Question 1

You worked until 0200 last night on an urgent repair, slept about 4 hours, then fished a full day. Now it's evening and you're the sole watchkeeper on the passage home through a narrow entrance you know well. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Wake a deckhand to share the watch, given your accumulated sleep debt, regardless of how familiar the route is In the real incident, the skipper had accumulated roughly 18 hours of chronic sleep debt and fell asleep at the helm on a route he knew well, grounding the vessel. Fresh air and coffee are recognised but marginal interventions — they cannot overcome that level of sleep debt. Sharing the watch was the control his own risk assessment already named.

Question 2

You're asked to test a deck crane grab after electrical repairs nearby. As the grab is hoisted, what should have happened first?

Accepted Answer

The area within the grab's swing radius should be cleared of personnel before the lift On the bulk carrier Fairfield Eagle, a crew member working nearby was struck and fatally injured when a grab being test-lifted after repairs swung unexpectedly. The investigation found the area should have been cleared and barriered before the test lift began.

Question 3

A toolbox talk held before a lifting operation should explicitly cover which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Who must remain clear of the exclusion zone while the lift takes place A toolbox talk exists to make sure everyone present understands the danger zones, the abort signal, and — critically — who must not be in the area while the lift happens. The RMIMA investigation into the Fairfield Eagle fatality found the toolbox talk had not made this clear.