24 Alcohol

While many people enjoy alcohol, it is when it becomes a 'need', that it becomes dangerous. Everyone concerned with regulation must consider alcohol and its effects, and as the Chief Officer you will need to be involved in this.

24.1

Bars

Whether or not alcohol is permitted on your vessel is the decision of your company. How it is tolerated onboard is the decision of the Captain and you are responsible to him for enforcing his wishes. The bars, both crew and officers', are nominally under your control. In days gone by, you would have had the title of 'president' of the wardroom or officers' bar. Although this title may have disappeared, the responsibility has not. The best way to control the bars is to appoint a committee to be responsible to you for the running and good order of each. The committee should consist of: A chairman a bar manager crew or officers' representative on larger ships, an entertainment representative.

You can lay down the guidelines for the good order of the bars. Most important of these will be the bar hours, which must be sensible and not conflict with the working hours of the ship or the sleep of nearby watchkeepers.

24.2

Record Keeping of Alcohol Consumption

It is essential that any bar keeps a record of who is drinking what, and it is easy for alcohol to be sold on a book basis where those consuming enter what they are buying in a book under their name. It is a system based on honesty and, while occasionally abused, it is generally only through forgetfulness rather than systematic theft. If it is abused too much, as all those using the bar will have to make up the difference if the bar is to remain open, it is in their interests to find the culprit.

24.3

The Behaviour of those in the Bar, and Guests

Opening and closing hours will be decided by the Captain and those running it will be responsible for ensuring the hours are kept to. There is nothing wrong with an occasional extension being granted, but this should be applied for in advance. The behaviour of those using the bar is usually subject to self-regulation, but if this fails discipline will need to be imposed.

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The same applies for any guests. The responsibility for guests lies completely with the person who invited them and they must be removed from the bar if it is judged by others present that their behaviour is not suitable.

24.4

The Crew Bar

It would make sense that the Bosun is the chairman in the crew bar unless he violently objects to this. Either way it should be a crew member of petty officer level to give him the authority to deal with any problems. The bar enables alcohol to be controlled onboard, with the closure of the bar as a constant threat for any abuse of the system.

24.5

Mixing

In my view, the mixing of officers and crew in the bars is to be discouraged. Obviously, times such as birthdays and darts matches, etc, are occasions for mixing to occur, with the benefit to the ship in general, but that is sufficient.
I always found that the crew generally do not want the officers in their bar and I remember on one occasion being called by the Bosun to go down and tell some officers to remove themselves from the crew bar.

24.6

Bringing Alcohol Onboard

If you have bars onboard, then under no circumstances should you allow alcohol to be brought onto the ship for private consumption. There will usually be a regulation regarding this through the company SMS but, if there is not, advise the Captain of your intentions and, with his support, distribute this message to the ship and brief your officers and the gangway watch about your attitude to this. If necessary, you can use bar closure to emphasise the seriousness of any flouting of this rule.

24.7

Banning Alcohol

If there is no alcohol permitted onboard then you may have a problem. Certainly in the west and in many parts of Asia, alcohol is part of the social scene. When it is

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removed from the ship those who are accustomed to it feel a deep loss and their sociability may be affected. Morale within the ship suffers and those who do drink will wish to do so no matter what rules your company wishes to impose. This can have a drastic effect on the efficiency and discipline of the ship. First it means that, in every port regardless of the distance, some of the crew will go ashore when in the past they were content to stay onboard. It also means that some will overindulge when they find a bar or alcohol. Many will attempt to bring alcohol back onboard. As Chief Officer, you now have several problems. First you will have crew smuggling drink onboard, and no matter how hard you try, you will not stop this. Even if you stand on the gangway during the entire time in port they will ask the shore workers to bring it for them, and you certainly do not have the authority to search the shore workers. So now you have drink onboard for cabin drinking. Next, you have the problem of an inebriated crew coming back onboard, which can occur just before sailing meaning they should not be undertaking any duty. Now we know the paper answer, which is that, if they are essential to the sailing of the ship, you do not sail until they are sober. However, the real answer for many ships is that, with the pressure of the port and charterer's threat of putting the ship off-hire if it waits, the ship sails.
I recall as a young cadet watching a crew trying to make the foc'sle when some idiot in the company had decided to sail the ship just after midnight on New Year's Day. It was a sight to behold as various bodies gently subsided on the deck on the way forward. A sufficient number made it so we could sail, even if a little unsteadily as the bridge wasn't much better.

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