Question 1

Your examiner asks: "What are the requirements for immersion suits under SOLAS Chapter III and the LSA Code, and what performance standard must they meet?" Give a complete answer.

Accepted Answer

SOLAS III Reg 7: every person on board must have an immersion suit that fits them. The LSA Code requires immersion suits to: be capable of being donned in not more than 2 minutes without assistance; maintain body core temperature above 35 degrees Celsius in calm water at 0-2 degrees for at least 6 hours; provide sufficient buoyancy for the wearer to right themselves from a face-down position within 5 seconds; allow the wearer to jump from 4.5m height into water without damage. They must be of an approved type and inspected annually by a competent person. LSA Code Chapter 2: immersion suits are required for every person on board cargo ships unless the vessel operates exclusively in warm climates (IMO definition: average sea temperature above 15 degrees Celsius for all seasons and all ports of call). The 2-minute donning requirement is tested during inspections — surveyors can ask crew to demonstrate. The thermal performance standard (6 hours at 0-2 degrees) is what distinguishes immersion suits from lifejackets. The righting requirement (5 seconds from face-down) directly addresses the risk of unconscious persons drowning in the water — this failed for the crew of MV Louisa where solid-fill lifejackets could not right the wearers. Immersion suits must be stowed in the crew member's cabin or at a readily accessible location near the muster station.

Question 2

Your examiner asks: "What must be shown on the muster list, and where must it be posted?" Give the SOLAS Chapter III requirements.

Accepted Answer

SOLAS III Reg 37: the muster list must show: each crew member's emergency station; duties assigned (firefighting, survival craft, medical); lifeboat or liferaft assigned; signals for mustering; instructions for passengers. Posted in conspicuous locations including the bridge, engine room, and crew accommodation. The muster list must be updated after any change in crew and before departure. Each crew member must be instructed in emergency duties before departure on first voyage. SOLAS III Reg 37 requires the muster list before departure on a voyage. SOLAS III Reg 19 requires: abandon ship drill within 24 hours of departure (new crew); monthly abandon ship drill for all crew; weekly testing of general emergency alarm. The emergency duties must be simple enough that crew can carry them out without reference to the list under stress. Key OOW point: the "person in charge" of each survival craft must be a certificated officer or seafarer — not any crew member. The Emergency Squad (for firefighting, damage control) must be identified by name. An unmaintained or out-of-date muster list is a PSC deficiency and may indicate deeper SMS failures. In practice examiners ask OOW candidates to describe their own emergency duties from the muster list — they expect a specific, practised answer.

Question 3

Your examiner asks: "Describe the types of EPIRB carried on SOLAS vessels, how they activate, and what happens when one activates." Give a complete answer.

Accepted Answer

Category I EPIRB: float-free, auto-activating when submerged to 1-4m depth; also manual activation. Category II EPIRB: manual activation only (bracket-mounted). Both transmit on 406 MHz (digital distress alert with MMSI/vessel identity to Cospas-Sarsat) and 121.5 MHz (homing). On activation: the 406 MHz signal is received by Cospas-Sarsat satellites, decoded, and passed to an LEUT (Local User Terminal), then to an MCC (Mission Control Centre), then to an RCC (Rescue Coordination Centre) which initiates SAR. Position accuracy: Doppler shift gives approx 5km; if GNSS-linked EPIRB, position accuracy is within 100m. SOLAS IV requires carriage of at least one float-free Category I EPIRB per vessel on international voyages. The 406 MHz transmission is the primary signal — it carries the vessel's unique 15-hex identification code (linked to the MMSI in the GMDSS registration database). The 121.5 MHz is the secondary homing frequency used by SAR aircraft and vessels. GNSS-integrated EPIRBs provide a position within the first transmission. The EPIRB must be registered with the flag state — an unregistered EPIRB wastes SAR resources. SOLAS also requires a SART (Search and Rescue Transponder) or AIS-SART for each survival craft. The Louisa SY30 case (MAIB 17/2017) where the Coastguard could not locate a vessel partly because of EPIRB terminology confusion demonstrates why OOWs must know the full activation and response chain.