FLEETWOOD NAUTICAL CAMPUS

EMERGENCY PLANNING
SEARCH & RESCUE ASSIGNMENT
Chief Mate C1, 2008

TUTOR : D. J.HOUSE
NAME- WASIM I. MODAK

DATE 08 JULY 2008

1 . Obligations of the vessel :

Answer.
Upon receiving the distress call by third officer he immediately informed
master & chief officer and informed them of the frantic call and that the
MAYDAY prefix was not used. On arrival on bridge master took the con
and chief officer assumed the duties of communication officer. All ship
call was made to ships in vicinity had not picked up the distress signal. At
2320 the stricken vessel made direct contact with Probitas . and informed
the vessel name is ADRIA & is in fire and engine room explosion and
need immediate assistance .After obtaining all the information of the ship
in distress(e.g. position, number of person onboard, any casualty etc ),
Master made MAYDAY RELAY to all ship on channel 16 & altered
course towards the distress position with best possible speed.
IMMEDIATE ACTION
1) Must acknowledge the distress message.
2) Maintain continous radio watch.
3) Maintain continous radar watch.
4) Establish plain language communication as soon as possible(obtain
identity, position , course , speed & ETA )
5) Obtain radio bearing of distress transmitter ( if possible )
6) Post extra look outs at high vantage points.
7) Obtain target definition.
SUBSEQUENT ACTION
1) Contact rescue co-ordination centre (RCC) via coast radio station.
2) Order navigator to plot position & establish course to Rendezvous
& update eta.
3) Relay distress message on other frequencies.
4) Update distress information, i.e. weather at distress site number of
casualties , total number of person at scene, number and type of
survival craft.
5) Bridge team at alert status& manual steering engaged.
VESSEL PREPARATION
1) Sound the general emergency alarm. Once crew mustered brief
them about the impending operation.
2) Engine room to be informed to change to diesel from heavy fuel.
3) Rig pilot ladder, guest warps.
4) Prepare rescue boat, gangway at ship side.
5) Lifebuoys , heaving lines to be ready.
6) Deck lights to be switch on.
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7) Display wind sock.

8) Medical & catering party to be ready.
9) The ships fire fighting equipments to be ready.
10) Prepare ship hospital.
11) All entries to be made in log book
Establish a co-ordinator surface search (CSS).
Display international code flags FR by day or a distinctive signal by
night.
Select a suitable search pattern appropriate to the conditions.
Maintain & control inter ship communication.
Estimate drift rate & hence total drift.
Establish search pattern track space for the prevailing conditions.
Commence search pattern & maintain relevant communication.

2 . What were the obligations of other vessels in receipt of

the MAYDAY RELAY :-

As per regulation 33 of solas V vessel in the vicinity of distress vessel

after receiving distress or distress relay signal are bound to acknowledge
it and proceed with maximum possible speed to their assistance.
After receiving MAY-DAY RELAY call other ship in vicinity should
respond to that call. And they should
Acknowledge receipt of distress relay call.
As there was no radio communication between distress vessel
again then all vessel should maintain good radio watch for any
further information from vessel in distress.
Inform nearest cost station.
Inform Rescue Co-Ordination centre.
Collect the following information from the vessel relaying the
message if possible:

Name and call sign/ IMO number of vessel in distress

Position of vessel in distress.
Nature of distress.
Number of person onboard and number of casualty, if any.
Type of assistance require.
Any other information which can help in rescue operation.

After receiving above information the vessel receiving call should

proceed to assist vessel in distress with full speed and she should pass
this information to other vessel in vicinity and to the nearest cost
station and MRCC. Also make other preparation as,

Inform all crew and prepare for rescue

Informed engine room and keep engine ready for manoeuvring.
Pressurized ships fire main.
Prepare rescue boat.
Prepare medical squad.

Other preparation relating bridge are;

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Brief and advise watch officer and lookouts

Up-to-date weather information for the route and distress
position.

Call designated communication officer

Make sure binocular available.

Consider using search or deck lights during hours of

darkness.
vessel responding to May-Day relay should make radio contact with
vessel in distress or vessel sending May-Day RELAY signal and
inform her

Name/ call sign.

Present position /speed and ETA on scene.
Type of vessel.
Rescue equipments onboard.
Medical facility onboard.

3. PROBLEM IN RESCUE BY SURVIVAL CRAFT :-

As in our scenario vessel PROBITAS is tanker in ballast condition and

she is not even gas free vessel. This can be hazardous when vessel will
go for render assistance to vessel on fire. And she will be more affected
by wind which is about force 7 as she is in ballast condition in our
scenario. That mean when the engine is stop she start rolling heavily due
to strong wind & heavy seas and also the drift will be high.
The M.V.ROSA TUCKANO is selected to help in rescue because of bow
and astern thrusters. M.V.ROSA TUCKANO is RO/RO vessel. So this
ship must having high free board same like PROBITAS. So she will be
having problem in maintaining her position.
Factor which are making rescue more difficult are
low visibility due to night
force 7 wind speed
Swell due to rough sea.
Vessel can not manoeuvre very close due to sea condition which
can make contact in two vessels.
RO.RO vessel can not open her lower opening (e.g. gangway
opening) due sea condition and safe stability due to sea shipping
into decks
Even launching a LTA is difficult due to wind force.
Rescuing vessels are unable to launch their rescue craft.
If too many survivor and rescue boat is small than many trips, all
which is impossible in force 7 wind.

4. REASON TO REJECT OTHER VESSEL PARTICIPATING IN

SAR :Following factor are mane things while deciding which ship to proceed to
SAR.
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a) Soonest ETA of vessel to distress position will be called.

b) COMMUNICATION, vessel with better communication facilities
will be called.
c) TYPE OF VESSEL AND CARGO E.g. loaded tanker will not be
advised to rescue a vessel on fire.
d) FACILITIES , E.g. passenger ship having better facilities and
doctors onboard.
e) MANEOUVERING CHARACTERISTIC e.g. small vessel with
bow and astern thrusters are very helpful in SAR.
f) MASTERS EXPIRIENCE , if master or other officer has
experience of SAR operation that will be very helpful and the
person with experience know better to deal with such situation.
In our case PROBITAS was appointed as on-scene co-ordinator by
MRCC, even though she is tanker & not in gas free condition , but
may be she has early ETA good communication equipment with radio
officer. Because she was the only vessel in area who has picked up
distress call.
Only three vessels were called for SAR operation, because it can be
hazardous calling many ships at the scene especially when weather is
force 7 wind. Following factor must have decided for calling ships for
SAR operation.
o Vessel which can make earliest ETA.
o Having better communication facilities.
o Having better hospital and doctor facilities.
o High manoeuvrable vessel
o Advance rescue facilities.
o Advance navigation equipments.
o Type of cargo onboard.
o Any commercial pressure. (This can be last option to reject
vessel.)
o Any draft restriction in relation to depth of water available.
o Number of crew onboard.
o Experience of master in any SAR operation.
o Any language barrier.

5. Search pattern for the incident, as vessel is not on fire :As datum is unknown following method of search can be use.

PARALLEL TRACK SEARCH:-

S MILES
S MILES
S MILES

S MILES

DATUM
DATUM

S MILES

S MILES

This is used when large area is to be search and the survivor

location is unknown.
Most effective over water.
Usually used when a large search area is divided into sub-area for
assignment to individual search facilities on-scene at the same
time.
The commence search point is in one corner of the sub-area.
Search legs are parallel to each other.
Multiple vessels may be used.

CREEPING LINE SEARCH :8

Ai
r
cr
af
t

ship

Normally used only if there is an OSC present to give direction to

and pride communication with the participating craft.
The air-craft does most of the searching, while the ship steam along
a course at a speed as directed by the OSC so that the aircraft can
use it as a navigational checkpoint.
The aircraft, as it pass over the ship; can easily make correction to
stay on track of its search pattern.
Gives a higher probability of detection than can normally be
attained by an aircraft searching alone.
Ship speed varies according to the speed of the aircraft and the size
of the pattern.

6. Additional items that might have been beneficial moving

towards the distress : Post extra lookout for early detection of survival craft.
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 Keep ready portable radio for communicating with survivor.

Containers for dropping written messages.
Signalling equipment to be kept ready.
Maintain continous watch on international frequencies.
Camera for photo graphing.
Maintain active radar plots on vessel in general vicinity.
Any equipment which may assist in rescue operation.
Prepare a line on each side to bring survival craft alongside.
Double the watches on bridge.

7.CHANGES TO RESCUE OPREATION IF I WOULD BE A

MASTER OF M.V. PROBITAS :As Master of Probitas I would expect to know the distress position of
Adria. When Adria made contact with Probitas the radio operator of Adria
was extremely nervous and was not able to communicate properly, but the
only thing he confirm is, that he had sent an Inmarsat-C alert to Norway. I

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would have contacted to Norway MRCC and get information about

distress vessel such as position, nature of distress ets.
Once the distress position and nature has been know then this
information would be transmitted to all other vessel in the vicinity and a
lot of time would have saved by other vessels assisting in search and
rescue operation.
The helicopter had been despatched from Cadiz with ETA about 1 hour.
Helicopter arrived and returned back to refuel, a lot of time has lost in
waiting for helicopter rescue. I would have ordered to Rosa Tuckano to
commence with surface rescue to save time instead of waiting for
helicopter to arrive it would also help in rescue operation giving
advantage by picking up survivors who are left behind or unable rescue
by assisting vessel.
Difficulties faced by Rosa Tuckano while carrying out bow to bow
contact with Adria due to heavy weather and the first priority to pass
lifejackets to casualties who were not wearing. A heaving line contact was
made to pass a messenger between two vessels. I would have advice to
Rosa Tuckano to use Line Throwing Apparatus for passing messengers
and through which the lifejackets would have passed to the casualties in
Adria. They would have also used Line Throwing Apparatus towards the
life raft and could have brought the raft close to own vessel in such rough
weather with heavy swell.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

IAMSAR
SEAMANSHIP TECHNIQUES David. J. House
NAVIGATION FOR MASTER David. J. House

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