In Force 9 seas, the bosun reports water is entering No.2 hold through a damaged hatch cover. The hold bilge alarm has activated. What is your immediate action?

A. FLOODING IN HOLD — EMERGENCY RESPONSE: (1) CALL MASTER IMMEDIATELY — this is a potential loss-of-vessel situation. Sound emergency alarm if situation warrants; (2) ASSESS RATE OF FLOODING: send second officer/engineer to inspect if safe — how fast is water entering? Sound the bilge — how much water already? A small ingress is manageable; a major breach is ship-threatening; (3) REDUCE SPEED / ALTER COURSE: reduce speed immediately to reduce wave action on the damaged hatch. Alter course to put the sea on the quarter or stern to reduce bow impact; (4) START BILGE PUMPS: activate bilge pumps for No.2 hold immediately — confirm they are working and pumping; (5) DAMAGE CONTROL TEAM: crew to assess hatch cover damage — can temporary repairs be made (weatherstrip, battens, bolts)? Warning: crew cannot safely work on deck in Force 9 seas — DO NOT send crew into danger; (6) STABILITY ASSESSMENT: calculate effect of progressive flooding on GM. If hold is flooding freely, how much time do you have? What is the free surface effect? Notify master with stability estimate; (7) MAYDAY READINESS: if flooding cannot be controlled, prepare MAYDAY message — position, nature of emergency, POB, vessel details; (8) COAST GUARD: if situation is deteriorating, inform coastguard early — MRCC can alert SAR assets while you still have time; (9) MUSTER CREW: in extreme case, order crew to muster stations with lifejackets.

B. Activate the bilge pump for No.2 hold and monitor the situation. Flooding through a hatch cover in heavy weather is common and normally self-corrects when weather improves.

C. Send the bosun's team to repair the hatch cover immediately regardless of sea conditions — stopping flooding takes priority over crew safety.

D. Pump water from No.2 hold ballast into port side ballast to counteract any list developing from the flooding hold.

A. PRE-HEAVY WEATHER CARGO SECURING CHECKS: (1) CARGO SECURING MANUAL: consult the vessel's approved Cargo Securing Manual (required under SOLAS VI/5.6 and CSS Code) — check lashing specifications for cargo type and sea conditions; (2) ROUND OF HOLDS: physically inspect all cargo lashings — check turnbuckles are tight and locked; check twist locks on containers; check blocking and bracing in tween decks; check that timber deck cargo lashings are tight; (3) HATCH COVERS: verify all hatch covers are properly closed, battened, and cleat dogs tightened. Check compression bars for integrity. Any hatch that leaked previously — doubly inspect; (4) DECK FITTINGS: secure all moveable deck equipment — liferaft cradles checked, anchors properly housed and lashed, spare parts containers secured, paint lockers locked; (5) WEATHER DECK: walk the main deck — nothing left unsecured. A 25-litre oil drum loose in heavy weather becomes a lethal projectile; (6) NOTIFY MASTER: report inspection result and any concerns; (7) LOG: record the inspection, lashings checked, any adjustments made; (8) ADDITIONAL LASHINGS: if existing lashings are borderline, add preventive lashings now — much easier before the weather than in it; (9) VESSEL SPEED/HEADING: the master should consider reducing speed and/or altering heading to mitigate rolling — synchronous rolling with natural roll period can cause cargo shift even with good lashings.

B. Cargo lashings are the bosun's responsibility. The OOW only needs to check hatch covers and report to the master when Force 9 is forecast.

C. In heavy weather, reduce vessel speed to 3 knots and all cargo securing issues will self-correct due to reduced motion.

D. Notify the charterer that cargo delivery may be delayed due to heavy weather. No lashing checks are required as cargo was secured at loading port.

A. PARAMETRIC/SYNCHRONOUS ROLLING — recognition and action: WHAT IS HAPPENING: this is likely parametric rolling (also called parametric resonance). It occurs when: (a) The vessel is in head seas, following seas, or quartering seas; (b) The encounter frequency of waves is approximately twice the vessel's natural roll period; (c) The vessel's righting lever (GZ) changes significantly through the wave cycle — typically because the wave crest alternately ships forward and aft, altering the waterplane area and hence stability. Parametric rolling can produce extremely large roll angles rapidly (30°+ in a few cycles) in conditions that appear moderate. It is particularly dangerous on large container vessels (high GM, low freeboard amidships). SIGNS: (a) Increasing roll amplitude with each cycle; (b) Roll developing in otherwise calm-seeming conditions; (c) Rolls occurring in pairs (resonance pattern). IMMEDIATE ACTION: (1) ALTER COURSE: changing heading relative to the waves typically breaks the resonance immediately — this is the most effective action; (2) CHANGE SPEED: altering speed changes the encounter frequency and may break resonance; (3) CALL MASTER immediately; (4) REDUCE SPEED in any case to reduce dynamic forces on lashings; (5) Log the event. DO NOT ignore increasing roll — parametric rolling can capsize a vessel.

B. Increasing roll in moderate seas indicates cargo has shifted to one side. Stop engines immediately and await the vessel to self-right before investigating the hold.

C. Apply full rudder to the high side to counteract the roll. Reducing speed is not recommended as it reduces rudder effectiveness.

D. Heavy rolling in following seas is normal for container vessels and requires no action unless roll exceeds 15 degrees.