Question 1

Following successful salvage, the vessel is brought to a nearby port. Port State Control officers board and request the following: Official Log Book entries for the grounding; the night order book from the previous watch; the ECDIS track replay from 0100–0300; and the VDR download covering the incident period. The second officer mentions he "tidied up" some log entries before arrival.

What is the Master's position?

Accepted Answer

All records must be handed over exactly as they are. The Master must not alter, amend, or withhold any document requested by PSC under Port State Control authority (MOU/Paris MOU). The "tidied up" entries must be disclosed to the P&I Club and potentially the Master's own lawyers — altered logs are the most serious aggravating factor in maritime incidents and can constitute a criminal offence PSC officers under the Paris/Tokyo MOU have statutory authority to inspect all documents, records, and the VDR. Refusing access or altering records after an incident is an offence under domestic maritime law in virtually every signatory state. The second officer's "tidying" is potentially an offence of perverting the course of justice — the Master must notify the P&I Club legal advisors immediately and not compound the situation by further alteration or concealment. Post-incident document integrity is as critical as the incident response itself. Many Masters have faced criminal prosecution not for the grounding, but for record falsification.

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.