Question 1

Thirty minutes after grounding, the AB on deck watch reports a dark sheen forming alongside the port quarter, approximately 20 metres wide and growing. The vessel is carrying HFO in double-bottom tanks which are now potentially breached. The nearest MRCC is on Channel 16.

What are the Master's obligations under MARPOL and SOLAS at this point?

Accepted Answer

Report the pollution immediately to the nearest coastal state authority and MRCC via VHF, even though the quantity is uncertain. Under MARPOL Annex I/Art.8 and Protocol I, a discharge resulting from grounding must be reported without delay — the Master has no discretion to withhold report pending confirmation of quantity MARPOL Protocol I requires immediate reporting of incidents involving discharge or probable discharge of oil resulting from damage, grounding, or operational reasons. "Immediate" means as soon as practicable after the incident — not after verification of quantity. The Master's obligation to report is personal and cannot be delegated to the company. Containing with SOPEP resources is correct but it runs simultaneously, not as a precondition of reporting. Waiting for daylight in a tidal area means the spill drifts to shore unreported — this compounds the penalty significantly.

Question 2

MV CEDAR RIDGE, 0215. You are the OOW. The engine telegraph is set at full ahead. You notice the RPM repeater on the bridge has dropped from 98 to 74 RPM over the last 4 minutes without any engine room call. Visibility 2nm. Headland 9nm to the west. Set/drift pushing the vessel 1.5 knots toward the headland.

What is your immediate priority?

Accepted Answer

Call the Master immediately and simultaneously ring the engine room to report the loss of RPM. Do not wait to investigate further — you are approaching a headland in reduced visibility with a set toward it and your speed is unexpectedly reducing SOLAS V and standard BRM require the Master to be called for any change that may affect the safe navigation of the vessel — and a loss of power approaching a headland in restricted visibility with an adverse set is exactly that situation. The instinct to "investigate before disturbing the Master" is a dangerous normalisation: the Master cannot make informed decisions if he is called 10 minutes late. Call Master AND engine room simultaneously. The course alteration alone solves nothing if the engine is failing.

Question 3

Before the Master or engine room responds, at 0217 a total blackout occurs. All navigation lights, radar, ECDIS, and steering control lose power simultaneously. The emergency lighting activates. The vessel is now at 8nm from the headland, making approximately 8 knots on momentum. No response from the engine room.

What is the FIRST thing you do?

Accepted Answer

Sound the general alarm immediately to muster all crew. Make a SECURITÉ broadcast on VHF Ch.16 to warn other traffic that you are a vessel not under command. Attempt to raise the engine room by telephone. Sound the NUC sound signals (2 prolonged blasts) In a blackout the immediate priority is collision avoidance — you are a vessel not under command and traffic cannot see you. General alarm alerts crew; NUC signals (COLREGS Rule 35e: 2 prolonged blasts in restricted visibility) warn other vessels; SECURITÉ on Ch.16 provides situational awareness to the traffic picture. Manual steering is irrelevant without propulsion. Leaving the bridge to investigate the generator is a solo action that abandons the conn at the most critical moment. The emergency generator will start automatically — your job is collision avoidance and crew muster.