1. Different procedures for emergency alarm signals.

 General Alarm
Action to be taken by the crew once ships general alarm is sounded:
I. Proceed to the designated muster stations
II. Listen to the Public Addressing (PA) system for the type of emergency
(usually announced by OOW, Chief officer or Captain) which is leading to
the general alarm on a ship
III. Once the nature of the emergency is known, the crew member must re-
group as per the Squad and take corrective action to tackle the situation as
per the muster plan.

 Fire Alarm on the Ship

Action to be taken by the crew once ships fire alarm is sounded:
I. Proceed to the fire station
II. Confirm the location of the fire
III. Perform the duty listed in the muster list as per the team assigned.

 Man Overboard Alarm

I. Shout ‘Man Overboard on Starboard/Portside’
II. Change over to hand steering from auto and put the wheel hard over to the
respective side (port or starboard)
III. Release MOB marker from the side of the bridge wing to which MOB has
occurred. This marker is buoyant and has a self-igniting light as well as a
self-activating smoke signal
IV. Press the MOB button on the GPS to mark the position of the casualty for
future reference
V. Sound ‘O’ on the whistle (Three prolonged blasts). This is to let the Master
and the crew know about the emergency situation. Supplement this with the
appropriate ‘O’ flag
VI. Post extra lookout as soon as possible
VII. Sound the General Alarm on the ship’s whistle to alert everybody to
proceed to stations. This is to ensure that if the crew has not understood the
three prolonged blast for MOB, they are alerted regardless and proceed to
muster stations to assist in the recovery of the person
VIII. Thereafter, announce the MOB situation on the ship’s PA system
IX. Inform the engine room of the situation and let them know that
manoeuvring will be required
X. Execute the Williamsons turn (explained later)
XI. Keep a keen eye on the RADAR/ARPA and put the VHF on Channel 16
XII. Maintain a record of all the events in the Bell book
XIII. Carry out Master’s orders
XIV. The Chief Mate should take-over all decisions based on deck with
regard to lowering survival craft etc
XV.The Third Mate ought to assist the Master on Bridge
XVI. The officer in charge at the moment must send out an “Urgency signal”
on all the communications systems to let ships in the vicinity know about
the situation
XVII. Keep the lifebuoy (MOB marker) insight
 XVIII. The rescue boat should be manned adequately with enough personnel
to carry out the rescue operation
XIX. A portable handheld VHF must be carried by the officer in the rescue
boat
XX.Once the person is rescued, the rescue boat must be picked up upon arrival
close to the ship along with the lifebuoy and hoisted back
XXI. Immediate first aid should be administered if required
XXII. An ‘Urgency Signal’ must be sent out to cancel the last transmitted
MOB alert
XXIII. Appropriate entries must be made in the Ship’s Logbook
XXIV. The Master must carry out an enquiry with respect to the MOB
incident and all entries made in the Ship’s Logbook

 Abandon Ship Alarm

Action to be taken by the crew once Abandon ship is announced or sounded:
I. Carry your life jacket/ immersion suit to the designated muster station
II. Carry any additional items (Blanket/ ration/ water etc.) as stated under the
duty in the muster list
III. Avoid taking longer route and routes going from inside the accommodation
to the muster station
IV. Wait for the master’s order for abandon ship
 Navigational Alarm
Action to be taken by the crew once the navigational alarm is sounded:
I. Check which equipment the alarm is concerning to
II. Try to locate the fault due to which the alarm is coming
III. Rectify the fault or switch the standby equipment if needed

 Machinery Space Alarm

Action to be taken by the crew once the engine room alarm is sounded:
I. Check which machinery/system the alarm is concerning to
II. Try to locate the fault due to which the alarm is coming
III. Rectify the fault or switch the standby machinery if needed

 Machinery Space CO2 Alarm

Action to be taken by the crew once the navigational alarm is sounded:
I. Take a head count of the crew
II. Ensure the cargo hold is sealed and no crew is inside
III. Ensure all the ventilation system for cargo hold are shut

 Cargo Space CO2 Alarm

I. Make contact with the vessel about the alert signal to make sure the alert is
legitimate and not a faulty alert
II. Once the alert is confirmed legitimate, the administration should alert the
situation to the nearest coastal authority and security agency.
III. If the alert is generated due to fault in the SSAS equipment, ensure to
inform the same to coastal and security authorities.

2. How important are the trainings and drills on each crew member?
 Drills in varied conditions are used to help crew members prepare for a variety of

scenarios. It is the responsibility of every member of the crew to get familiar with the

location of the emergency muster station as soon as they join the ship. The purpose of any

type of training aboard a ship is to educate the crew with the various procedures that must be

followed in the event of an emergency. If something happens abruptly and has a crucial or

harmful nature, we call it an emergency. One of the most important aspects of dealing with an

emergency situation, besides from a sharp brain and the capacity to control respectful

anxiety, is the availability of a solid action plan. This is a universal rule that applies in any

situation, whether on a ship in the middle of the ocean or in a crowded metropolis surrounded

by people and equipment. Training with drills in different situations helps to prepare crew

members for all types of situations. It is the duty of every ship personnel to get himself

acquainted with the location of the emergency muster station upon joining the ship.

3. How many escape routes and alarm systems are there on ships with 30gt and above?

Escape route signing system

The objective of the escape route signing system is to ensure that a sign or a series of

signs is provided and placed so that a person is directed along the escape route from any

space within a ship or a marine installation towards an assembly station or embarkation

station. The signing system should be designed based on the means of escape plan, assembly

station plan, and lifesaving plan. It should provide simple information that will make it easy

to identify the means of escape provisions, allow people to escape with minimum assistance

and avoid possible points of confusion.

 Exit signs should be installed in every exit doors and hatches from machinery spaces,

service spaces and accommodation areas that lead to escape routes. To aid with the

orientation within the ship deck identification signs should be conspicuously installed at stair

landings and lift lobbies and reproduce the deck numbering used in the safety plans.

All embarkation stations should be sequentially numbered from fore to aft using odd

numbers on the starboard side and even numbers at the port side:
 Following the same logic, all assembly stations should be sequentially lettered from

fore to aft initiating the sequence with the letter "A” from starboard side to port side:
 The escape route throughout the vessel should be identified with assembly station

signs. This should be placed in areas such as stairways, corridors, entrance halls, and on

outside decks nearby doors with access to the assembly stations or to the egress route to the

assembly stations. In cases of vessels with multiple assembly stations, assembly stations signs

with the respective identification letter supplementary signs must be used at the deck level of

an assembly station:

In passenger ships the assembly station signs should be installed in evacuation routes

through enclosed stairways which will provide fire shelter to evacuees from the level where

they start to evacuate all the way to the assembly station.

Whenever the assembly stations are in a different location of the embarkation stations,

the signing system should include egress route identification signs marking unambiguously

the evacuation route from the assembly stations to the embarkation stations. This should be

done with the adequate survival craft directional signs. For example using the signs in the

example below for lifeboats, davit-launched life-rafts and evacuation slides supplemented

with directional arrows:

Location and installation height of escape route signs

Escape route signs take priority over any other signs. These should be installed at

consistent intervals of up to 15m in order to make it easier for evacuees to predict the location

of the next evacuation sign.

Escape route signs should be installed at the center line over the doors at a height

between 2.0m and 2.5m from the deck to the base of the sign in order to assure visibility from

any foot traffic area. The escape route signs that are to be installed on bulkheads should be

installed between 1.5m and 2.0m. As far as it is possible installation heights should be kept

throughout the escape route.

 On passenger vessels if the escape routes to the assembly stations and embarkation

stations are not accessible to mobility impaired people then the alternative escape route for

mobility impaired people should be marked unambiguously and supplemented with the

international symbol for accessibility in compliance with ISO 7001.

Fire-fighting equipment and live-saving appliances signing system

Fire-fighting equipment and lifesaving appliances should also be marked

unambiguously using the respective signs as specified by ISO 24409. The standard doesn’t

gives a specific installation height for these category of signs stating instead that the signs

should be fitted at or near the equipment at a height which is suitable for the location of the

equipment. See below one example of installation heights for each of these sign categories: