10 Important Things To Do During Ship Collision Accident

10 Important Things To Do During Ship Collision Accident 06/08/14 14:26
Premium eBook Store Marine Engineering Nautical Science Infographics Maritime Links
Send us News Advertise Resources Team
HOME NEWS TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION SAFETY CAREERS
LIFE AT SEA PIRACY VIDEOS FORUMS
10 Important Things To Do During Ship

Collision Accident
Facebook 2416 Twitter 23 Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest
AUGUST 4, 2014 BY DILIPAN THOMAS 2 COMMENTS
Even with the latest developments in navigational equipment and communication systems, collision
accidents between ships continue to occur around the world. Some of the main reasons for such
accidents are negligence, incompetence and miscommunication.
Ship Collision just do not leave the ships damaged; they can also lead to major pollutions and claim
several innocent lives. Not to forget the ill fated ferry MV Dona PAZ, a Philippine registered passenger
ferry, that collided with MT Vector an oil tanker on 20th December 1987 and killed 4386 lives including
11 crew members from MT vector.
http://www.marineinsight.com/marine/marine-news/headline/ship-collision-accident/ Página 1 de 14
Considering the vulnerability of such situation mentioned below are important points to consider when
a vessel meets with such unfortunate emergency .
Note: It should be understood that the following points are just for the purpose of guidance, and
during a real situation, one’s knowledge, seamanship and personal competence come in to play in
handling the situation and saving lives.
1. Inform the Master and Engine room: This is obvious, but make sure you inform the Master, if he
is not on bridge. Inform the engine room and stop the engine. The officer on watch should not
hesitate to call the master even if he has the slightest doubt about any given situation. (The decision
to stop the engine would depend on the severity of the accident and immediate action to be taken.)
Master’s experience, knowledge and his overriding authority helps in making quick and bold decisions
to save lives. Once the master takes over the command of the situation, act on his orders. Mark the
position of collision on chart or by pressing the mob button on GPS for future reference. Exhibit NOT
UNDER COMMAND (NUC) signal if the ship has lost its headway completely.
2. Immediately Send Distress Signal: Send designated or undesignated distress messages

through VHF ,MF/HF, SAT C or any other available means, depending on the sea area you are in and
time limit you have. If you have enough time inform the company and the nearest coast radio station
about the incident.
3. Record Important Data: Record the time of ship collision, name and IMO number of the vessel(s)
you collided with. Waste no time in arguing with other vessel. Leave VHF channel 16 unoccupied,
through which, you can get necessary information regarding assistance and help if the situation
demands. Use any other VHF channel for inter/intra ship communication. If possible, take a
photograph of the collision from a secure location.
4. Sound the Alarms: Sound the general emergency alarm; general alarm signal is sounded as
precaution. It should not be mistaken as a signal for abandoning the ship. Take attendance, if
anybody is missing report the same to the master. Inform the officer responsible on muster station
about the situation. Make arrangements, to search and find the missing person. The responsible
officers and crew should lower the life boats up to embarkation deck and make all arrangements to
abandon the vessel at quick notice. It should be noted that engine room should not be left
unattended if the impact of collision is minimal, which do not need an immediate evacuation of the
compartment. Also, the engine room in-charge should ensure all officers and crew working in the
engine room are ready with their life jackets and TPA if immediate evacuation is required in the later
stages.
5. Assess the Damage: Send an officer responsible to the area where the vessels have taken the
impact. Inquire about the percentage of damage occurred. If the damaged area is an enclosed space,
ensure to take all necessary precautions, for enclosed space entry. Make an assessment of the
damage and report the same to master. Any decision should be taken by the master or if the master
is incapable of making decision or carry out his duties, the person next to his command should do so.
6. Take the Soundings: Send crew to take sounding of all ballast tanks, fresh water tanks, and wing
tanks. Give instruction to engine room to take sounding of all tanks in engine room. All tanks
soundings are to be taken and recorded, because the tanks far away from the impact can experience
damage or crack due the shock created by the collision. Record the sounding of all tanks and
compare it with the previous sounding data. If there is any change in the sounding, there can be a
crack or a hole in the tank. The sounding of the particular tank or tanks should be monitored carefully
and the rate of increase or decrease in water should be calculated.
7. Take Immediate Action In Case of Damage: If any tank or tanks appeared to have suffered
damage and ingress of water is confirmed, make necessary arrangements to pump out the water. If
the pumps are not effective and cannot contain the ingress of water the whole compartment can be
sealed preventing other compartments from being flooded. If a self- closing water tight door is
provided, it should be operated from the bridge itself.
8. Check For Oil Spill: If any of the fuel tanks or oil tank is damaged and if there is imminent danger
of oil spill. The procedures mentioned in SOPEP plan should be followed to contain the oil spill. Read :
How to avoid oil spills on ships?
9. Reach The Nearest Port, If Possible: If the master attempts to correct adverse list or trim, he
should consider the effects of shear force, bending movements, free surface effect when transferring
liquids and blasting and de-blasting on the hull. If the own ship to be afloat without danger and
engines are ready to maneuver, set course for the nearest port for repair. All the above mentioned
duties have to be carried out in a very quick sequence and with utmost precision as collision can lead
to other emergencies simultaneously.
Two Ships After Collision

10. Abandon The Ship Only if Everything Else Fails: If the own vessel appears to be sinking and
leaving no other choice except to abandon the vessel, it should be a verbal order from the master. It
should be always kept in mind that a ship is the best lifeboat. The master and crew should always try
and carry out all necessary means to keep it afloat. But once the decision is made to abandon the
vessel, no time should be wasted. All crew should carry out their duties effectively and escape from
the sinking ship as quickly and as far away as possible.
Read : Is abandoning the ship only resort in times of tragedy? and Responsibilities of master after
abandoning the ship
Even with strict regulations for training and qualification of seafarers, many a time the crew gets
panicked and forgets the duties during such emergency. Though it is easier said than done, the crew
should be trained well on board by regular drills. They should be well informed about the use of life
saving equipment and their operating procedures. If a new person joins the vessel, he should be well
familiarized with vessels, emergency procedures, escape routes, location of life saving equipment etc.
before the vessel leaves the port. Any emergency requires quick and prompt response from the crew
and this can be only achieved by regular training and practice of such emergencies as mock drills.
The above mentioned is not an exhaustive list but a general overview of things that need to be done
in case of collision accident. The points must be taken only as reference and one must always be
guided by practices of good seamanship.
Like It? Share It Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
About Dilipan Thomas

Dilipan Thomas is an aspiring seafarer, who has sailed on both cargo and offshore vessels. He
has a good knowledge of the deck department, and is presently preparing and training himself
to be a deck officer. He loves working in challenging environments and prefers writing about his
sailing experiences during his free time.
COMMENTS
W. Moore says
August 4, 2014 at 6:33 pm
Based upon the title of the article I think that your entry at No. 4 “Sound the Alarms” should
actually be the first item listed.
The formality of calling the vessel’s Master when collision is imminent is squandering time
during which lives could be lost. The Master will hear the general alarm and then he or she
will report to the bridge. The sounding of the alarm raises everyone’s awareness (those
onboard your ship and possibly on nearby vessels as well) and starts the response action.
I always wanted my officers to call me if there was doubt or risk of collision but once the
vessel is in a grave circumstance, aggressive action must be taken and calling the Master
probably isn’t aggressive enough.
Raunek says
August 4, 2014 at 7:07 pm
Thanks a lot for the inputs sir. However, the points haven’t been listed on the basis of priority
but includes all the important ones that should be considered. Let us know if we are missing
anything, we would add it to the list. Thank you.
LEAVE A REPLY
Name *
Email *
Comment
POST COMMENT
Get Free News Updates Daily
Join 40000+ maritime professionals who receive daily newsletters, offers and more..
Enter your email SUBSCRIBE NOW!
From The Web From MarineInsight Promoted Content by Taboola
The race for perfect, actionable data How and Why to Take Manual Sounding On
(Financial Times) a Ship?
Scientists Have Discovered The Way To Global LNG-Asian Prices Remain
Stop Snoring For Good (My Snoring Solution) Depressed; Floating Storage Eyed
BCCI-ICC on Collision Course on Jadeja Stranded Seafarers Receive Unpaid Wages
Issue (NewsRoomPost) With The Help Of Leading Seafarers’ Charity
Best Smart Watches That Beats Shocking: Video of Sinking Bangladesh
Smartphones (ZadTech.com) Ferry
Common 'Resume Lies' Used by Employees Wartsila to Design Innovative and
(IndiaToday) Environmentally Sound Ferry
You May Like Sponsored Content by Taboola
How To Become A Woman That Every Man Desires

Women's Life Today
How This Guy Cured His Own Anxiety Disorder And Is Now…
LifeGooroo
Flipkart Raises $1 billion, He Will Use it to Invest in Mobile T…

IndiaToday
How You Can Reduce Diabetes Symptoms In 3 Only Weeks?

Reverse Your Diabetes Today
Hackathons create burst of fresh digital ideas

Financial Times
Five amazing places to visit in Taipei

DrPrem.com
Discover How To Detect Suspicious Activity On Your We…

Quttera
The Customer Service Gap and How You Can Close It

Work Intelligent.ly
12 Free eBooks for Seafarers

Submit your best email below
Enter your email
DOWNLOAD NOW!
We respect your privacy and have a Zero Tolerance for spam.
Your Information is Safe & Secure with us.
SEARCH MARINE INSIGHT
SEARCH
EXPERT AUTHORS
LATEST FORUM POSTS
im a marine engineering student.. i just want to

ask what is the…
Hello I have completed my voyages as deck

cadet (1year ) in crude…
In the late 20's, the industries were hiring

electricians for the…
can u pls explain me about crude oil
washing…
I am from kenya and looking for job ona ship

as electrician…
POPULAR POSTS
6 Practical Tips On Improving
Boiler Efficiency for Professional
Marine Engineers
Whiteboard Video Tutorial :
Marine Boiler Fundamentals
12 Famous Myths About Merchant
Navy People Have
8 Things to Consider While Doing
Nautical Chart Plotting On Ships
10 Reasons You Must Thank
Seafarers
15 Amazing Helicopter Operation
Photos
MARITIME EVENTS
GreenPort South Asia 2014

Know More
2nd September, India
SMM Hamburg 2014

Know More
9th September, Hamburg,
Germany
GreenPort South Asia 2014 Know More

15th October, Spain
View all Events >>
SUPPORT US BY DONATING A “LIKE”
Like Enrique Cabrera, Ivan Moreno and 246,468 others

like this.
CAREERS
10 Common Questions Asked by

Aspiring Merchant Navy Professionals
Working on Seismic Vessels: A
General Overview of Ship’s Crew
8 Myths To Be Cleared Up Before
Joining Merchant Navy
10 Important Jobs Deck Cadets Have
To Perform On board Ships
What is Helicopter Underwater Escape
Training (HUET)?
More Posts from this Category
LIFE AT SEA
10 Highly Creative Photographs Taken

By Seafarers At Sea
10 Reasons You Must Thank Seafarers
12 Famous Myths About Merchant

Navy People Have
Tanker or Container Ship: Which is
Better For Seafarers?
10 Free Mobile Apps Seafarers Must
Have
PIRACY AT SEA
Enforcing the Law: An Economic

Approach to Maritime Piracy and its
Control
Are We Sleepwalking Back to Piracy?
10 Things to Consider Before Your
Ship Enters Piracy Prone Area
The Menace of Maritime Piracy and
Somali Pirates – Is There a Solution?
Top 5 Must-Watch Somali Pirates
Movies
Copyright © 2014 MarineInsight — All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | About Us

10 Important Things To Do During Ship Collision Accident

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

10 Important Things To Do During Ship Collision Accident

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

10 Important Things To Do During Ship Collision Accident 06/08/14 14:26

Send us News Advertise Resources Team

HOME NEWS TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION SAFETY CAREERS

LIFE AT SEA PIRACY VIDEOS FORUMS

10 Important Things To Do During Ship

AUGUST 4, 2014 BY DILIPAN THOMAS 2 COMMENTS

2. Immediately Send Distress Signal: Send designated or undesignated distress messages

Two Ships After Collision

Like It? Share It Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

About Dilipan Thomas

Get Free News Updates Daily

Enter your email SUBSCRIBE NOW!

From The Web From MarineInsight Promoted Content by Taboola

How To Become A Woman That Every Man Desires

Flipkart Raises $1 billion, He Will Use it to Invest in Mobile T…

How You Can Reduce Diabetes Symptoms In 3 Only Weeks?

Hackathons create burst of fresh digital ideas

Five amazing places to visit in Taipei

Discover How To Detect Suspicious Activity On Your We…

The Customer Service Gap and How You Can Close It

12 Free eBooks for Seafarers

Enter your email

SEARCH MARINE INSIGHT

LATEST FORUM POSTS

im a marine engineering student.. i just want to

Hello I have completed my voyages as deck

In the late 20's, the industries were hiring

can u pls explain me about crude oil

I am from kenya and looking for job ona ship

6 Practical Tips On Improving

Boiler Efficiency for Professional

Whiteboard Video Tutorial :

Marine Boiler Fundamentals

12 Famous Myths About Merchant

Navy People Have

8 Things to Consider While Doing

Nautical Chart Plotting On Ships

10 Reasons You Must Thank

15 Amazing Helicopter Operation

GreenPort South Asia 2014

SMM Hamburg 2014

GreenPort South Asia 2014 Know More

View all Events >>

SUPPORT US BY DONATING A “LIKE”

Like Enrique Cabrera, Ivan Moreno and 246,468 others

10 Common Questions Asked by

10 Highly Creative Photographs Taken

12 Famous Myths About Merchant

Enforcing the Law: An Economic

You might also like