MASTER-200-L2.6

Safety, emergencies and abandonment

MASTER-200-M2 · Oral examination preparation · MASTER-200-M2-A The MCA oral: IRPCS, watchkeeping, ship handling, meteorology and emergencies at command level for <200 GT.

The oral tests how the Master leads the vessel through an emergency, because the first minutes decide the outcome. This lesson covers emergency command, distress and abandonment on a small commercial vessel.

Leading the response

Command actions on a major emergency

  1. Raise the alarm, muster all on board and account for everyone.
  2. Assess the situation and the threat to the vessel; take the con.
  3. Contain the casualty — fight the fire or control the flooding, isolate fuel and power, close boundaries.
  4. Communicate — make a distress (MAYDAY) or urgency (PAN-PAN) call as warranted, via GMDSS.
  5. Decide — if the vessel cannot be saved, order a controlled abandonment with the survival craft prepared and everyone accounted for.

Distress and survival

  • Know the GMDSS distress and urgency procedures and the equipment carried — VHF DSC, EPIRB, SART.
  • Know the survival principles and the launch, management and recovery of the liferaft.
  • Care for the passengers and any casualties, and obtain radio-medical advice for a serious injury.
  • Keep a record of the times and actions taken for the subsequent report.

WARNING — MAYDAY for grave danger, PAN-PAN for urgency A distress (MAYDAY) call is for grave and imminent danger needing immediate help; an urgency (PAN-PAN) call is for a serious situation that is not yet an immediate threat to life. Use the right one, and give position and the nature of the distress.

TIP — Step up into the raft Abandon to the liferaft only when the vessel can no longer support you. A disabled small vessel is almost always a better survival platform than a raft, so you 'step up' into the raft as a last resort.

Practice questions

5 questions

recall · core

A distress call indicating grave and imminent danger requiring immediate assistance is prefixed: (a) PAN-PAN (b) SECURITE (c) MAYDAY (d) ROGER

recall · core

The order of command actions in a major emergency begins with: (a) Abandoning ship (b) Raising the alarm and accounting for everyone (c) Making tea (d) Calling the owner

recall · core

Abandonment to the liferaft should happen: (a) Early to be safe (b) Only when the vessel can no longer support you (c) In any heavy weather (d) Before making a distress call

recall · core

For a serious injury aboard, the Master should: (a) Wait for the next port (b) Obtain radio-medical advice (c) Give any drug available (d) Do nothing

recall · core

A PAN-PAN (urgency) call is appropriate when: (a) There is grave and imminent danger to life (b) There is a serious situation not yet an immediate threat to life (c) Testing the radio (d) Reporting weather

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