Question 1

A crew member has fallen overboard. You are the OOW. Describe your immediate actions and the manoeuvres available to recover them.

Accepted Answer

Immediate: shout MOB, post lookout to keep visual on casualty, throw lifebuoy/danbuoy with light/smoke, press MOB button on GPS/ECDIS, sound alarm, alter towards casualty. Manoeuvres: (1) Williamson Turn — hard over to MOB side, when bow swings 60 degrees put the wheel hard over opposite, steady on reciprocal course — brings vessel back on same track; (2) Anderson Turn — immediate 270-degree turn; (3) Scharnow Turn — used when time has elapsed; (4) Racetrack — for fast vessels. Deploy rescue boat when safe. Call master. Send PAN-PAN if assistance needed. Record time, position, person overboard. The Williamson Turn is the standard MOB manoeuvre because it brings the vessel back on its exact reciprocal track — critical in restricted visibility or rough weather where visual contact is lost. Execution: hard over to the MOB side; when heading has changed 60 degrees from original, put wheel hard over to opposite; when heading is 180 degrees from original course, steady on that course — vessel is now on the approach track. The MOB button on ECDIS/GPS marks the position instantly — critically important before the vessel travels any distance. The danbuoy (pole with flag and light) marks the MOB position visually. In practice the OOW must balance: maintaining visual on casualty (do not lose sight), getting the vessel back quickly (manoeuvre), and not endangering the casualty with propellers on approach. Cold water immersion survival time is measured in minutes in UK waters — speed of recovery is critical.

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.