EMERGENCY

RESPONSE

The aim of the Emergency Response Plan is

to detail the emergency management
arrangements relating to the prevention of,
preparation for, response to and recovery
from Emergencies that occur on board ships.

A Marine Transport Emergency is an actual or

impending event involving a ship(s) that is
capable of causing:
loss of life, injury to a person or damage to
the health of a person;
serious degradation of the marine and
coastal environment;
loss of property;
or danger to safe navigation or significant
damage to marineinfrastructure to the
extent that maritime commerce is, or may
be disrupted.

The Master has the final and overriding

authority and responsibility to make
decisions in respect to safety and security of
the ship, her crew and the environmental
protection, regardless of any commercial
considerations and to request the companys
assistance as may be necessary.
In case of an emergency, the Master must
decide as a matter of urgency whether
assistance, including salvage assistance, is
needed or if the situation can be handled
using the ships own resources.

MUSTER LIST AND EMERGENCY

INSTRUCTIONS.

(A) General. Clear instructions must be provided on

the vessel that detail the actions each person on
board should follow in the event of an emergency.
(B) Muster list. Copies of the muster list must be
posted in conspicuous places throughout the vessel
including on the navigating bridge, in the engine
room, and in crew accommodation spaces. The
muster list must be posted before the vessel begins
its voyage. After the muster list has been
prepared, if any change takes place that
necessitates an alteration in the muster list, the
master must either revise the existing muster list
or prepare a new one. Each muster lists must at
least specify

(1) The instructions for operating the general

emergency alarm system and public address
system;
(2) The emergency signals;
(3) The actions to be taken by the persons on
board when each signal is sounded;
(4) How the order to abandon the vessel will
be given.
(5) The officers that are assigned to make
sure that lifesaving and firefighting
appliances are maintained in good condition
and ready for immediate use;

(6) The duties assigned to the different members of

the crew. Duties to be specified include
(i) Closing the watertight doors, fire doors, valves,
scuppers, sidescuttles, skylights, portholes, and
other similar openings in the vessel's hull;
(ii) Equipping the survival craft and other lifesaving
appliances;
(iii) Preparing and launching the survival craft;
(iv) Preparing other lifesaving appliances;
(v) Mustering the passengers and other persons on
board;
(vi) Using communication equipment;
(vii) Manning the emergency squad assigned to deal
with fires and other emergencies; and
(viii) Using firefighting equipment and installations.

(7) The duties assigned to members of the crew in

relation to passengers and other persons on board
in case of an emergency. Assigned duties to be
specified include
(i) Warning the passengers and other persons on
board;
(ii) Seeing that passengers and other persons on
board are suitably dressed and have donned their
lifejackets or immersion suits correctly;
(iii) Assembling passengers and other persons on
board at muster stations;
(iv) Keeping order in the passageways and on the
stairways and generally controlling the movements
of the passengers and other persons on board; and
(v) Making sure that a supply of blankets is taken
to the survival craft; and

(8) The substitutes for key persons if they are

disabled, taking into account that different
emergencies require different actions.
(C) Emergency instructions. Illustrations and
instructions in English, and any other appropriate
language as determined, must be posted in each
passenger cabin and in spaces occupied by persons
other than crew, and must be conspicuously displayed
at each muster station. The illustrations and
instructions must include information on
(1) The fire and emergency signal;
(2) Their muster station;
(3) The essential actions they must take in an
emergency;
(4) The location of lifejackets, including child-size
lifejackets; and
(5) The method of donning lifejackets.

1 Prepare contingency plans for emergency response

1.1 Potential emergency situations are identified in
conjunction with relevant shipboard personnel
1.2 Plans of action are developed by the master and chief
engineer with appropriate assistance from other
personnel detailing procedures for responding to
potential emergency situations as per regulatory
requirements and company procedures
1.3 Resources are organised in readiness for potential
implementation of emergency and security contingency
plans
1.4 Contingency plans for dealing with emergency
response are documented in accordance with company
procedures and regulatory requirements
1.5 Shipboard officers and crew are made aware of
contingency plans for emergency response
1.6 Drills are carried out at appropriate times to test the
readiness of shipboard personnel to implement
emergency and security contingency plans

2 Develop plans for damage control following a

shipboard emergency
2.1 Possible damage scenarios are identified and
methods of damage control are devised by the
vessels management team as per standard operating
procedures
2.2 Plans of action for dealing with shipboard
damage, particularly that involving the integrity of
the vessels hull, are developed by the vessels
management team in accordance with regulatory
requirements and company procedures
2.3 Planned damage control procedures for dealing
with damage to the vessel and its hull are
documented as per company and regulatory
requirements
2.4 Appropriate resources are organised in readiness
for possible deployment should there be damage to
the vessel during an emergency

3 Develop plans for fire protection, detection

and extinguishment
3.1 Plans of action for fire protection, detection
and extinguishment are developed by the vessels
management team as per regulations, and fire
control procedures
3.2 Plans for fire protection, detection and
extinguishment are documented in accordance
with company procedures and regulatory
requirements
3.3 Appropriate resources are organised in
readiness for possible deployment should there be
a fire on board the vessel during an emergency
3.4 Fire control drills are carried out at
appropriate times to test the readiness of
shipboard personnel to implement plans for fire
protection, detection and extinguishment

4 Develop procedures for the use of various

lifesaving appliances
4.1 Procedures for the use of various shipboard
lifesaving appliances are developed by the
vessels management team in accordance with
regulatory requirements, manufacturers
instructions and company procedures
4.2 Procedures for the use of various lifesaving
appliances are documented in accordance with
company procedures and regulatory requirements
4.3 Instruction is organised for shipboard
personnel in the correct use of lifesaving
appliances
4.4 Lifesaving drills are carried out at appropriate
times to test the readiness of shipboard personnel
to correctly carry out lifesaving procedures and
use lifesaving appliances

5 Coordinate the implementation of emergency response

plans
5.1 Information on emergency response plans is distributed
and made available to shipboard personnel via
noticeboards, pamphlets and documented instructions
5.2 Appropriate instruction is organised for shipboard
personnel in their roles and responsibilities during various
types of shipboard emergencies
5.3 Appropriate emergency drills are carried out at
appropriate times to test the readiness of shipboard
personnel to correctly carry out various emergency
response plans
5.4 Appropriate alarms and directions are given when an
emergency is detected
5.5 Action in dealing with an emergency is coordinated in
accordance with the emergency response plan, regulatory
requirements and company procedures
5.6 Details of a shipboard emergency and the action taken
is documented in accordance with regulatory requirements
and company procedures

ACCIDENT SCENARIOS
Based on an Environmental Risk Analysis for
situations commonly related to general
marine operations, the following accident
scenarios were selected.

Scenario 1 Failure during refueling operations at

sea, with the rupture of the supply vessels
transfer hose to the ship, resulting in a spill of
diesel oil.
Scenario 2 Taking in water from holed shipside.
Scenario 3 Collision of a cargo vessel with the
ship.
Scenario 4 Running aground.
Scenario 5 - Fire followed by explosion, rupturing
the hull and sinking the vessel.

Scenario 6 - Hull failures. Abandon ship by lifeboat

Scenario 7 Fire. Abandon ship by liferaft
Scenario 8 Medical emergency. Cook found
unconscious in cold room.
Scenario 9 Man Overboard
Scenario 10 Crew member falls into tank.
Scenario 11 At Sea Medical emergency. Engineer
seriously injured while working, hand severed.

Scenario 12 Vessel sustains damage to steering

gear.
Scenario 13 Failure of gyrocompass/other
navigational equipment in restricted waters.

State of readiness:

Sufficient staff should always be rested and

capable of handling emergencies.
Equipment should always be in a state of
readiness viz.- Hand held radios charged,
Flashlights with fresh batteries, CABA sets
should always be charged to capacity,
accessways should be clear,