Question 1

MRCC contacts the vessel 40 minutes after grounding. The duty officer asks: "MV CEDAR RIDGE, can you refloat under your own power? Tide is making and will be at high water in 2 hours 20 minutes." The chief engineer says the engine can now run. The SOPEP team reports the oil sheen is still present and spreading slowly. Sounding of No.2 double-bottom port tank shows a drop of 80 tonnes — consistent with a breach.

What should the Master's response be?

Accepted Answer

Advise MRCC that the vessel has a probable tank breach and oil discharge, and that refloating without casualty assessment and salvage support carries a risk of worsening flooding and increasing pollution. Request professional salvage assessment before any attempt to refloat. The Master must not refloat without consulting a naval architect or salvage professional given evidence of structural damage Refloating a grounded vessel with structural damage is one of the most dangerous decisions a Master faces. The keel may be holed in multiple places; pulling off the shoal can open the breach fully, causing rapid flooding. The 80-tonne loss in one tank is a red flag for structural penetration. The Master's duty under ISM is to protect life, ship, and environment — not to avoid the embarrassment of requesting salvage. MRCC will coordinate; the Master's job is to give an accurate situation report and not attempt actions that could turn a grounding into a sinking.

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.