Question 1

A crew member falls overboard at 0200 in poor visibility. The MOB was not immediately seen — you estimate they went over approximately 3 minutes ago. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

MOB AT NIGHT — DELAYED DISCOVERY PROCEDURE: (1) NOTE: 3 minutes delay at 12 knots = vessel has travelled 0.6nm from MOB position. Person is at or near the GPS MOB position marked (or estimated position based on reverse of last 3 minutes of track); (2) WILLIAMSON TURN: execute immediately — the Williamson Turn returns you to original track where the MOB position is; (3) SEARCH LIGHTS: activate all available searchlights and deck lights; position crew on both bridge wings as additional lookouts; (4) MAYDAY/PAN PAN: broadcast on Ch 16 — at 3 minutes delay in darkness, alerting coastguard immediately is appropriate. "PAN PAN" initially if not immediately life-threatening; upgrade to MAYDAY if MOB not found quickly; (5) VDR: the VDR track shows your exact position for the past hours — reconstruct the likely fall position from VDR track at time of discovery; (6) ECDIS TRACK: review ECDIS track — the MOB position can often be reconstructed accurately; (7) RESCUE BOAT: launch rescue boat if sea conditions permit — it can search more effectively around the area than the ship; (8) THERMAL IMAGING: if vessel has thermal/FLIR camera — use it, body heat in cold water is visible on FLIR; (9) SOUND SIGNALS: COLREG Rule 35 — not applicable for MOB, but sounding the whistle may alert the person to your approach; (10) TEMPERATURE: if water temperature is below 10°C, survival time may be 30-90 minutes — urgency is extreme. Cold water immersion survival: the "1-10-1 principle" — 1 minute of cold shock (gasp reflex, risk of aspiration); 10 minutes of swimming ability before incapacitation; 1 hour before unconsciousness from hypothermia (approximately — varies with water temperature, clothing, body fat). In North Sea winter (8°C water): survival may be 30-45 minutes without immersion suit. North Sea summer (15°C): 1-2 hours. Mediterranean (22°C): several hours. In cold water, every minute matters enormously. The VDR reconstruction: the VDR records vessel position every second (or as per IMO performance standard). The track up to the point of discovery can be reviewed — if the last crew muster was at midnight and the MOB discovery is at 0200, the fall could have occurred at any time in that window. Launching the rescue boat: option D is wrong as a first action because launching a rescue boat before manoeuvring creates a risk of the boat being in the ship's propeller wash. The sequence: manoeuvre first → then launch rescue boat in the MOB area. Rule 35 sound signals: strictly for navigation and collision avoidance — but in practice, sounding the whistle in the MOB area is often done to alert a conscious survivor.

Question 2

You are OOW on the bridge. A lookout shouts "man overboard, starboard side!" The person is visible in the water astern. What is your immediate sequence of actions?

Accepted Answer

MAN OVERBOARD — IMMEDIATE ACTIONS (OOW): (1) HELM: put helm hard to starboard (turn toward the side the person fell from — this swings the stern away preventing propeller strike); (2) SOUND ALARM: three long blasts on the ship's whistle (MOB signal) and activate MOB alarm; (3) LIFEBUOY: order someone to throw lifebuoy with light/smoke to the MOB position; (4) LOOKOUT DESIGNATED: order a lookout to keep the person in sight — point continuously, do not take eyes off; (5) ENGINES: reduce to slow ahead or stop to reduce speed while turning; (6) CALL MASTER: emergency call on PA system "man overboard starboard/port side"; (7) NOTE POSITION: press MOB button on GPS/ECDIS — this marks position automatically; note time; (8) VHF Ch 16: do NOT broadcast MAYDAY yet unless person is in danger you cannot resolve — but note the position for SAR if needed; (9) RETURN: execute returning manoeuvre — Williamson Turn or Anderson Turn depending on conditions; (10) MUSTER RESCUE TEAM: rescue boat crew and medical team to muster. WILLIAMSON TURN: put helm hard to the MOB side → turn 60° from original course → put helm hard the other way → turn back to reciprocal course + 60°. This returns vessel to original track. The Williamson Turn (man overboard): developed by John Williamson for recovering a person who has fallen overboard in conditions where immediate visual contact may be lost (fog, darkness). It is the standard commercial shipping MOB return manoeuvre because it returns the vessel to the original track — where the MOB is likely to be found, accounting for drift. Anderson Turn: a simpler single-turn manoeuvre — immediately turn toward the MOB side at full helm; continue turning through about 250 degrees. Faster but requires maintaining visual contact. The helm toward MOB side (step 1): this is critical — swinging the stern AWAY from the MOB side prevents the propeller from passing over the person. If you turn away from the MOB, the stern swings toward them first. Lifebuoy: the self-igniting lifebuoy with light and smoke float provides the MOB with flotation AND a visual marker for rescue. The GPS MOB waypoint: the ECDIS/GPS MOB button creates an instant waypoint at the vessel's current position — this is the last known position and forms the datum for any subsequent search.

Question 3

The master has ordered the rescue boat to be launched for MOB recovery. What are the OOW's responsibilities during rescue boat operations?

Accepted Answer

OOW RESPONSIBILITIES DURING RESCUE BOAT OPERATIONS: (1) NAVIGATION OF PARENT VESSEL: OOW remains on bridge maintaining the ship at a safe position relative to the MOB and rescue boat — this is critical and OOW must not leave the bridge; (2) COMMUNICATIONS: maintain radio communications with rescue boat coxswain on VHF — agree on channel before launch (typically Ch 16 or a working channel); pass updates on MOB position; (3) SEARCH PATTERN COORDINATION: if MOB not immediately found, OOW coordinates search pattern between parent vessel and rescue boat; (4) WIND AND CURRENT: advise rescue boat coxswain of wind direction and strength, tidal stream direction — these affect both MOB drift and rescue boat positioning; (5) READY TO RECOVER: keep way off the parent vessel — do not allow the vessel to drift down on the rescue boat; (6) LOG: maintain log of all actions, times, positions; (7) MAYDAY MANAGEMENT: if PAN PAN has been broadcast, manage communications with coastguard — update position and status; (8) WEATHER MONITOR: if weather is deteriorating, advise master — there is a limit to conditions in which a rescue boat can safely operate; (9) MEDIC: alert ship's medical officer or person with first aid training to be ready for MOB recovery — hypothermia, CPR, trauma management; (10) NOTIFY: keep master informed of all developments from bridge. Rescue boat operations and parent vessel navigation: the OOW on the bridge is providing critical support to the rescue boat — positioning the parent vessel as a refuge and communication point, monitoring weather, maintaining watch for other traffic, and being ready to recover the rescue boat. SOLAS III/17.1: the rescue boat must be capable of manoeuvring at 6 knots for 4 hours. The parent vessel navigation during rescue boat ops is one of the most demanding tasks an OOW performs — the vessel must be manoeuvred slowly enough not to lose visual contact with the boat but positioned to provide lee and a recovery point. OOW on the bridge vs at the boat deck: the OOW must not abandon the bridge during active rescue boat operations — this is why a sufficient number of deck officers is required. The master typically takes the con for MOB situations while the OOW continues navigation watch. Stopping the main engine (option D): while reducing speed is appropriate, completely stopping may leave the vessel without steerage in strong wind or current — the vessel could then drift onto the rescue boat or the MOB. Minimum steerage speed should be maintained.