Emergencies
Action following grounding
Grounding a vessel in contact with the seabed at her bow, stern or keel or her entire side
Beaching is grounding a vessel intentionally Whereas Stranded is grounding a vessel
accidentally.
Actions
Engines should be stopped
Call Master
Inform engine room
Call emergency stations- to brief fire, boat and damage control parties
Close water tight doors and Check for casualties and missing persons
Start Fire pump
Swing out boats- may not be possible later if the ship lists badly
Prepare all LSA and FFA
Action following Grounding
Switch on deck lights
Portable radio to be ready
Commence marshalling passengers who should be properly dressed
Show appropriate lights and shapes
Ascertain position of ship
May Day or PAN call
If the situation is very grave and imminent danger, fire distress signals
So long as the ship is not breaking do not abandon the ship unless help is close by
Master must decide whether to call for tugs to stand by
If damaged and oil pollution, report to coast radio station.
All possible steps to prevent, minimize the outflow of oil
Grounding- Subsequent actions
Owner or Charter to be informed- perhaps salvage
Examine the ship for damages
All bilges and tanks should be regularly sounded for signs of leakage/damage
Take soundings over side , draught forward and aft
Check local times of tides of low and high water. A rising tide could restore a
great deal of buoyancy
Lighten the ship by discharging all ballast water and liquids of no immediate
use
Arrange for discharge of cargo if possible
Consider moving fluids from tank to tank to change the trim
Ground tackle may be laid out with anchors if possible
Action following Collision
Inform the Master
Inform the engine room and stop the engine.
Switch on deck lights
Once the master takes over the command of the situation, act on his orders.
Mark the position of collision on chart or by pressing the MOB button on GPS for
future reference.
Exhibit NOT UNDER COMMAND signal if the ship has lost its headway
completely.
Immediately Send Distress Signal through VHF ,MF/HF, SAT C or any other
available means,
Inform the company and the nearest coast radio station about the incident.
Action following Collision
Sound the general emergency alarm; general alarm signal is sounded as
precaution. It should not be mistaken as a signal for abandoning the ship.
Take attendance, if anybody is missing report the same to the master.
Make arrangements, to search and find any missing persons.
Start Fire pump
Record Important Data-
Compass heading and angle between the two ships
Record the time of ship collision
Name and IMO number of the vessel(s) you collided with.
Action following Collision
Waste no time in arguing with other vessel.
Leave VHF channel 16 unoccupied, through which, you can get necessary
information regarding assistance and help if the situation demands.
If possible, take a photograph of the collision from a secure location.
Inform the officer responsible on muster station about the situation.
Lower the life boats up to embarkation deck and make all arrangements to abandon
the vessel at quick notice.
It should be noted that engine room should not be left unattended if the impact of
collision is minimal, which do not need an immediate evacuation of the compartment.
Also, the engine room in-charge should ensure all officers and crew working in the
engine room are ready with their life jackets and TPA if immediate evacuation is
required in the later stages.
Action following Collision
Take the Sounding of all ballast tanks, fresh water tanks, and wing tanks.
Engine room to take sounding of all tanks in engine room.
Record the sounding of all tanks and compare it with the previous sounding data. If there is any change in
the sounding, there can be a crack or a hole in the tank. The rate of increase or decrease in water should
be calculated.
Take Immediate Action in case of Damage- If any tank or tanks appeared to have suffered damage and
ingress of water is confirmed, make necessary arrangements to pump out the water or seal it to prevent
other compartments from being flooded.
Check for Oil Spill - If any of the fuel tanks or oil tank is damaged and if there is imminent danger of oil spill.
The procedures mentioned in SOPEP plan should be followed to contain the oil spill
Consider the effects of List, Trim and Free surface effect when transferring liquids and blasting and de-
blasting on the hull.
If the own ship is without danger and engines are ready to manoeuvre, set course for the nearest port for
repair.
Render necessary assistance to the crew and ship of collided vessel if required.
