<< Week No.

17 >>
<< Damage Control Assessment >>
Define the following Questions:

1. Vessel aground. What will be your actions?

Immediate actions:
 
Take the con.
 
Follow emergency procedure as per company emergency procedure manual, which should include:
Sound general emergency alarm.
Stop Engines.
Announce by PA.
Head count, look for casualty and establish communication.
Close watertight doors.
 
Activate SOPEP and take preventive actions in case of any oil pollution.
 
Order chief officer for damage assessment.
Water tight integrity of hull and subsequent breaches of same.
Obtain sounding form all tanks, bilge’s, hold
Condition of machinery space.
Check hull for damage.
Determine which way deep water lies.
Visually inspect compartments where possible
Sound bilge’s and tanks.
Sound around the ship to find possible point of grounding.
 
Obtain following information from emergency teams:
Details casualties.
Any fire risk
Any other information regarding associate problems.
 
On the bridge, the command team will do the followings:
Maintained VHF watch.
Exhibit light / shapes and any appropriate sound signals.
Switch on deck lighting at night.
Determine the vessel’s position.
Obtain information on local currents and tides, particularly details of the rise and fall of the tide.
Broadcast urgency or distress massage as required.
Inform the accident with positions and time to the following parties:
Local authorities.
Owners, charterers.
P & I club.
Make an accident report to MPA in the correct format.
 
Determine possibility of refloating the ship and take appropriate actions:
Calculate height of tide and time of rise and fall.
Reduce draught of ship:
 De-ballasting
Jettisoning cargo
Use main engines to maneuver.
Obtain assistance from port authority, coast guard, salvage tugs.

2. Action following a collision or sustaining damage of any kind.

Immediate actions:
 
Take the con.
 
Follow emergency procedure as per company emergency procedure manual, which should include:
Sound general emergency alarm.
Stop Engines.
Announce by PA.
Head count, look for casualty and establish communication.
Close watertight doors.
 
Activate SOPEP and take preventive actions in case of any oil pollution
 
Order chief officer for damage assessment.
Water tight integrity of hull and subsequent breaches of same.
Assess rate of flooding
Condition of machinery space.
Check hull for damage.
Visually inspect compartments where possible
 
Obtain following information from emergency teams:
Details casualties.
Any fire risk
Any other information regarding associate problems.
 
On the bridge, the command team will do the followings:
Maintained VHF watch.
Exhibit light / shapes and any appropriate sound signals.
Switch on deck lighting at night.
Determine the vessel’s position.
Broadcast urgency or distress massage as required.
Inform the accident with positions and time to the following parties:
Local authorities.
Owners, charterers.
P & I club.
Make an accident report to MPA in the correct format.
 
Try to minimize immediate danger such as pollution, fire etc.
3. You have a hole in FO tank. What would you do?
Damage in FO tank as a result of grounding
In case of a damage in fuel tank, there is possibility of oil spill.
 
SOPEP to be activated:
Transfer fuel from damaged tank to other tank.
Report to the appropriate authority.
Obtain shore’s assistance to control spillage.
Contain by booms/ mooring ropes, if the situation permits, by rescue boat.
Use oil dispersal upon shore’s permission.
Clean up oil if situation permits.
 
In case of oil spill or FO tank damage, there is a subsequent risk of fire:
Prepare fire fighting teams ready to fight fire.
Remove all combustible materials from the scene.
Fight fire if there is any.
 
Repair of damage:
Proceed to port of refuge or next port for repair.
Follow port of refuge procedures.
Gas free the tank.
Shift cargo/ combustible materials from adjacent tanks and holds.
Prepare fire fighting equipments to fight probable fire.

4. What parties to be informed in case of aground?

Following parties to be informed when vessel is aground:
Local authorities.
Nearby ships by an urgency message through VHF.
Owners, charterers.
P & I club.
Make an accident report to MPA in the correct format within 24hrs of accident.

5. At 0200 Hrs, your OOW informed that vessel is aground. What are your
immediate and follow-up actions?
Immediate actions:
 
Take the con.
 
Follow emergency procedure as per company emergency procedure manual, which should include:
Sound general emergency alarm.
Stop Engines.
Announce by PA.
Head count, look for casualty and establish communication.
Close watertight doors.
 
Activate SOPEP and take preventive actions in case of any oil pollution.
 
 Order chief officer for damage assessment.
Water tight integrity of hull and subsequent breaches of same.
Obtain sounding form all tanks, bilge’s, hold
Condition of machinery space.
Check hull for damage.
Determine which way deep water lies.
Visually inspect compartments where possible
Sound bilge’s and tanks.
Sound around the ship to find possible point of grounding.
 
Obtain following information from emergency teams:
Details casualties.
Any fire risk
Any other information regarding associate problems.
 
On the bridge, the command team will do the followings:
Maintained VHF watch.
Exhibit light / shapes and any appropriate sound signals.
Switch on deck lighting at night.
Determine the vessel’s position.
Obtain information on local currents and tides, particularly details of the rise and fall of the tide.
Broadcast urgency or distress massage as required.
Inform the accident with positions and time to the following parties:
Local authorities.
Owners, charterers.
P & I club.
Make an accident report to MPA in the correct format.
 
Determine possibility of refloating the ship and take appropriate actions:
Calculate height of tide and time of rise and fall.
Reduce draught of ship:
De-ballasting
Jettisoning cargo
Use main engines to maneuver.
Obtain assistance from port authority, coast guard, salvage tugs.

6. What actions you will take to refloat the ship?

To re-float the vessel:
In case of vessel aground, I will take the following actions to re-float the vessel:
  Calculate height of tide and time of rise and fall.
  Reduce draught of ship by:
De-ballasting
Jettisoning cargo
  Use main engines to maneuver.
  Obtain assistance from port authority, coast guard.
  Get assistance from salvage tugs.
7. Collisions with another vessel, what will be your action?
Actions as a master in case of collision:
                

Immediate action:
 
Take over the con.
 
Sound emergency alarm, call emergency station.
 
Engine full astern, generally correct action.
 
Check position.
 
Instruct C/Off to:
Muster, Head count.
Check casualties.
Make visual inspection of area of impact, estimate size of damage area, position in relation to
W/L.
Check cargo hold bilges and tank sounding to know which compartments are flooded.
Close all water tight doors and fire doors through ship’s length.
Prepare LSA & survival crafts.
Prepare FFA in case of subsequent fire.
Follow SOPEP in case of pollution.
Asses rate of flooding.
Check ship’s damage stability condition and loss of buoyancy. Refer to damage stability booklet.
Determine reserve buoyancy, change in GM, trim, list.
As per damage control plan, follow counter measures to control flooding.
Start bilge pumps.
Keep monitoring soundings at regular intervals.
Keep reporting to bridge overall situation.
 
Without endangering my own ship, I shall:
Render all practicable and necessary assistance to save the other ship, crew and passengers
from danger.
Remain with her until there is no need of further assistance.
 
Exchange information with the master of the vessel:
Ship’s name, port of registry.
 Port of departure, port of destination.
 
Report the accident to Marine Department within 24Hrs.
 
Issue Note of protest to hold other vessel responsible and accept from other vessel if any.
  
If the ships are interlocked, I will discuss with other ship whether to separate or not, considering risk
of oil spill, spark, fire, sinking etc.
 
Maintain contact in VHF with other ship.
 
I’ll verify effect of damage on ship’s stability.
 
I’ll decide whether to abandon or not, considering:
Amount of damage
Risk of fire
Expected time vessel will stay afloat
Weather condition
 
Dispatch an urgency message, followed by a distress message if required.
 
If abandonment is not imminent, 
Plug in / shoring the damage.
 
Inform company and keep them updating the situation.
 
Enter all the actions taken in ship’s log book and OLB.

8. Hull damage, what will be your action?

Damage control plan and damage control booklet
 
 Provide clear information on
The ship's water tight compartmentation.
Equipments related to maintain the boundaries and effectiveness of the compartmentation
    So that, in the event of damage to the ship causing flooding:
Proper precaution can be taken to prevent progressive flooding through openings.
Effective actions can be taken to control progressive flooding.
Recover the ship's loss stability.
Clear and easy to understand.
 
Includes information directly related to damage control.
 
Provided in working language of the ship.
 
Translation to one of the official languages by SOLAS convention.
 

9. As a result of collision, your No-1 hold flooded. What is your action as a

master?
Action in case of flooding
 
 
Sound all the tanks.
Determine compartment flooded.
Determine cause of flooding.
Start bilge pump, portable welden pumps to pump out water from the flooded compartment.
Asses rate of flooding.
Check ship’s damage stability condition and loss of buoyancy. Refer to damage stability booklet.
Determine reserve buoyancy, change in GM, trim, list.
As per damage control plan, follow counter measures to control flooding.
Keep monitoring soundings at regular intervals.
Contain any oil spill, activate SOPEP in case of any oil spill.
Transmit distress/urgency message as necessary if situation is uncontrollable.
Proceed to a port of refuge if necessary and unsafe to continue voyage.
Inform owner, charterer, P&I club, MPA.
Inform port control/VTIS if necessary.
Log down all timings, corrective actions taken.

10. What actions will you take after received a distress message?
On receipt of a distress alert
 
 On receipt of distress alert, I will follow the procedures as per annex 1,2,3, of marine circular 3/2000:

Watch on VHF CH-16 /2182 KHz or subsequent RT/NBDP frequency for 5 minutes.

If any RCC or does not acknowledge and if no distress traffic in progress, acknowledge alert by radiotelephony
(CH16 or 2182 KHz) if distress call continues. In case of HF distress alert, transmit relay on HF to coast station.

Inform CS and/or RCC.

If there is distress communication or RCC acknowledgement, consider if vessel able to assist. In the case, inform RCC
or assisting vessel whether any assistance is required.

Enter details in log.

Reset system.

Check distress position and own ship’s position.

 
If able to provide assistance without endangering own ship and crew:
Proceed to full speed to distress position.
Inform distressed vessel.
Inform search and rescue service that the ship is doing so.
 
Establish plain language communication as soon as possible and obtain details of distressed vessel such as:
Identity
Position
Course
Speed
Nature of distress
Type of assistance required.
 
Provide the distressed vessel my following information:
Identity
Position
Course
Speed
ETA at the scene
Distressed vessel’s bearing and distance.
 
I will contact RCC / SMC via coast radio station.
 
I will take required onboard preparations for search and rescue.