Question 1

You are approaching the Dover Strait. Your examiner asks: "What is NAVTEX, what does it broadcast, and how do you configure the receiver?" Give a complete answer.

Accepted Answer

NAVTEX is an international automated system for broadcasting maritime safety information (MSI) on 518 kHz (international, English) and 490 kHz (national, local language) within approximately 400nm of coast. Content: navigational warnings (B), meteorological warnings (A), ice reports (I), SAR information (D), meteorological forecasts (B). The receiver is programurable: you select which transmitter stations (by single letter B1 identifier) and which message categories to receive. Unwanted categories can be rejected. The English-language 518 kHz watch is mandatory for SOLAS ships. Messages are printed automatically and stored. NAVTEX (Navigational Telex) is a critical GMDSS component. The 518 kHz international service uses a network of coastal transmitters each identified by a single letter (e.g. "G" for Niton, UK). The OOW must configure the receiver to include at least the relevant transmitters for the forthcoming passage and must NOT routinely reject safety-critical message categories (A = navigational warnings, B = meteorological warnings, D = SAR). Rejecting all messages to avoid printing is a PSC deficiency. The message format includes: ZCZC, transmitter ID, message category letter, 2-digit sequential number, date-time group, then the message text. For the Dover Strait, relevant transmitters are G (Niton), S (Netherlands), and F (Belgium). SafetyNET (via Inmarsat-C EGC) is the equivalent for Sea Areas A3 and A4 where NAVTEX coverage does not reach.

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.