Question 1

Your examiner asks: "SOLAS Chapter IV allows a ship to satisfy its GMDSS equipment maintenance/availability obligation using one of several different approaches. What are they?"

Accepted Answer

SOLAS IV/15.6 permits availability of GMDSS equipment to be ensured by using: DUPLICATION OF EQUIPMENT (carrying two complete sets so a failure of one does not remove the capability); SHORE-BASED MAINTENANCE (routine checks performed on board, with more significant repair/maintenance carried out by qualified technicians ashore); or AT-SEA ELECTRONIC MAINTENANCE CAPABILITY (carrying a person on board — and the necessary knowledge, tools, and spares — competent to fault-find and repair the equipment at sea); or a COMBINATION of these methods. Different combinations may be required depending on the ship's sea areas of operation, with ships operating further from shore-based support generally expected to rely on a more robust combination (such as duplication together with at-sea maintenance capability) rather than shore-based maintenance alone, since shore-based repair is far less readily available on a long ocean passage. This is one of the classic, most-examined SOLAS IV points precisely because it is a genuinely elegant piece of risk-based regulation: rather than mandating one rigid maintenance approach for every ship regardless of trading pattern, SOLAS IV/15.6 allows the shipowner to choose (subject to Administration approval) whichever combination of duplication, shore-based maintenance, and at-sea electronic maintenance capability suits the vessel's actual trading pattern — recognising that a coastal vessel with frequent access to shore technicians has a very different practical maintenance reality from an ocean-going vessel weeks from the nearest port.

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.