TOPIC TWO 2.1. Exceptional circumstances

Question 1

(a) Demonstrate the ability to act decisively in situations that put the vessel in possible or real peril such as loss of rudder and or propeller

Answer 1

Follow Emergency Checklist in ICS Bridge Procedures Guide

Immediate Actions:
- Master to take the con of the vessel and immediately obtain the vessel’s position.
- Stop vessel as soon as it is safe to do so.
- Display NUC lights or shapes, if in restricted visibility sound appropriate signal.
- Contact ER and obtain update of situation and any damage.
- Organise bridge team re: lookout, OOW, radar observer as required.
- Obtain a weather forecast for area.
- Inspect chart for proximity of navigational hazards and estimate drift.
- Contact MRCC and broadcast a distress or urgency message dependant on situation.
- If in shallow waters or near coastline clear anchors and walk out to reduce drift or attempt to stop the vessel, but this should be considered as a last result as it is uncertain whether the anchors will be able to bite and hold.
 Actions when Time Permits:
- Inform company, P&I and Agents of situation, action taken and conditions.
- Ballast vessel to reduce windage if practicable.
- If repairs cannot be done onboard the consider the use of tugs to aid manoeuvring.
- Keep accurate records throughout and save any correspondence between vessel and other parties which could be used in claims at a later date.
- If pollution occurs as a result of the emergency report to coastal state as soon as possible.

Question 2

(b) Explain the legal and practical actions after a collision or sustaining hull damage from any cause

Answer 2

Follow the company Immediate Actions Guide as prepared and required by SMS. If not available make reference to Emergency Checklist in ICS Bridge Procedures Guide

 Practical Actions:

• Sound general alarm, master takes command of the vessel.
• Close all watertight doors and openings from remote station.
• Muster all personnel and obtain head-count.
• Conduct a damage assessment of vessel.
• Consider leaving your vessel embedded in the other if a collision has occurred unless the risk of fire/ explosion or toxic substance release endangers your vessel.
• Implement effective fire-fighting, flood control and damage control measures as necessary.
• Attend to injured personnel
• If required, perform damage stability calculations if hull is bilged.
• If your vessel is in danger of sinking investigate the proximity of a suitable area on which to beach.
• If required, transmit a Securite or Distress message or request assistance for a tow.
• Prepare liferafts and lifeboats if vessel is foundering or in danger of sinking.

 Legal Actions:

• Contact owners, P&I Club (for liabilities arising from damage and not for the fabric of the ship itself), Classification Society, charterers and Coastal State authorities if nearby coast. (Contacting Coastal State is mandatory if in proximity to the coast regardless of whether any pollution was caused by the collision or hull damage).
• Exchange details with other vessel (Name of master and vessel, Port of Registry etc.) and standby at location to render assistance if required.
• Do not accept responsibility for any damage made to the other vessel or make any statements to that effect. Even if the other vessel accepts responsibility this fact must be recorded but will not necessarily be taken into account in a marine enquiry as statements regarding responsibility made after accidents are generally not accepted due to the fact that both parties are possibly in shock.
• As soon as possible make an accurate entry into the Official Log Book in the narrative section. Witness statements, weather reports, details of the other vessel as well as any other information considered important should be included.
• Complete an incident or casualty report form and submit it to the proper officer.

Question 3

(c) Explain the actions after grounding and methods of re-floating

Answer 3

Follow Emergency Checklist in ICS Bridge Procedures Guide

Grounding is likely to cause damage to the vessel, cargo and environment so there are legal implications regarding the vessel as well as the cargo and environment. Accurate records should be kept at all times to ensure that subsequent claims can be dealt with as quickly as possible.

For a vessel considering assisting another the statutory requirements are that the Master offer assistance if there a threat to life or the environment, but not if the threat is to the vessel alone. This is true in the case of a derelict drifting far from shore, you should not put your vessel at risk if the weather conditions are not favourable.

 Actions:

• Stop Engines.
• Sound General Alarm, muster and headcount.
• Obtain full set of soundings, damage reports and depths of water surrounding vessel. Also obtain height of tide and ballast tank quantities.
• Contact owners with:
  a) Position of ship;
  b) Weather conditions;
  c) Extent of grounding, tanks visibly bilged and damage to machinery;
  d) Whether main engines are available;
  e) Tide at time of grounding and expected tides;
  f) Quantity and position of cargo;
  g) Masters assessment of whether vessel could be re-floated at next tide;
  h) Details of any salvage tugs in the area.
• The master should always confer with owners or underwriters before signing a salvage contract, however the safety of the vessel, crew and cargo should be considered and the salvage agreed to under protest if the terms are not reasonable.
• Owners must be informed if SCOPIC (Special Compensation P&I Clause) is invoked by the salvage contractors as soon as possible as there is a retainer amount that must be paid prior to commencement of operations.
• Before commencing the operation it must be confirmed that the salvage will do no further damage.
• Keep accurate records of all events and communications.

 Methods of Re-Floating:

• Check Tide Tables for time of next high tide;
• Establish extent of grounding and possible environmental impact that re-floating may have;
• Establish whether the re-floating operation will experience further difficulties due to inclement weather, and whether the vessel will be able to move to safer waters soon after re-floating;
• Trim vessel by the stern if aground forward;
• De-ballast vessel as much as possible before the arrival of the next high tide;
• Consider the use of tugs if it expected that the vessel will not re-float unaided;
• Take a full set of soundings as soon as possible after re-floating to establish whether any damage may have been done during the process, if possible launch a small boat to inspect the entire hull at water level;
• Decide on the best time to retrieve your anchors if deployed, whether they will assist in the re-float or hinder the vessel.

Question 4

(d) State reasons and methods of beaching a vessel

Answer 4

Beaching is carried out for one of two reasons or both combined, these being:

1) To prevent imminent collision.
2) To prevent loss of the vessel when damaged and in danger of sinking, where the intentions are to beach the vessel to carry out repairs and re-float at a later time. (Force Majeure)

Methods of beaching will be either bow or stern first, depending on circumstances.
Ideally the beach should be gently sloping sand or mud, free of rocks with little or no current if possible. It should also be sheltered from predominant weather or surf action.

 Actions Prior to Beaching:

• Inform owners, relevant authorities, P&I Clubs and Coastal States if time permits, otherwise do so at the first available opportunity.
• Calculate the time of falling tide after high water and the maximum ballast that can be taken onboard to make re-floating easier.
• Clear both anchors from hawse pipe.
• As far as possible transfer any fuel from double bottoms to wings.
• Adjust trim to the slope of the beach and according to the method of beaching.
• Ensure all personnel are informed and non-essential personnel are mustered with lifejackets.
• Ensure you beach on a falling tide to give you the maximum amount of time to secure the vessel and run slewing wires before the tide rises again.

 Beaching Bow First:
Advantages:
1) Clear view of the operation and approach.
2) Vessel will have a favourable trim.
3) Propeller and rudder will favour deeper water.
4) Strengthened bow will absorb any pounding effects and the initial impact.

Disadvantages:

1) Vessel is likely to slew, therefore anti-slewing wires will need to be placed in conjunction with the anchors
2) When trying to re-float you will only have an average of 60% power when navigating stern first.
3) It is not recommended that you try it with your own ground tackle as it requires extremely good judgement. If the anchors are let go too soon they will impede the beaching operation. If they are let go too late they will be too close to the stern to have any good securing effect.

 Beaching Stern First:
Advantages:
1) Easier to secure the vessel with a Mediterranean Moor.
2) More power and manoeuvrability available when re-floating.

Disadvantages:

1) Likely to cause damage to propeller and rudder assembly.
2) Beaching operation requires more time.
3) Vessel may prove difficult to con.

Question 5

(e) Describe methods of handling a disabled vessel in seaway

Answer 5

 Ballast vessel as much as possible to reduce windage, or trim by the head to ‘weather vane’ the vessel.
 Running of a Sea Anchor:
- Secure anchor in hawse pipe, do not hang off;
- Walk the cable out to the first joining shackle and split;
- Run the cable through the forward Panama Fairlead into the water;
- Walk out approximately 3 shackles onto the seabed to ensure the head swings into the wind, in deeper water always beware of paying out too much cable as the windlass motor may not be able to cope with picking up the weight of the cable that has been paid out. This is certainly true of older vessels;
- Check your set and rate of drift;
- The anchor cable should be made ready to slip in the event that it becomes fouled;
- Keep the 2nd anchor ready in case you need to anchor in an emergency.

Question 6

(f) Explain the actions when experiencing loss of power in confined waters or on a lee shore

Answer 6

1. Master takes the con, plot vessel position and confirm the echo sounder is on.
2. Let go one anchor to attempt to stop the vessel, however be aware that the vessel may drag anchor and hinder your attempts to reach safer waters quickly once power is restored.
3. Display NUC lights and shapes as appropriate, if in restricted visibility sound signal as well.
4. Contact ECR and find out reason for power failure as well as damage reports if any.
5. Transmit a Securite on Vhf Channel 16 to alert shipping in the vicinity.
6. Ensure lookouts posted and OOW on radar observation for other traffic.
7. Check latest weather reports for area.
8. Estimate rate of drift in current conditions.
9. Establish communications with Coastal State Authorities and inform them of the situation.
10. Keep accurate records of all events and communications.

In the event that power cannot be restored the master will need to seek assistance from tugs. He should then do the following:

1) Contact owners and inform of situation and conditions.
2) Consider the use of sea anchors to slow the rate of drift.
3) Inform the Coastal State of the vessels situation and intended action.
4) Follow P&I advice regarding acceptance of a salvage contract.

Question 7

(g) Explain the actions when experiencing E/R emergencies such as crankcase explosions, generator failure, and fire

Answer 7

 Crankcase Explosions:
 Master to the con, plot position of vessel.
 Sound the General Alarm, muster all personnel and account for all onboard.
 Open up communications with ER as appropriate or possible.
 Chief Engineer will take command of the situation with regard to action to take in the ER.
 Shut off accommodation and ER ventilation fans using emergency stops.
 Contact Coastal State Authorities if possible, transmit an Urgency message.
 Slow down and stop the main engine if safe to do so.
 Display NUC shapes or lights as appropriate, in restricted visibility sound signal as well.
 Operate Drop Down Valves. (Remotely from Upper Deck)
 Shut down ER ventilation.
 Shut Watertight Doors.
 Start Emergency Fire Pump, engineers monitor Emergency Generator.
 Fire party to attempt to locate and extinguish fire.
 If above not possible muster all crew and operate ER CO2 Smothering System.
 Set up fire watches to monitor the situation.
 Check O2 Levels in ER prior to entering for inspection, ensure sufficient time has passed to prevent the possibility of fire flashing up due to re-supply of O2.
 Keep accurate records of all events and actions during the emergency.
 Report to owners, P&I and Classification Society as soon as possible.

 Blackouts:
 Master to the con, plot position of vessel.
 Display NUC lights or shapes as appropriate, in restricted visibility sound signal.
 Open up communications with the ER, obtain status report.
 Transmit an Urgency message if appropriate.
 Post lookouts and OOW on radar to check for other vessels in the vicinity.
 Engineers to monitor Emergency Generator.
 Keep accurate records of all events and actions during the blackout.
 Once power has been restored, ensure all equipment is operational again.
 Consult your vessel SMPEP Plan for advice regarding which essential services remain available in the event of a blackout.

Question 8

(h) Explain the actions when cargo lashing come adrift

Answer 8

 Actions which may be taken in heavy weather:

• Avoid excessive accelerations by altering course or speed or both.
• Heave to.
• Avoid areas of reported adverse weather and sea conditions early when already on passage.
• Plan the voyage prior to departure to avoid areas with historically severe weather and sea conditions, taking into account the latest weather reports.
• Complete ballasting or de-ballasting operations early to improve the behaviour of the ship, taking into account the actual stability condition prior to departure.

 Actions once cargo has shifted:
- Alter course to reduce accelerations.
- Reduce speed to reduce accelerations and vibration.
- Monitor the integrity of the ship structurally and in terms of water-tightness.
- Re-stow or re-secure cargo where possible
- Increase friction where possible with the use of dunnage.
- Divert from passage plan to seek sheltered or improved weather
- Consider the possibility of jettisoning part of the cargo, however this is a potentially dangerous operation so a full Job Safety Analysis should be done before any action is taken.
- Any ballasting to correct an angle of loll due to a cargo shift should only be considered if the vessel has adequate stability.
Correcting an Angle of Loll

First and foremost it must be determined that you are dealing with an angle of Loll or a List, as the remedy for each varies greatly. In determining an angle of Loll you must calculate whether the initial GM of the vessel is zero or negative.
KG > KM
GM 0 < 0

It must be stressed that weights should never be shifted from the low side to the high side as this will cause the centre of gravity (G) to move closer towards the high side and the resultant list will be added to the loll. If the vessel then rolls through the upright to the other side, she may carry on if the angle of loll and list added together are large enough, and capsize.

An angle of loll can only be corrected by lowering G, which may be achieved by:

a) removing weights high up on the vessel.(Jettison)
b) adding weights low down on the vessel. (Ballast)
c) reducing slack tanks and therefore reducing free surface effects.
d) lowering any cranes, booms or derricks.

To add weight below tanks should be filled first or completely emptied to reduce free surface. Then fill small double bottom tanks on the low side one at a time to keep G on the low side and reduce the effect of free surface while filling. Once you have achieved a positive GM you may ballast the high side tanks to reduce the list.
If it is decided to jettison cargo, this must be done from the high side first to move G away and towards the low side, this being done only once positive GM has been achieved but the vessel still remains listed over to one side.

Question 9

(i) Devise a contingency plan due top structural failure, leaking hatch covers, cracks to the deck and hull and flooding

Answer 9

The affected area should be isolated as soon as possible and damage control measures such as shoring to reduce the ingress of water put into place.

• All watertight doors should be closed and all personnel mustered to aid in shoring operations.
• The ER should have a duty engineer on standby to maintain services and aid with possible electrical isolation to damaged areas.
• The vessel should be hove to or the heading and speed changed to minimise the effects of the water ingress and reduce the chance of further structural failure due to stresses on the hull.
• Bilging calculations should be done as soon as practicable by the Master and Chief Officer to determine if the stability of the vessel has improved or worsened.
• If the condition has worsened the Master should decide what actions must be taken to improve the stability through either ballasting or jettisoning of cargo on deck.
• The possibility of ballasting to lift the affected area out of the water should also be considered.

Bilging:
 A bilged vessel is one that has suffered a breach of its hull through collision, grounding or other means such as failure of shell plating or similar.
 When bilged a vessel will always experience an increase in draft, but its initial stability is not necessarily worsened.
 Bilging calculations are done for box-shaped vessels but the underlying principles apply to ship-shaped hulls as well.

Calculating µ (mu):

µ = 1 – (1/ SF x RD) where mu is the permeability, or amount of space in a cargo compartment available to floodwater.

Example:
Bulk Coal	SF = 1,36 m3/t		RD = 1,20 t/ m3
Therefore 
µ = 1 – (1/ 1,36 x 1,2)
   = 0,3872
   = 38,72%

Bilged Compartment: 6800 m3
Mass of Coal = 6800/ SF = 6800/ 1,36 = 5000t
Vol. of Coal = 5000/ RD = 5000/ 1,20 = 4166,6 m3
Therefore volume available to floodwater = 6800 – 4166,6 = 2633,4 m3 or 38,72%

Bilging Calculation: (Lost Buoyancy Method)
Assumptions: Displacement (W) remains unchanged.
KG remains unchanged.
Volume (V) remains unchanged.
A certain volume of buoyancy is lost.
The ship sinks to regain buoyancy from elsewhere within the intact part of the ship.
Now: KB = KB + BM
= KB + 1/ Volume
= draft/ 2 + 1/ Volume

A box shaped vessel with L = 150m, B = 24m and D = 12m floats in salt water on an even keel in salt water at a draft (d) of 5,00 m. At present the KG is 10.90 m. An empty compartment amidships that extends the full breadth and depth of the vessel over a length of 20 metres is bilged.
Calculate: 1) Initial GM before bilging.
2) Draft of the bilged condition.
3) GM0 in the bilged condition.
4) Righting Moment at 5º of heel in both initial and bilged conditions.

1) GMo = KM – KG = (d/ 2 + LB3/ 12V) – KG = (5/ 2 + 150 x 243/ 12x150x24x5) – 10,90 = 1,20m.

2) Sinkage = µ Volume / WPA - µ area
= 1 x 20 x 24 x 5 / (150 – 24) – (1 x 20 x 24)
= 2400 / (3600 – 480)
=0,769m
Draft when bilged = 5,000 + 0,769 = 5,769m

3) GMo (after bilging) = KM – KG = (5,769/2 + [150-20] x 243/ 12x150x24x5) – 10,90 = 0,305m
4) RM (pre-bilged) = W x GMo x sin Ө = (150 x 24 x 5 x 1,025) x 1,200 x sin 5º = 1929,6 t.m

RM (post-bilging) = W x GMo x sin Ө = (150 x 24 x 5 x 1,025) x 0,305 x sin 5º = 489,8 t.m