Question 1

You are OOW and observe that a watertight door in the engine room is being propped open for ventilation during a night watch. What action do you take and what do the regulations say?

Accepted Answer

WATERTIGHT DOORS — SOLAS REQUIREMENTS AND OOW ACTION: SOLAS Regulation II-1/22: watertight doors must be capable of being closed in all service conditions. In a flooding emergency they must be closed. SOLAS II-1/23: for cargo ships — watertight doors may be left open during navigation only if essential for the working of the vessel, under strict conditions; they must be closed before entering port/congested waters. SOLAS II-1/25: for passenger ships — watertight doors below the bulkhead deck must be kept closed at sea. FOR CARGO SHIP ENGINE ROOM: the engine room watertight door being propped open for ventilation — this may be acceptable practice under certain ship-specific SMS procedures, but: (1) THE DOOR MUST NOT BE IMMOVABLE: if flooding occurs, the door must be closeable immediately. Propping with a fixed wedge that prevents closure is NEVER acceptable; (2) OOW ACTION: (a) Contact the duty engineer — explain the concern; (b) Verify whether the SMS allows this door to be open in current sea state; (c) If no SMS provision or if sea state is elevated — request the door be closed; (d) Notify master if duty engineer refuses; (3) RECORD: log the observation and action taken; (4) KEY PRINCIPLE: "A watertight door is only useful if it is closed." A watertight door propped open provides no subdivision protection whatsoever. Watertight doors and ship loss: the RMS Titanic (1912) — many watertight doors were kept open and crew did not know how to close them quickly. The Estonia (1994) — open car deck doors caused catastrophic and rapid flooding. Watertight doors are a fundamental safety element. SOLAS II-1/23 (cargo ships): the regulation permits watertight doors to be left open during navigation if the master considers it "necessary for access." However, records must be kept, and the decision is the master's, not the engineer's alone. Modern SMS procedures: company SMS should specify when watertight doors may/must be open or closed. This is an ISM Code Section 7 requirement. The OOW authority question: option D (closing it yourself) could be right in an emergency but is aggressive as a first step. The correct approach is to work through the duty engineer first, then escalate to C/E and master if needed. Engineering and deck departments must cooperate on watertight integrity — it is not purely a deck matter or purely an engineering matter. The "propped open for ventilation" rationale: engine rooms can become very hot, especially in tropical waters. Ventilation is a genuine need. The solution is an approved open-top ventilation arrangement or powered ventilation that does not compromise watertight integrity.

Question 2

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 3

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.