Actions in Emergencies

An emergency situation on ship must be handled with confidence and calmness, for haste decisions and “jumping to conclusions” can make the matters even worse. Efficient tackling of emergency situations can be achieved by continuous training and by practical drills onboard vessel. However, it has been seen that in spite of adequate training, people get panic attacks and eventually do not do what they should in an emergency situation.

As far as the seafarer is concerned, first and foremost, he or she must be aware of the different types of emergency situations that can arise on board ship. This would help in understanding the real scenario in a better way, and would also lead to taking correct actions to save life, property, and environment.

Officers and crew should familiarize themselves thoroughly with the Fire Training Manual and the training manual on Life Saving Appliances of the ship.

A ship crew must be prepared all the time to tackle and fight against any kind of emergencies which can arise due to reasons such as rough weather, machinery malfunction, pirate attack, human error etc. Such emergencies can lead to fire, collision, flooding, grounding, environmental pollution, and loss of life. To stress the importance of training for different emergency procedures and duties of personnel, muster list is provided onboard ship.

It should be mentioned that different teams are made to tackle emergencies like fire, flooding etc. these are command team that is operated from bridge, emergency team 1 that operates at the point of scenario, while emergency team 2 is a standby team and helping hand for emergency team 1. And also there are two more special groups such as roving commission that is a team working along with all other team and engine room team that stands by in engine control room (ECR).

The muster list is posted to keep the crew aware of the different emergency situations and duties to be performed if such situations occur in reality. Some of the important areas where the muster list is posted are bridge, engine, and accommodation alleyways etc., areas where ship’s crew spends the maximum of their time.

Exercise 3. Give brief answers to the following questions:

1. What emergency situations do you know? 2. Where can the crewmembers find out about their duties in emergency and types of alarms? 3. What is “emergency team”? 4. Where is the muster list posted? 5. What manuals should any crewmember look through regularly? 6. What kinds of trainings can be carried out? 7. What are the possible reasons of emergencies?

Exercise 4. Give equivalents:

• in Russian: emergency team, to tackle emergency, alleyway, life saving appliances, search and rescue manual, to inform the bridge, officer on watch, to give the alarm, muster list, prescribed actions, accommodations, engine control room, equipment malfunction, collision, proper actions to be taken, dedicated alarm, to throw life buoy, to hoist and launch lifeboat;

• in English: штатное расписание, механизмы в исправном состоянии, выполнять распоряжения, спускать спасательную шлюпку, сообщить на мостик, одеть спасательные жилеты, содержать судовое оборудование в рабочем состоянии, нападение пиратов, бросить спасательный круг, расположение огнетушителей, предотвращать загрязнение окружающей среды, не создавать паники, человек за бортом, различать сигналы тревог, короткий сигнал, длинный гудок.

Exercise 5. Read the dialogue and then make up your own one.

A: What should be done on receiving a distress report from a ship?

B: The ships management is to establish at once whether assistance can be provided. Then the course of the ship will be laid for the distress position and the ship heads with all possible speed to the place of the disaster.

A: What precautions can be considered and made aboard the salvage vessel in regard to the shipwrecked?

B: Compartments are prepared for accommodating the shipwrecked, blankets and dry clothing are placed ready. The galley prepares warming food. The sickbay is prepared for looking after injured or sick persons.

A: Where are the details of the procedures to be used described?

B: In the “Search and Rescue” manual which is on the bridge.

Use the words and expressions:

1) a man has fallen overboard (to throw a life buoy, to take care not to hit him, to sound the alarm signal, to lower lifeboat, to inform the Master, to send for a doctor, to render first aid)

2) unknown vessel is asking for help after the collision (to respond to SOS distress call, to break off the voyage, to proceed to the place of the disaster, to take command of search and rescue)

Exercise 6. Choose the right variant.

1. The muster list must be promptly updated when ___ crew changes.	a) have	c) there are
	b) are there	d) are
2. It must be placed in charge of each boat and life raft a deck officer and also be _____ a second in command.	a) designates	c) designating
	b) designated	d) designate
3. The Master should ensure the boat carrying the lifeboat radio has one crewman _____ this equipment.	a) will operate	c) operates
	b) to operate	d) operate
4. A life buoy or a life jacket will help the man overboard to survive until he ____.	a) is rescued	c)will rescued
	b) will rescue	d) be rescued
5. The Master decides when the ship is abandoned and if necessary he ____ a distress message to other ships.	a) sends	c) will send
	b) is sent	d) will be sent
6. Any drill _____ to prepare the crew to handle emergency.	a)be designed	c) designed
	b) is designed	d) is designing
7. Any crewmember is ______ with an individual muster list card with the special duties to perform.	a) providing	c) provided
	b) provides	d) be provided

Exercise 7. Look through the text and then decide which statement is TRUE/FALSE.

1. The special signal should be given in such an emergency.

2. Once a crewmember informs the bridge about the fallen person, he can be free.

3. The main concern is the location of a person overboard.

4. The ship should stop and not to move, because the fallen man will swim to it.

5. No flag should be hoisted in order not to distract another ship.