Question 1

At 0300 on your watch, a bilge high-level alarm activates for the engine room bilge. The duty engineer is not responding to his cabin call. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

BILGE ALARM — ENGINE ROOM — OOW RESPONSE: (1) DO NOT IGNORE: a bilge alarm in the engine room could indicate: minor bilge accumulation (normal during watch) OR flooding from a hull fitting, sea chest, stern tube, or pipe failure; (2) CALL MASTER: immediately wake the master — this is not a situation the OOW handles alone; (3) CALL CHIEF ENGINEER: call the C/E directly, not just the duty engineer; (4) MANUAL CALL: if cabin phones not answered — physically send someone to wake the duty engineer and C/E; (5) CHECK VISUAL: if the engine room has a CCTV camera on the bridge, check for visible flooding; (6) DO NOT ENTER ALONE: do not enter the engine room alone at night — 2-person rule; (7) SOUND BILGE PUMPS: the OOW may be able to activate the engine room bilge pump remotely from the bridge or engine control room — consult the ship's systems manual; (8) ASSESS URGENCY: does the alarm show the bilge is rising fast (ship flooding) or is it a normal periodic alarm (normal bilge accumulation)? A rising alarm with no one responding is an emergency; (9) REDUCE SPEED: if flooding is suspected, consider reducing speed to reduce hull stress; (10) PREPARE EMERGENCY: if the alarm is rising rapidly and no engineering response after 5 minutes — treat as emergency flooding: sound general alarm, muster crew, prepare lifesaving equipment. Engine room bilge alarms: modern vessels have high-level bilge alarms in the engine room, shaft tunnel, and machinery spaces. A bilge alarm that cannot be explained by normal watch operations (small oil/water accumulation) is potentially an emergency. The 2-person engine room rule: enclosed space entry principles apply — no one should enter the engine room alone at night when conditions are unknown. In a flooding scenario, the engine room could fill with water rapidly and without warning. The 2-person rule is about safety but also practical — in a flooding engine room, one person needs to be watching for the other and to raise the alarm if the first person is overcome. Chief Engineer's responsibility: the C/E has overall responsibility for the machinery spaces. In any machinery emergency, the C/E must be informed regardless of the time. An OOW who discovers what turns out to be a serious flooding situation and did not call the C/E will face serious criticism in any subsequent inquiry. The time threshold: if the bilge alarm is rising and no engineering response after 5 minutes — this is an emergency escalation. A vessel can sink in 30-45 minutes from a major hull failure. Early escalation is essential.

Question 2

During your watch you notice the vessel has developed a 5-degree list to starboard that was not present at the start of the watch. No alarms have activated. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

UNEXPLAINED LIST — EMERGENCY PROCEDURE: (1) ASSESS IMMEDIATELY: a 5-degree list that developed during your watch without explanation is a SERIOUS FINDING — it indicates either (a) flooding (ingress of water on the low side); (b) cargo shift; (c) uncontrolled ballast transfer; (d) fuel consumption asymmetry (less likely to cause 5° suddenly); (2) CALL MASTER: immediately and urgently — do not delay to investigate alone; (3) SOUND BILGES: instruct duty engineer or bosun to immediately sound all bilges and ballast tanks — identify if flooding has occurred; (4) STABILITY CHECK: what is current GM? A 5-degree list with the current GM is consistent with what weight/flooding?; (5) CHECK BALLAST TANKS: are any ballast valves open that should not be? Any ballast transfer in progress?; (6) CHECK CARGO: any cargo shift possible?; (7) REDUCE SPEED: immediately — reducing dynamic forces reduces risk of further list from free surface sloshing; (8) CORRECT THE LIST: do NOT correct the list with ballast until cause is identified — ballasting to correct a flooding-induced list without stopping the flooding can mask the true emergency; (9) PREPARE: if flooding is confirmed and cannot be controlled — muster crew and prepare to issue MAYDAY. A 5-degree list that develops unexpectedly during a watch is a red flag emergency indicator. MV Herald of Free Enterprise (1987): capsized at Zeebrugge with 193 deaths — the list developed within seconds once flooding began through the open bow doors, but the principle is the same. Unexplained list must be treated as potential flooding until proven otherwise. Why not correct first (option C): if the list is caused by flooding on the starboard side, pumping ballast to port lifts the port side higher but does NOT stop the flooding. The vessel continues to take water. Meanwhile, the operator has been confused into thinking the problem is being managed. This is a common error in simulated exercises — the instinct to correct the list is wrong if the cause is not known. Progressive flooding: a 5-degree list from flooding means a significant amount of water has already entered (tonnes). The rate of subsequent ingress needs to be understood. Cross-flooding: if multiple compartments are connected (open watertight doors), flooding can spread quickly. Stability with flooding: the IMO damage stability criteria (SOLAS Chapter II-1) define the subdivision required for vessels — but if flooding occurs faster than pumps can manage, these criteria become moot.

Question 3

Your vessel has been struck by another vessel on the port bow. Water is flooding into the forepeak and No.1 hold. The vessel is taking a list to port. What are your immediate actions?

Accepted Answer

COLLISION FLOODING — IMMEDIATE ACTIONS: (1) ASSESS SEVERITY: is the flooding controllable or catastrophic? Listen for the sound of incoming water — a roar or cascade indicates major flooding; (2) CALL MASTER AND SOUND GENERAL ALARM: "EMERGENCY — COLLISION DAMAGE — ALL CREW TO MUSTER STATIONS." Do this immediately — do not delay to investigate; (3) WATERTIGHT INTEGRITY: close all watertight doors immediately — prevent flooding from spreading to other compartments. Activate watertight door closure from bridge if available; (4) COLLISION MAY HAVE PLUGGED THE HOLE: in some collisions the other vessel remains embedded — do NOT pull away immediately. The embedded bow of the other vessel may be the only thing stopping catastrophic flooding. Assess before manoeuvring; (5) BILGE PUMPS: start all available bilge pumps for affected compartments; (6) MAYDAY: if major flooding confirmed — issue MAYDAY on Ch 16 immediately. Position, nature of emergency, POB; (7) LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT: crew to muster stations with lifejackets; ready liferafts; (8) STABILITY: monitor list — if list is increasing rapidly, vessel may sink within minutes; (9) DAMAGE CONTROL PARTY: if manageable — damage control party to assess and attempt to plug the breach with collision mats, wooden plugs, cement; (10) OTHER VESSEL: maintain communication — they may be able to assist; check if they are damaged; obligation under COLREG Rule 17 to render assistance. The embedded vessel trap (option B): this is a classic maritime emergency error. The Marchioness/Bowbelle collision (Thames, 1989) and many other cases illustrate that pulling away from a vessel that is embedded in your side can CAUSE catastrophic flooding by removing the only plug in the hull. The decision to separate must be taken carefully by the master with full awareness of the flooding rate. Watertight doors: SOLAS II-1/22-26 — watertight subdivision requirements. Watertight doors must be closed in emergencies. Bridge-operated watertight door closures allow rapid closure of all watertight doors simultaneously. MAYDAY without company permission (option D): this is a critical safety point. The MAYDAY is a distress call — it is issued on the master's authority (or OOW if master not available). It does NOT require company authorisation. Waiting for DPA permission to issue MAYDAY could cost lives. The ISM Code does not and cannot override the master's responsibility for safety and the obligation to call for help when in distress. Collision mat: a traditional damage control device — a canvas mat weighted at corners, passed around the outside of the hull to cover a collision hole. Water pressure holds it in place, reducing (not stopping) ingress.