Fire Not Reported

Early one morning, the Master woke prior to being called and went to the bridge for the 5 hour pre-arrival notice. He observed a small vessel on fire about three miles on the port beam. When the master asked the 3rd Mate about it, he responded that he had been watching it since it showed up on the horizon - it had been on fire for at least 45 minutes and other ships and fishing boats were around. It was a fishing vessel, perhaps 20m long, and the fire had engulfed the entire area above the waterline. Assuming it had already been reported, the ship proceeded on without notifying the Regional Rescue Centre or recording the event in the logbook. Three hours later the master returned to the bridge and the 2nd. Mate showed him a NAVTEX alert reporting the name of the fishing vessel which was on fire, adding that one man was missing.

The Master learned a month later that the event had been reported to the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator. The report had been submitted by the 2nd. Mate who had disembarked on arrival in port the same day as the fishing vessel on fire had been seen. The company's representatives came aboard to investigate the incident as directed by the Maritime Administrator and the Master's license was suspended for one year for failing to reduce speed to investigate, call the RCC, and log the event.

1.Answer the questions

1.Why did the Master go to the bridge?

2.What did he see?

3.Who was keeping the watch?

4.What vessel was on fire?

5.Did anybody give the report about vessel on fire?

6.Were there any casualties or missing people?

7.Why was the Master’s license suspended one month later?

2 . Explain the following expressions

1.NAVTEX

2.The 5 hour pre-arrival notice

3.To suspend a license

4.The RCC

5.Fire Report

6.On the port beam

3. Decide whether these statements are true or false. Correct the wrong ones.

1.The Master went to the bridge for the final notice.

2.He observed a huge vessel sinking.

3.There was nobody around the vessel on fire

4.Three hours later the 2^nd Mate showed the Master a report informing that one man was missing .

5.One month later the Master was rewarded.

11

Deaths on Log Vessel

On one of our log vessels, the stevedores started entering a full cargo hold immediately it was opened for discharge. One of them slipped and fell into a gap between logs. Noticing the first man fall and disappear between the logs, three others attempted to rescue him. All four stevedores were brought out with great difficulty from narrow spaces between logs four to five meters deep with the help of shore firefighters. They were brought up unconscious almost an hour after the fall. The hospital declared them "dead on arrival".

Logs where the bark has been stripped off are known to be dangerously slippery. Freshly cut logs are also known to deplete oxygen in enclosed spaces. These two factors combined may have been the reason for the deaths.

Logs are one of several cargoes which have oxygen depleting properties. Personnel must be adequately warned of the consequences. Guidelines in Appendix B, Paragraph 5.3 of the Code of Safe Practice for Ships Carrying Timber Deck Cargoes 1991 should be followed.

Forced ventilation or adequate natural ventilation must be carried out prior to admitting any personnel into cargo hold carrying logs.

1.Answer the questions