1. Answer the questions.

1. What rank did the narrator of the voyage possess on board Panamax box ship?

2. What were technical particulars of both vessels?

3. Why was the inbound vessel drifting offshore?

4. What was the pilot station dispatcher's advice for the inbound vessel?

5. In what position was the inbound vessel seen exactly?

6. How must the fairway buoy be passed by Panamax box ship?

7. Why was the pilot very concerned?

8. What did he ask the inbound vessel to do?

9. Why was a port-to-port passage unacceptable?

10. What cautionary warnings did this special situation demand?

11. How did the Master of Panamax box ship act to avoid a collision between two vessels?

12. Why did the inbound vessel enter the marked channel without a compulsory pilot?

13. What did the pilot ask the Master and |Officer of the watch once to the wheelhouse?

2. Choose the factors which could become reasons of possible collision between Panamax box ship and the inbound vessel.

1. Bad weather conditions in the container port.

2. Experience and self-conditions of the Master of the inbound vessel.

3. Negligence of observance of the printed cautionary warnings about the Precautionary Area around the fairway buoy.

3. Decide whether the statements are true (t) or false (f). Correct the wrong ones.

1. A 290 meter Panamax box ship outbound from a major US East Coast container port with 11.7 metres draft.

2. An inbound vessel was drifting offshore.

3. Due to wind and current conditions, the pilot's intention was to stay at the fairway buoy.

4. The inbound vessel stated that she was six cables east of the fairway buoy.

5. The inbound vessel's draft prevented her from passing the fairway buoy to her port?

6. The inbound vessel's proximity to the fairway buoy prevented Panamax box ship from passing in between her and the fairway buoy.

4. Read a near miss report (see a sample in annex).

Complete a near miss report covering the following items:

1. Description of the situation;

2. Possible cause of situation (root cause) and possible consequences;

3. Which preventive measures have been taken;

4. Master's decision (plan for further handling of above incident)

5

Unsafe Berth

The vessel, a double hull product tanker, berthed starboard side to at high water tide in the terminal to discharge a cargo of oil products. The vessel's draft at the time of berthing was observed and recorded as 10.60 m even keel. The maximum permissible draft was 11.0 m at low water. The discharging operation was postponed as the vessel had to pass Coast Guard inspection in order to issue a Certificate Of Compliance before carrying out any cargo operation.

A few hours later, the vessel listed 0.5 degree to port. Soundings of ballast tanks were taken by the crew. All ballast tanks were found to be empty. Depth soundings also taken in the surrounding area. On the vessel's port side depths were from 11.4 to 11.60 m although on starboard side depths were found to be from 9.80 to 10.30 m. The vessel's bottom touched the sea bed. Luckily the sea bed was soft mud and the divers came back with good reports. No damage was reported to vessel's rudder, propeller or bilge keel.

Lesson

If depth soundings had been taken when the vessel berthed and allowance for the low tide had been taken, this unpleased event could have been avoided.