Ruyter — When It's the Master You Need to Challenge
Ruyter
General cargo vessel · Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland · 10 October 2017
Source: MAIB 11/2018
The Situation
You are the chief officer of the general cargo vessel Ruyter, handing over the watch to the master late at night off the north coast of Northern Ireland. As you brief him, you smell alcohol on his breath. He seems steady, coherent, and ready to take the watch alone.
The Lesson
PACE applies just as much upward against the master as it does against a pilot — arguably more, because the master's rank makes the first Probe feel riskier, which is exactly why waiting for certainty before acting is the wrong instinct. A master who tells their officers "I want to be called, never hesitate" and means it removes that barrier before it's ever tested.
Human Element
This is the authority-gradient problem in its hardest form: not a pilot, but the master himself. The real chief officer smelled alcohol at handover and judged the master fit enough to stand the watch — MAIB's investigation found he did not feel sufficiently certain of the impairment, or sufficiently empowered, to raise it with the company. The master later left the bridge unattended; the vessel ran aground on Rathlin Island.
Try the First Decision
You smell alcohol on the master's breath at handover. He seems steady and coherent. He's about to take the watch alone. What do you do?
This is a preview — the full scenario branches from here based on what you choose, with real consequences and a debrief at the end.
Play the Full Scenario — Free
Create a free profile to play this scenario through to the end, with a full human-factors debrief. No card required.
Create Free Profile & Play →