Question 1

At 2231, the Master assigns the Junior Third Officer as Lookout in place of the duty Able Seafarer Deck (ASD), who was stood down. The company's SMS specifies an OOW plus a duty ASD for this watch condition. What is this?

Accepted Answer

A deviation from the company's SMS bridge manning requirement for that watch condition The investigation identified this substitution as a deviation from the Company's SMS, which specified the duty ASD for that bridge watch condition. It is listed as a contributing factor to the collision — the effectiveness of the watch team on the night depended on how this substitution was managed.

Question 2

Under the ISM Code and as reinforced in Gard's guidance to Members, the Master's overriding authority to make decisions for the safety of the ship and protection of the environment can be overruled by a commercial instruction from the company, such as a charterer's order to sail on schedule.

Accepted Answer

False False. Gard's guidance to Members consistently stresses that the ISM Code (element 5) gives the Master overriding authority and responsibility for safety and pollution prevention decisions — and that companies must ensure this authority is not undermined by commercial pressure. A charterer's or owner's commercial instruction never overrides the Master's safety judgement; Masters who feel pressured are advised to record their decision and reasoning and report it to the company and, where relevant, to their P&I correspondent.

Question 3

A crew member identifies that a piece of safety equipment does not match what is listed on the safety equipment plan. What is the correct way to handle this under the SMS?

Accepted Answer

Raise it as a non-conformity/observation through the SMS reporting process so it is recorded, investigated, corrected, and — if it reflects a wider issue — used to improve procedures or the safety equipment plan itself The ISM Code requires a system for reporting non-conformities, accidents and hazardous occurrences so they can be analysed and corrective/preventive action taken — quietly fixing an issue without recording it loses this opportunity for systemic improvement.