Question 1

As OOW, you observe a crew member working alone on the after deck in sea state 3 without a lifejacket. What action do you take and what regulations apply?

Accepted Answer

CREW WORKING ON DECK — OOW SAFETY OBLIGATIONS: (1) IMMEDIATE ACTION: stop the work and recall the crew member from the deck. This is the OOW's authority and duty — STCW watchkeeping duties include maintaining the safety of all persons on deck; (2) MLC 2006 REGULATION 4.3: every seafarer has the right to work in a safe environment. The master and officers are obligated to enforce safe working practices; (3) SMS SAFETY PROCEDURES: company SMS should specify: permit-to-work for high-risk tasks; requirement for lifejackets when working near open water or on exposed decks in sea state 3+; buddy system — no working alone in hazardous conditions; (4) SPECIFIC REGULATION: Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Personal Protective Equipment) Regulations 1999 — require employers to provide and ensure use of appropriate PPE including lifejackets for work near open water; (5) MASTER NOTIFICATION: inform master of the observation and action taken; (6) RECORD: log the incident — crew member working without PPE, OOW intervention, work stopped, crew recalled; (7) ISM CODE Section 7: "The company should establish procedures, plans and instructions, including checklists as appropriate, for key shipboard operations." Work near open water without lifejackets breaches SMS procedures; (8) DISCIPLINARY: if crew member refuses the OOW's instruction, this is an ISM non-conformity and potentially a SOLAS violation — to be reported to master. OOW authority over deck safety: STCW Code A-VIII/2 Para 41 states the OOW has "responsibility for the safe navigation of the ship." This includes the safety of persons working on deck — the OOW has both authority and duty to stop unsafe work observed from the bridge. MLC 2006 Title 4: health and safety obligations for shipowners and masters are extensive. The "right to a safe workplace" is fundamental. Work on exposed decks in any sea state: sea state 3 (waves 0.5-1.25m, slight) — while not severe, working alone on an after deck with vessel motion creates MOB risk. Company SMS will typically specify lifejacket requirements for any work on open decks regardless of sea state. The OOW's failure to act: if a crew member working on deck without a lifejacket subsequently falls overboard and drowns, the OOW who observed the situation and did nothing will face potential manslaughter charges. "I thought it was the bosun's job" is not a defence. PPE Regulations 1999: these apply to UK-flagged vessels and require seafarers to be provided with and required to use PPE when the risk assessment identifies need.

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

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.