
personnel.
 General alarm should be sounded
 Bridge team should be informed
 Fire party should muster
 The fire should be isolated, by closing ventilation system, skylights, doors, boundary cooling, etc
 Before entering the fire space, crew should wear the appropriate PPE and use the proper fire
extinguishing system, regarding the type of fire
 Interested parties should be notified

2. MAN OVERBOARD

Actions to be taken in case of a "man overboard" incident

 Alert the crew

 Release lifebuoy and maneuver to pick up man, always with respect to the man
 Call the master
 Sound alarm and commence Williamson turn
 Stop engines and place them on stand by
 Alert by radio vessels in vicinity
When the person is successfully picked up from water responsible crew members should undertake first
aid actions in order to help the person recover. Subsequently, vessel’s crew should inform the office
about the incident and ask for medical assistance if needed.
 3. STOWAWAY
Summary of responsibilities under the IMO Guidelines

Shipowners and Masters have specific responsibilities under IMO Guidelines on the Allocation of
Responsibilities to Seek the Successful Resolution of Stowaway Cases. They are summarised below:

 Determine the port of embarkation of the stowaway

 Establish the identity and nationality of the stowaway
 Prepare a statement with all the relevant information with regard to the stowaway for the
appropriate Authorities
 Notify the existence of the stowaway and related details to the ship owner, appropriate
Authorities, port of embarkation port of call and Flag State
 DO NOT depart from planned voyage to seek disembarkation of the stowaway to any country
unless repatriation has been arranged and permitted, unless there are security and humanitarian
reasons, such as injury or illness
 Handover stowaway to the appropriate Authorities at the next port of call
 Ensure health, security, welfare and safety of the stowaway until disembarkation

Shipowner/operator Responsibilities

 Inform appropriate Authorities with all info about the stowaway at the port of call, port of
embarkation and Flag State
 Comply with any removal directions made by the Authorities at the port of embarkation

Onboard Measures:

Security
Any violent behaviour from the side of the stowaway must be considered. In this case, the safety of the
crew must be taken into account; the crew must take full security precautions in this regard (for
example, locking their cabin doors and not partake in unnecessary instigation of the stowaway by
staying aloof, apolitical etc). A thorough search of the stowaway must be carried out for any sharp
objects or objects that may cause harm. In this sense, the search should be strict and not violate the
stowaway against their wishes, something along the lines of airport authorities! The stowaway must be
kept at a secure location such as a cabin or store room to reduce the risk of escape thus inviting more
legal headaches in case of an attempt to jump overboard. The more the number of stowaways, the
more hectic this is. Extra precaution must be taken when approaching the port of call when these
stowaways might try to jump overboard therefore incurring fines (on the side of the vessel) from the
Authorities

Health and Welfare

The mental and physical health of the stowaway must be monitored. Risk of infectious diseases must be
taken into account. Cine the stowaway to their quarters and keep contact with the crew to the bare
minimum essential to survival, separating all crockeries and beddings (etc) used by the stowaway.
Condition and treatment if administered must recorded
 Work
While the anger and resentment from having a stowaway onboard might tempt the ship personnel to
put him to work, this should be avoided. This is to prevent any suspicion from the port authorities as to
how the stowaway gained access, prevent claims of wages and in general, keep the stowaway content
till he is not a responsibility of the ship owner anymore!

The whole stowaway situation is a dicey one and as mentioned, must be handled tactfully to avoid any
unnecessary costs or legal trouble and associated expenses

4. ABANDON SHIP

Stages of abandon ship

An effective abandon ship drill is parted by four stages:
1. Notification and Mustering
2. Lowering the abandon ship means into water
3. Embarking
Stage #1: Notification & Mustering
 The vessel’s general announcement system is to be used for crew/passengers’ notification.
 Apart of distress signal, clear instruction should be given for the mustering position and the means
that are going to be used.
 Mustering in the assigned station should be completed quickly under calm conditions without
shouting and panic.
 Each crewmember/passenger should proceed to the assigned station having put the personal life
jacket on and having in hand the immersion suit. Immersion suits must only be used upon the
Master’s order. If these are to be used in a later stage, then they should be stored in the life boat.
 The safety officer is responsible to count and report the final number to Master prior abandoning.

Stage #2: Lowering the boat/raft into the water

In case of free-fall boat (FFB), or on load release side boat, this stage follows the embarkation stage.
In conditions of calm sea and time availability, the abandon ship mean (boat or raft) should be
lowered into sea water and an embarkation pilot ladder is to be used.
In this case, only the crew assigned/trained and authorized to operate the lifeboat will be embarked
and lowered with the boat.
The engine should be tested and put to continuous work (when waterborne).

Stage #3: Embarkation

As soon as the side boat and the normal lowering procedure is in place, then the boat should be
lowered into water -only with the assigned crew onboard- using davits or cranes.
The control of brake is under safety officer’s supervision and the whole operation is subject to the
Master’s approval. The rest of the crew will embark using a side pilot ladder and Master will be the
last one to embark.
 Different Types of Alarms on Ships
A maritime emergency at sea does not come with an alarm, but ship emergency signals and alarms can
help us to tackle a crisis or to avoid an emergency efficiently and in the right way.

Emergency signals or alarms on a ship are installed all over the vessel’s various systems and machineryto
notify the crew about a dangerous situation that can arise due to different types of emergencies on
board ship.

Emergency alarms are of audible as well as visual type to ensure that a person can at least listen to the
audible alarm when working in an area where seeing a visual alarm is not possible and vice versa.

It is a standard practice in the international maritime industry to have an emergency alarm on the ship
for a particular warning which is similar for all seagoing vessels, no matter in which seas they are sailing
or to which company they belong to.
This commonness helps the seafarer to know and understand the type of warning/ emergency or ship
emergency alarm well and help to tackle the situation faster.

Types of Alarms on Ships

These are the different types of emergency alarms or signal onboard ship that is installed to give audio-
visual warnings:

1) General Alarm:

The general emergency alarm on the ship is recognised by 7 short ringing of the bell followed by a long
ring or using the ship horn signal of 7 short blasts followed by 1 long blast.

The general alarm in a ship is sounded to make aware the crew on board that an emergency has
occurred such as fire, collision, grounding, or a scenario which can lead to abandoning ship etc.
The vessel general alarm system activation point is located in the navigation bridge. Once the general
alarm signal onboard is activated; i.e. seven short one long blast (7 short 1 long blast), every ship crew
must follow the instruction and duty’ s listed in the muster list and proceed to the designated muster
station.

Action to be taken by the crew once ships general alarm is sounded:

• Proceed to the designated muster stations
• Listen to the Public Addressing (PA) system for the type of emergency (usually announced by
OOW, Chief officer or Captain) which is leading to the general alarm on a ship
• Once the nature of the emergency is known, the crew member must re-group as per the Squad
and take corrective action to tackle the situation as per the muster plan.

2) Fire Alarm on the Ship:

Whenever there is fire detected on the vessel by its crew, he/she should raise the alarm signal onboard
ship by pressing the nearest fire switch or by loudly and continuously shouting “FIRE FIRE FIRE”. The fire
alarm signal onboard ship is sounded as the continuous ringing of ship’s electrical bell or continuous
sounding of ship’s horn.

The fire signal on a ship must be a continuous blast of the whistle or electrical bell for not less than 10
seconds. However, in most of the vessels, the fire signal is rung continuously on the alarm bell.
Once the master decides for the dismissal of the crew from fire stations, the general alarm will be
sounded three times followed by three short blasts of the ship’s whistle.

Action to be taken by the crew once ships fire alarm is sounded:

• Proceed to the fire station
• Confirm the location of the fire
• Perform the duty listed in the muster list as per the team assigned
3) Man Overboard Alarm:

There have been many situations when a crew working on ship-side or a passenger in a cruise ship fell in
the water at high seas. When a man falls overboard, the man overboard alarm sound signal is activated
on the ship.
The MOB alarm sound signal comprises of vessel’s internal alarm bell for 3 long rings to notify the crew
onboard, along with 3 long blasts on ship whistle to inform the other ships in the nearby vicinity.
A man overboard signal comprising of light and smoke can also be mounted in the bridge, attached by
the side of the lifebuoy, which when thrown in water will emit smoke and light to draw the attention of
ship’s crew or other ship around the vicinity.

4) Abandon Ship Alarm:

When the emergency on board ship goes out of hands and ship is no longer safe for the crew on board
ship, the signal for abandon ship is given verbally by the master to the station in-charge or the crew on
ship’s Personal Addressing (PA) system.
More than six short blasts and one prolonged blast on the ship’s whistle and same signal on the general
alarm bell is used as abandon ship alarm or sound signal onboard ship. However, the alarm sounded is
similar to a general alarm, and everybody comes to the emergency muster station where the master or
his substitute (Chief Officer) gives a verbal order to abandon ship.

Action to be taken by the crew once Abandon ship is announced or sounded:

• Carry your lifejacket/ immersion suit to the designated muster station
• Carry any additional items (Blanket/ ration/ water etc.) as stated under the duty in the muster
list
• Avoid taking longer route and routes going from inside the accommodation to the muster
station
• Wait for the master’s order for abandon ship

5) Navigational Alarm:

In the navigation bridge, most of the navigational equipment and navigation lights are fitted with failure
alarm. If any of these malfunctions, a ship alarm signal on the bridge will be sounded whose details
(location, equipment affected, type of problem etc.) will be displayed on the notification screen
provided on the bridge navigation panel.

Action to be taken by the crew once the navigational alarm is sounded:

• Check which equipment the alarm is concerning to
• Try to locate the fault due to which the alarm is coming
• Rectify the fault or switch the standby equipment if needed
6) Machinery Space Alarm:

The engine room of the ship is fitted with different machinery which is continuously monitored for its
operation using control and monitoring system.

The machinery in the engine room has various safety devices and alarms fitted for safe operation. If
anyone of these machinery malfunctions, a common engine room alarm is operated and the problem
can be seen in the control room alarm panel which will display the alarm.

Action to be taken by the crew once the engine room alarm is sounded:
• Check which machinery/system the alarm is concerning to
• Try to locate the fault due to which the alarm is coming
• Rectify the fault or switch the standby machinery if needed

7) Machinery Space CO2 Alarm:

The machinery space is fitted with a CO2 fixed fire extinguishing system. The audible and visual alarm for
the CO2 fixed firefighting system is entirely different from machinery space alarm and other ship alarm
signals for easy reorganisation.

The audible alarms shall be located so as to be audible throughout the protected space with all
machinery operating, and the alarms should be distinguished from other audible alarms by adjustment
of sound pressure or sound patterns.

The alarm should activate upon opening the release cabinet door which is used to open and release the
CO2 bottle banks.

Action to be taken by the crew once the navigational alarm is sounded:

8) Cargo Space CO2 Alarm:

The cargo spaces of the ship are also fitted with a fixed firefighting system which has a different alarm
when operated. The audible and visual alarm for the CO2 fixed firefighting system is entirely different
from other ship alarms the audible alarm should be distinguished from other alarms in a ship by
adjustment of sound pressure or sound patterns.
Action to be taken by the crew once the navigational alarm is sounded:
• Take a head count of the crew
• Ensure the cargo hold is sealed and no crew is inside
• Ensure all the ventilation system for cargo hold are shut

9) Ship Security Alarm System:

As per the SOLAS Chapter XI regulation XI-2/5, all ships shall be provided with a ship security alert
system. The Ship Security Alarm system (SSAS) is a silent alarm system sounded in a pirate attack
emergency. When the SSAS is activated, no alarm is sounded onboard ship, nor it alerts other vessels in
the vicinity. This signal notifies different coastal authorities or competent authority, whose proximity the
ship is presently operating via a global satellite system to inform about the piracy.
 UNIVERSITY OF CEBU - METC
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF NAVAL ARCHITECTURE AND MARINE ENGINEERING

NA 51 C
SHIPYARD PROCESS & MANAGEMENT
SCHEDULE: TTH (10:30 – 1:00)

Types of Emergency Situation

& Alarms On-Board a Vessel

SUBMITTED BY: ANJANETTE REPOLLO

BSNAME 5
 SEAFARING PROFESSION (POSITION  Second mate
The second mate is a qualified OICNW watch
& RANK)
stander, directing the bridge team and
 Captain
navigating the ship. The Second mate is the 3rd
The captain or master is the ship's highest
most experienced deck department officer after
responsible officer, acting on behalf of the
the Captain/Master and Chief mate. The Second
ship's owner.
mate's primary duty is navigational, which
includes updating charts and publications,
The captain is responsible for the day-to-day
keeping them current, making passage plans,
affairs of the ship as he/she is in command. It is
and all aspects of ship navigation. The Second
his/her responsibility to ensure that all the
mate's other duties may include directing line
departments under him/her perform to the
handlers, cargo watches, directing anchor detail
requirements. The captain represents the
and training and instructing crew members.
owner and hence is called "master".
 Third mate
DECK DEPARTMENT
The Third officer is a qualified OICNW watch-
 Deck officers
stander, junior to the Second Mate. When on
Deck officers are licensed mariners that are
navigational watch, the Third mate directs the
responsible for the navigation and safe passage
bridge team, maneuvering the vessel, keeping it
of the ship.
safe and on track. The Third mate's primary
duty is matters of safety, inspecting gear
 Chief mate
lockers, lifeboats, and all equipment onboard
Epaulettes worn by the chief officer on
ensuring that it is safe and operational. Other
merchant ships (similar to those worn by a duties include directing line handlers, cargo
commander in the commonwealth navies)
watches, directing anchor details and training
The chief mate is the head of the deck
and instructing crew members. He is normally
department on a merchant vessel, second-in-
the part of the Command team during
command after the ship's Master. The Chief emergencies and drills.
mate's primary responsibilities are the vessel's
cargo operations, its stability, and supervising
 Deck cadet
the deck crew. The mate is responsible for the
A Deck Cadet or Trainee Navigational Officer or
safety and security of the ship, as well as the
Nautical Apprentice is an apprentice who has to
welfare of the crew on board. The chief mate
learn the basic duties of a deck officer onboard
typically stands the 4–8 navigation watch as
a ship. Deck cadets after sufficient sea time and
OICNW (officer in-charge of the navigational
exams attain certificate of competency of
watch), directing the bridge team.
OICNW.
Additional duties include maintenance of the
 Deck ratings
ship's hull, cargo gears, accommodations, life
Mariners without a certificate of competence
saving appliances and firefighting appliances.
are called ratings. They assist in all other tasks
The chief mate also trains the crew and cadets
that can arise during a voyage. This includes for
on various aspects like safety, firefighting,
example, mooring, cleaning of the ship and its
search and rescue, and various other
holds and repairing broken lines and ropes.
contingencies. The chief officer assumes
These are physically challenging jobs and have
command of the whole ship in the absence or
to be done regardless of the weather.
incapacitation of the master.
  Boatswain
The boatswain is the highest ranking unlicensed
(rating) in the deck department. The boatswain
generally carries out the tasks instructed by the
chief mate, directing the able seaman and
ordinary seaman. The boatswain generally does
not stand a navigational watch.
 Able seaman
An able seaman (AB) works under the
boatswain, completing tasks such as working
mooring lines, operating deck gear, standing
anchor details, and working cargo. An able
seaman also stands a navigational watch,
generally as a lookout or helmsman.
 Ordinary seaman
The lowest ranking personnel in the deck
department. An ordinary seaman (OS) generally
helps out with work that able seamen do. Other
tasks include standing lookout, and generally
cleaning duties.
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
 Engineering officers
The engineers are also called technical officers.
They are responsible for keeping the ship and
the machinery running. Today, ships are
complex units that combine a lot of technology
within a small space. This includes not only the
engine and the propulsion system, but also, for
example, the electrical power supply, devices
for loading and discharging, garbage
incineration and fresh water generators. Also
they are commonly considered a high officer in
ranking in the ship.[2]
 Chief engineer
The chief engineer on a merchant vessel is the
official title of someone qualified to oversee the
engine department. The qualification for this
position is colloquially called a "Chief's Ticket".
The Chief Engineer, commonly referred to as
"The chief", or just "chief", is responsible for all
operations and maintenance that have to do
with all machinery and equipment throughout
the ship. They may be paid on par with the
captain, and holds the same rank as the captain,
although he is never responsible for the action
of ship. The chief engineer cannot assume
command and the command always rests with
the Captain of the ship, unless it is clearly
mentioned within the safety management
system.[citation needed]
 Second engineer
The second engineer or first assistant engineer
is the officer responsible for supervising the
daily maintenance and operation of the engine
department. He or she reports directly to the
chief engineer.
 Third engineer
The third engineer or second assistant engineer
is usually in charge of boilers, fuel, auxiliary
engines, condensate and feed systems, and is
the third most senior marine engineer on board.
Depending on usage, "the Second" or "the
Third" is also typically in charge of fueling (a.k.a.
bunkering), granted the officer holds a valid
Person In Charge (PIC) endorsement for fuel
transfer operations.[citation needed]
 Fourth engineer
The fourth engineer or third assistant engineer
is junior to the second assistant engineer/third
engineer in the engine department.
 Motorman
The motorman is an unlicensed member of the
engine department, with more experience than
an Oiler.
 Oiler
The oiler is an unlicensed member of the engine
department, with more experience than a
Wiper.
 Wiper
The wiper is an unlicensed member of the
engine department, usually with the least
experience.
 UNIVERSITY OF CEBU - METC
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF NAVAL ARCHITECTURE AND MARINE ENGINEERING

NA 51 C
SHIPYARD PROCESS & MANAGEMENT
SCHEDULE: TTH (10:30 – 1:00)

IMO/SOLAS Emergency Symbols

and Signs

SUBMITTED BY: ANJANETTE REPOLLO

BSNAME 5
 UNIVERSITY OF CEBU - METC
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF NAVAL ARCHITECTURE AND MARINE ENGINEERING

NA 51 C
SHIPYARD PROCESS & MANAGEMENT
SCHEDULE: TTH (10:30 – 1:00)

Seafaring Profession
(Position and Rank)

SUBMITTED BY: ANJANETTE REPOLLO

BSNAME 5