Anchoring

Factors to bear in mind while determining

Safe Anchorage / Anchor Planning:
1. Position of anchoring defined.
2. Depth of water and amount of cable.
3. State of tide HW/LW, rise of tide.
4. Type of holding ground.
5. Prevailing weather and shelter.
6. Underwater obstructions.
7. Rate of current.
8. Swinging room from surface objects.
9. Length of time vessel intend to stay.
10. Ship’s draft and UKC.
11. Use of 1 or 2 anchors.
12. Proximity of other shipping.
13. Local hazards outfalls etc.
14. Current weather and expected.
15. Position fixing method.
16. Distance from shore by launch.
17. Types of anchors and holding power.
18. Wind direction.
19. Speed of approach.
20. Night or day signals.

Vessel Brought Up during Anchoring:

Brought Up During
Anchoring

 A vessel is said to be brought up when her way has stopped and she
is riding to her anchor, with the anchor holding.
  The terms ‘come to’ and ‘got her cable’ are sometimes used to mean
the same thing.
 The officer in charge of an anchor party will know when the vessel is
brought up, by the cable rising up from the surface towards the
hawse pipe when the brake is holding it.
 The vessel should then move towards the anchor, causing the cable
to drop back and make a catenary.

Procedure & Precautions for

Anchoring in over 20m Water:
 In water of over 20m the anchor should first be walked back to within
say 4 or 5 m from the sea- bed, and let go from there.
 This ensures that the anchor will not damage itself falling a
considerable distance on to a hard bottom, and also that the cable
will not take charge and run out so rapidly that it becomes extremely
difficult to hold it on the brake.
 This practice therefore considerably lengthens the life of the brake
linings.

Precautions for anchoring in deep

waters (over 100m):
 In a very deep anchoring depths, 100m and over, the entire operation
of anchoring should be done under power.
 The gypsy should not be taken out of gear at all, because the heavy
weight of cable between sea-bed and hawse pipe will undoubtedly
take charge.
 In a wind it is better to approach the anchorage heading upwind.
 The ship is more easily controlled and will make little leeway.
 If the wind cannot be brought ahead, however, the ship can let go the
anchor in the usual way and using her engines to relieve stresses on
the cable, swing head to wind as she brings to.
  The weather anchor should be used so as to avoid nipping the cable
round the stem.
 If the vessel is heading dead into the wind’s eye she should have her
head cast off one way or the other before letting to the weather
anchor.
 The cast should not be excessive, because the ship will rapidly seek
to lie across the wind and develop a sharp swing to leeward.
 Correcting helm and bold use of engines should be used if the case
develops into a swing.

The Ultimate Actionable Guide of

Anchoring a Ship
Written by Capt Rajeev Jassal on February 13, 2016

Anchoring is as frequent operation on board as loading and

unloading a cargo.

But in spite of being a frequent operation, the number of

incidents related to anchoring never seem to reduce.
That is when many minor incidents never come to light to a
wider audience.

The truth is that even after being a routine operation,

effective way of anchoring is not a child’s play.

Sure one can just somehow arrive at anchoring position and

open the brake to anchor a ship. I am sure you would agree
that it is not an effective way of anchoring. Don’t you think
so?

In this post, let us discuss a practical way of anchoring.

But before we do that, we need to discuss two things. First

how an anchor holds the ship. And second what guarantees
more holding power of anchor.

1. How an anchor holds the ship

When an anchor is dropped, The crown of the anchor is the

first to hit the sea bottom. As the ship moves back, the
flukes take its position and embed itself into the seabed.

It does not matter from what height the anchor is dropped,

the crown will alway hit the bottom first. The flukes will only
dig into the seabed once the ship moves aft and flukes are
facing downwards into the sea bottom.
As the ship moves back, the fluke takes its position and
embed itself into the seabed.

The opposite happens when we pick up the anchor. When the

chain is all picked up, the flukes face upwards and gets
uprooted from the bottom.
2. Holding Power of anchors

All other factors being common, there are three things that

affect holding power of anchors. First is the construction of
anchor, second nature of seabed and third the scope of the
cable.

Holding power due to anchor construction

A ship’s Equipment number decides the weight of the anchor
and length of the chain.
 The fluke area determines the holding power of the
anchor.  International Association of Classification Societies
(IACS) governs the rules for anchors.
IACS enlist three types of anchors.

 Normal holding power anchors,

 high holding power anchors

 Super high holding power anchors.

Because of the high and super high holding powers, these

anchors can have a lesser weight than the normal anchors.
This is because the high holding design (Larger fluke area)
compensate for the loss of holding power due to lesser
weight.

This is because the high holding design (Larger fluke area)

compensate for the loss of holding power due to lesser
weight.
 

 
Even though anchor weight has nothing to do with holding
power per se, it contributes to some extent in holding a ship
in its position.

More weight of the anchor would need more force to push

the ship from its position. For this reason, anchor weight is
more often used as a function of holding power.

Holding power due to nature of Seabed

Another factor that affects the holding power of the anchors
is nature of seabed.
Sand is considered to be the strongest holding ground. Soft
mud is the least holding ground. This is because of obvious
reasons.

Anchor embedded into soft mud would leave the bottom

easily compared to the more harder surface like
sand. Mariners must consider nature of seabed to determine
the possibility of dragging of the anchor.

Holding power due to scope of the anchor cable

The correct scope is essential for safe anchoring and better
holding of the anchor. The scope is the ratio of the depth of
the water to the length of the cable deployed.
More the scope, better an anchor will hold the ship. The idea
of having more scope is that the angle of chain with respect
to sea bottom should be minimum.

More the angle, lesser the holding power. OCIMF has

published a graphical relation between this angle and holding
power of anchor.
As a thumb rule, Scope of 6 is advisable for anchoring. That
is when anchoring into a depth of 20 meters, we should pay
at least 120 meters of cable. When anchoring in areas of
strong wind or current, we should have a scope of more than
6, up to 10 sometimes.

There are two situations where the scope of 6 or more may

not be always possible.
 In congested anchorages like in Singapore and

 in deep water anchorages like Fujairah.

In congested anchorages, this is due to insufficient sea room

and In deep water anchorage due to insufficient cable length.
In calm weather, the lesser scope in these areas should not
be a problem.

But if you expect wind force to increase, increased possibility

of anchor dragging should be part of the risk assessment.

Now that we have discussed few of aspects of anchoring,

Let’sLets anchor a ship.
 3. Preparing for Anchoring

Preparing the vessel for anchoring can start days before

arrival. This is when a Master checks the charts for marked
anchorage areas days before arrival.

Anchorage area for the vessel could also be suggested in the

agent’s pre-arrival message.   In any case, the Anchorage
area must be physically checked in the chart to ensure that

 it is designated for the type of ship,

 the depths complies with the UKC requirement of the

company

 depths are less than the maximum depth ship can

anchor

 is clear of any cables, pipeline, wrecks or other

obstructions. and

 the nature of seabed is appropriate for anchoring

When checking the charts for underwater

obstructions, attention should be paid to the chart symbol
‘#’.

This symbol means there is a foul ground and shall be

avoided for anchoring. I am particularly mentioning this chart
symbol because you may not miss a wreck but it is easier to
miss this.

It is important to be aware of the ship’s windlass lifting

capacity. In any case, most of the ship’s windlass are able to
lift the weight of the anchor and about 3 shackles.

Vessels could easily anchor in depths of about 80 meters. If

anchoring in depths more than that, you might need to first
check the windlass capacity for the particular ship.

4. Anchor stations

Anchor stations should be ready forward well in advance. The

anchor party should make the inspection of the anchor
windlass.
 They should also ensure that the drive (Hydraulic power
packs or electric power) is running. The lashing of both the
anchors should be removed even if it is pre-decided about
which anchor will be used.

It is a good practice to brief anchor party well in advance of

some information about anchoring such as

 the depth of water at the anchoring position

 Which anchor to use

 Anchoring method (Let go or walk back)

 the number of shackles the vessel will be brought up to.

5. Approaching the anchorage position

The most critical factor while approaching anchoring position

is the speed of the vessel. Engines must be ready and tested
well in advance and the speed of the vessel should be under
control.

If Master feels the ship’s speed is much more than what it

should be, he should exercise zig-zag maneuver to reduce
the speed.
Zig-zag maneuver (also called rudder cycling) is the most
effective way to reduce the ship’s speed over a shorter
distance. While doing rudder cycling,

While doing rudder cycling, the master must give due

consideration to the nearby ships and not run over other
ships in the vicinity.

Apart from speed, the direction from which to approach the

anchoring position is important. The best approach heading
is of heading into the wind and tide. The heading of similar
sized anchored vessels can give

The best approach heading is of heading into the wind and

tide. The heading of similar sized anchored vessels can give
a quite accurate sense of the approach heading. If the traffic
density, water

If the traffic density, water depth, and sea room permits, it is

better to bring the vessel to this heading at least 1 mile from
the anchoring position.
Once on this heading, engine movements should ensure that
vessel’s speed is less than 2 knots about half a mile from the
anchoring position.

These are just referencing but useful figures. You should

consider vessel’s maneuvering characteristics, such as
stopping distances to amend these figures. Once the vessel
is around

Once the vessel is around half a mile from the anchoring

position, we can give stern movement. This is to ensure that
vessel is completely stopped at the anchoring position and
there is no headway in the forward direction.
During Stern movement, the vessel would cant to starboard
side (for right hand fixed pitch propellers).

If we are using the port anchor, this is good as this would

ensure the cable is clear of the vessel and will not lead
across the bow.

But if starboard anchor is used, there is a chance of anchor

chain going under the bow or crossing the bow. In this case,
before we give stern movement, vessel’s rudder is put to
hard port to get some port swing.

The stern movement would check the port swing and the
cable going under the bow can be avoided.

Make sure to bring the rudder to midship during Stern

movement. Apart from lateral swing, stern movement of the
vessel itself ensures that the cable is clear of vessel’s hull.

However, in all cases, we must ensure that movement of the

vessel does not put excessive strain on the windlass. We will
discuss this in the next section.

6. Anchoring Methods

As we know, there are two ways an anchor can be dropped

to the seabed.
 By letting go

 by walking back.

Each of these ways has its advantages. And in most of the

cases, it is up to the discretion of master how he wants to
anchor.

But there are certain conditions in which there are no options

but to choose a particular method.

Letting go an anchor
Would you agree that anchoring by letting go is easier of the
two methods? It is the most used method of anchoring too.

In this method, we open the windlass brake to let the anchor

go under gravity.

Before opening the brake, we must consider the height from

which we plan to drop the anchor.

If we don’t, we may damage the anchor. Depending upon the

height, the damage may not be visible in the same operation
but will be visible in the longer run.

There is another obvious risk of dropping the anchor from a

height. The anchor under its weight will continue to gain
momentum until it touches bottom. This momentum will
increase
The anchor under its weight will continue to gain momentum
until it touches bottom. This momentum will increase

More the height, more momentum the anchor will gain. This

momentum may increase to a point where windlass break
would not be able to hold it.

The anchor’s momentum will only stop when the anchor

along with entire chain is in the bottom after it has been
uprooted from the bitter end.

Watch this.

What is the referencing height then?

As a thumb rule, you should never allow the anchor to drop

from a height of 20 meters. That is, one must lower anchor
to a level when the distance between the bottom and the
anchor is not more than 20 meters.

But that is a maximum figure. One must lower the

anchor to as close to the bottom as possible before it is let
go.

But if you aim for lowering the anchor to say one meter
above the seabed, you may end up touching the anchor to
seabed while the ship still has some speed.
 That is not good.

So here is another rule of thumb. We should aim for lowering

the anchor to around half shackle from the bottom before we
let go.

To summarize, here is how we should anchor the ship by

letting go

 Approach the anchor position heading into wind and tide

with speed around 2 knots at 0.5NM from the position.

 Lower the anchor with gear to around half shackle off

the bottom and then hold the anchor on brake

 Give Stern movement to stop the vessel over the

ground once the vessel is in the anchoring position. if using
starboard anchor, check the starboard swing (for Right hand
fixed pitch propellers)  because of Stern movement.

 When in position, drop the anchor by opening the brake

 maintain around 0.5 knots stern speed to allow the

cable not to pile up.

 Hold the break once required cable length is paid out.

Anchoring by walking back

Walking back means lowering the anchor with gear.

The principle difference between walk back and let go

methods is that in the walk back we lower the anchor under
power.

The advantage of this method is that cable would not run on

its own. So there is no risk of damaging the anchor or
windlass by dropping from a height.

But there is another risk involved with this method. I earlier

said that in the “let go” method we should maintain around
0.5 knots astern speed while we are paying the anchor chain.

But even if we exceed this speed to 1.0 knots, only the

anchor will pay off. There will not be any load on the
windlass. Even when the brake is on, and the chain stresses,
windlass brake will be the first thing to render.

But that is not the case with walk back method. In walk back
method, since we are lowering the anchor with windlass in
gear, excessive speed would surely damage the windlass.

We must not exceed the stern speed to more than the design

speed of the windlass.

Typically the design speed of windlass is 9 meters/minute.

That is 540 meters/hour (0.3 knots). So we must not exceed
the stern speed to more than 0.3 knots while walking back
the anchor.

7. Anchor brought up

Once we have lowered the required anchor length, and we

have disengaged the gear (in the case of the walk back), we
then wait for the anchor to be brought up.

The anchor is brought up when it leads to the long stay and

then gradually comes back to short to medium stay.

Once brought up, there is an important thing that we need to

do. Put the bar (Bow stopper) on and rest the anchor chain
on it.

This is because the load generated by the vessel’s movement

during its stay at anchor should be borne by the bow stopper
which has higher capacity than the windlass system.

There is a disadvantage though. In heavy weather, there are

chances that stopper may jam or deform. In this case, if for
some reason vessel needs to let go the cable in the
emergency, it would be difficult.

The only solution to it is that the Master must get underway

before putting any component of anchoring at the risk of
damage. Most of the companies have instructions to the
masters to leave the anchorage if wind force is more than
force 6. There have been

Most of the companies have instructions to the masters to

leave the anchorage if wind force is more than force 6. There
have been

There have been incidents of total constructive loss due to

master’s decision to stay at Anchorage in spite of adverse
weather warnings.

Bridge Watchkeeping Emergencies

on a Ship
Actions to be taken while on Navigational Watch: The
Steering Gear Failure
 If on Auto-Steering, the first action is to change over to Hand
steering.
 The 1st suspect is ‘Telemotor failure’.
 Switch over to other Telemotor ‘System’ (Marked as System 1 / 2).
 It that still does not solve the problem, the next suspect is the
Steering Motor.
 Change from Steering Motor 1 to Steering Motor 2.
 It that still does not solve the problem, next suspect is failure of both
telemotor system.
 Turn the mode selection switch to NFU (non-follow up steering)
 Even if this does not work, it means that all means from steering from
the bridge have failed and the last resort of Emergency steering from
the Steering gear compartment has to be resorted to.
  After each corrective step, the rudder would have to be tried out.
Before doing it, pay heed to traffic around to avoid any Closed
Quarter’ situation.
 If in restricted waters with traffic around, if steering is not restored
immediately,
 Reduce to Minimum Steerage way.
 Inform ships around through safety message and burn NUC
lights or hoist NUC shapes.
 Inform Master and the Engine Room.
 Such efficiency can only be achieved by planned and frequent
training by simulating steering gear failures.
 Details of drills and their periodicity is strictly laid down in ships
training manual.
 Company Superintendents and Surveyors are very particular that
these drills are carried out regularly and recorded correctly as per the
ISM procedures.

Actions to be taken while on Navigational Watch: The

Auto Pilot Alarm Sounds
1. Check compass and rudder angle indicator and compare, if the
compass moves to port the rudder should move to stbd.
2. Check wake of the ship for yawing.
3. Check course recorders heading for a straight line. It does not ring
unless the difference between the course setting and gyro heading is
more than the preset limit.
4. Inform Master.

Actions to be taken while on Navigational Watch:

Seeing a Man on Deck Falling Overboard:
The initial and early sighting of the fallen crew plays a vital role in
increasing the percentage of saving his/her life. The actions for an MOB
mentioned below are extremely urgent and must be taken without any
delay to save the life of the person who has fallen overboard.

1. Shout ‘Man Overboard on Starboard/Port side’.

2. Change over to hand steering from auto and put the wheel hard over
to the respective side (port or starboard).
3. 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.
4. Press the MOB button on the GPS to mark the position of the
casualty for future reference.
5. Sound ‘O’ on the whistle (one prolonged blast). This is to let the
Master and the crew knows about the emergency situation.
Supplement this with the appropriate ‘O’ flag.
6. Post extra lookout as soon as possible.
7. 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 one prolonged blast for MOB, they are alerted
regardless and proceed to muster stations to assist in the recovery of
the person.
8. Thereafter, announce the MOB situation on the ship’s PA system.
9. Inform the engine room of the situation and let them know that
maneuvering will be required.
10. Execute the Williamsons turn (explained later).
11. Keep a keen eye on the RADAR/ARPA and put the VHF on
Channel 16.
12. Maintain a record of all the events in the Bell book.
13. Carry out Master’s orders.
14. The Chief Mate should take-over all decisions based on deck
with regard to lowering survival craft etc.
15. The Third Mate ought to assist the Master on Bridge.
16. 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.
17. Keep the lifebuoy (MOB marker) in sight.
18. The rescue boat should be manned adequately with enough
personnel to carry out the rescue operation.
19. Portable handheld VHF must be carried by the officer in the
rescue boat.
20. 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.
21. Immediate first aid should be administered if required.
22. An ‘Urgency Signal’ must be sent out to cancel the last
transmitted MOB alert.
23. Appropriate entries must be made in the Ship’s Logbook.
24. The Master must carry out an enquiry with respect to the MOB
incident and all entries made in the Ship’s Logbook.
The engines are not stopped immediately to keep the person away from
the propeller. The same is the case for wheel hard over to the side of the
casualty as it is done to keep the stern away from the casualty. Screaming
about the MOB at the instant that the mishap is realized is of paramount
importance to use all manpower available for immediate use. The lifebuoy
also adds to the lifesaving process as the smoke signal leaves a
conspicuous mark by the day or night. It is also important to pick up the
lifebuoy to not confuse any other ships passing by about the status of the
MOB. They must not assume that there is a MOB in the vicinity and
proceed towards helping the person when he has already been rescued.
Entries in the Ship’s Logbook hold great legal importance and should be
made carefully. Always try to succeed in the first attempt as even a little
delay can cause a human life.

The Williamson Turn:

1. Note the position of the ship

2. Put wheel hard over to the side of the casualty
3. After the ship has aletered course by about 60 degrees, put wheel
hard over to the other side
4. When the vessel is 20 degrees short of the reciprocal course, wheel
on midship

The Scharnow Turn:

1. Put the rudder over hard toward the person

2. After deviating from the original course by about 240 degrees, shift
the rudder hard to the opposite side.
3. When heading about 20 degrees short of the reciprocal course, put
the rudder amidships so that vessel turns onto the reciprocal course.

The Anderson Turn:

1. Stop the engines.

2. Put the rudder over toward the person
3. When clear of the person, go all ahead full, still using full rudder.
4. After deviating from the original course by about 240 degrees (about
2/3 of a complete circle), back the engines 2/3 or full.
5. Stop the engines when the target point is 15 degrees off the bow.
Ease the rudder and back the engines as required.
Actions to be taken while on Navigational Watch: On
observing another vessel dragging her anchor onto
you:
1. Sound ‘U’ on the whistle: This will also attract the attention of other
ships, if any, in the vicinity but none of them would know who is
sounding the whistle and for whom the signal is intended. The other
ships would thus be alerted and become witnesses.
2. Inform Master: On hearing the whistle, the Master of the own ship
would rush to the bridge.
3. Call up the other ship by VHF. At this close range, the other ship’s
name wold be clearly visible. Inform him that he is dragging anchor
on to us.
4. In case the OOW on that ship does not respond to VHF calls, flash
‘U’ at him by the Daylight Signaling Lamp. When he responds,
ascertain by VHF, what action he is taking.
5. Inform the engine room: ‘This is an emergency. Get engines ready as
soon as possible and let us know when you are ready. Switch on
power to the windlass’.
6. Call anchor stations urgently.
7. Call for a messenger on the bridge because the quartermaster would
be manning the wheel.
8. Switch on steering motors.
9. Switch on radar/ ARPA.
10. Keep a record of all happenings, and their timings in the Bridge
Notebook.
11. Carry out Master’s orders.

Actions to be taken while on Navigational Watch

when underway: Approaching Rain with reducing
visibility / Sight a fog bank ahead:
1. Inform Master.
2. Inform E/R ‘We are entering fog. Get engines ready for maneuvering
and let us know as soon as ready’.
3. Observe visually and make a note of the movement of all traffic in
sight.
4. Switch on ARPA and commence plotting.
5. Switch on navigation lights.
 6. Change over to hand steering.
7. Switch on the other steering motor also.
8. Post double lookouts – one on the bridge as lookout-cum-messenger
and the other on the forecastle, monkey island or crow’s nest as
appropriate (consult Master regarding the deployment of the second
lookoutman).
9. Try out pneumatic whistle, electric klaxon and manual foghorn by
giving a very short blast on each.
10. Stop all noise on deck so that fog signals of other ships would
not get drowned by noises on board the own ship.
11. Keep open the outer doors of the wheelhouse so that fog
signals of other ships may be heard.
12. Commence sounding fog signals before entering fog.
13. Reduce to ‘Safe speed’ before entering fog.
14. Restrict hold ventilation.
15. Record all happenings in the bridge notebook.

Actions to be taken while on Navigational Watch: In

restricted visibility you pick up a target on your radar:
1. Stop Engine.
2. Take her all way off.
3. Start radar plotting.
4. Compete radar plotting.
5. Find out best course of action.
6. Do not alter course before completing radar plotting as because this
is a scanty radar information.

Actions to be taken while on Navigational Watch:

Own Ship is Dragging Anchor:
1. Inform Master.
2. Inform engine room ‘This is an emergency, get engines ready as
soon as possible and let us know when you are ready. Switch on
power to windlass’.
3. Call anchor stations.
4. Call for a messenger on the bridge because the quartermaster would
be manning the wheel.
 5. Switch on steering motors.
6. Switch on radar/ ARPA.
7. Try out pneumatic whistle and electric klaxon.
8. The VHF would already be on, while at anchor, guarding Channel 16.
9. Keep a record of all happenings, and their timings in the Bridge
Notebook.
10. Carry out Master’s orders.
11. If the Master is ashore, the Chief Officer would automatically
take charge of the situation.
12. In the rate circumstance of both of them being ashore, the
Second officer would have to manage. In such a case, the following
point would be of great importance:
1. The length of cable paid out is only to ensure that the pull on
the anchor shank, while it is on the sea bed, is horizontal. Once
that is assured, paying out more cable would NOT help.
2. Heaving up anchor, manoeuvring the ship, and re-anchoring
should ONLY be a last resort by the Second Officer.
13. Inform harbor control by VHF, ‘My ship is dragging anchor.
Require a pilot immediately to re-anchor’.

Prepare your vessel for encountering heavy weather/

rain at Sea:
1. Inform Master.
2. Inform Chief Officer.
3. Inform Catering Staff.
4. Inform Engine Room.
5. Secure all movable equipment on the bridge.
6. Switch on ARPA and commence plotting.
7. Switch on navigation lights. Later on, clouds may result in partial
darkness; rain and/or spray may result in decrease of visibility.
8. Switch on second steering motor also.
9. Try out pneumatic whistle, electric klaxon and also foghorn.
10. Keep a record of all relevant actions/ events in the Bridge
Notebook.
11. Inspect the chart and ensure that the intended course is safe
bearing in mind the following points:
1. More under keel clearance would be required because of
pitching, rolling and heaving.
 2. The ship would be more difficult to manage in bad weather and
hence it may be necessary to give dangers a wider berth than in
calm weather.
3. Failure of main engine, failure of generators, failure of steering
systems, etc, in bad weather, as some of the possibilities that must
not be overlooked.

Actions to be taken while on Navigational Watch:

During open sea watch you observe the barometer
falling rapidly:
1. Prepare for the onset of stormy weather with strong winds.
2. Inform Master.
3. Inform Chief Officer.
4. Inform Catering Staff.
5. Inform Engine Room.
6. Secure all movable equipment on the bridge.
7. Switch on ARPA and commence plotting.
8. Switch on navigation lights. Later on, clouds may result in partial
darkness; rain and/or spray may result in decrease of visibility.
9. Switch on second steering motor also.
10. Try out pneumatic whistle, electric klaxon and also foghorn.
11. Keep a record of all relevant actions/ events in the Bridge
Notebook.
12. Inspect the chart and ensure that the intended course is safe
bearing in mind the following points:
1. More under keel clearance would be required because of
pitching, rolling and heaving.
2. The ship would be more difficult to manage in bad weather and
hence it may be necessary to give dangers a wider berth than in
calm weather.
3. Failure of main engine, failure of generators, failure of steering
systems, etc, in bad weather, as some of the possibilities that must
not be overlooked.
On a navigational watch at sea, signals likely to see
or receive, if a vessel in vicinity is in distress:
Mentioned below are the Distress Signals which are used by Vessels: Use
of these signals except for the purpose of indicating distress is prohibited:

Distres
s Signals which are used by Vessels
On a Navigational Watch at sea during night, action
will you take if the ‘smoke detector’ indicates a fire in
No.2 hold:
Fire in a cargo hold at Sea:-

1. Sound the Fire Alarm.

2. Shut off the blowers of that hold.
3. Announce on the PAS (Public Address System). ‘Fire in No:2 Hold.’
4. Mark the position quickly, for future reference, by pressing the ‘Man
overboard’ button on the GPS receiver. Such a button is available on
most types of receivers.
5. The Master would come rushing to the bridge after hearing the fire
alarm, possibly before the announcement on the PAS.
6. Inform the Engine room, ‘Fire in no:2 cargo hold. Open water on
deck’. In many ships, the fire pump is started from the bridge.
7. Mark the own ship’s position, by a cross on the chart, for ready
reference by the Master. Clearly write the latitude, longitude, ship’s
time and UTC of the incident.
8. Consult Master whether to change over to hand steering.
9. Keep a record of all events and their timings, in the Bridge Notebook.
10. Entries in the Mate’s Logbook should be made at a
subsequent, convenient time.
11. Carry out Master’s orders.

Actions to fight an Engine Room fire while your

vessel is at sea:
1. Raise the alarm.
2. Inform the master.
3. Reduce the vessels speed & engage manual steering. Display NUC
(NOT UNDER COMMAND) lights, Weather reports, open
communication with other vessels in the vicinity and send urgency
signal.
4. Close all ventilation, fire and watertight doors.
5. Muster all crew- take a head count. Emergency fire p/p running.
6. Isolate all electrical units. Commence boundary cooling.
7. Fight fire by conventional means.
8. Main fire party to be properly equipped. Back up party ready at all
times.
 9. C/O not to enter as he monitors progress and communication with
the bridge. Proper communication between bridge and engine room.
Keep bridge informed accordingly of sequence of events.
10. At all times fire fighters to be well equipped with breathing
apparatus and fireman suit. Checks on apparatus must be carried out
prior to entering space.

Actions in case of Engine Room fire at Port:

1. Raise the alarm.
2. Inform the master
3. Display NUC (NOT UNDER COMMAND) lights, Weather reports,
open communication with Port Authorities.
4. Close all ventilation, fire and watertight doors.
5. Muster all crew- take a head count. Emergency fire p/p running.
6. Isolate all electrical units. Commence boundary cooling.
7. Fight fire by conventional means.
8. Main fire party to be properly equipped. Back up party ready at all
times.
9. C/O not to enter as he monitors progress and communication with
the bridge. Proper communication between bridge and engine room.
Keep bridge informed accordingly of sequence of events.
10. At all times fire fighters to be well equipped with breathing
apparatus and fireman suit. Checks on apparatus must be carried out
prior to entering space.

Procedure to enter Engine Room After Fire:

 After the fire has been assumed to be extinguished and before
removing the carbon di-oxide by exhaust blowers, a re-entry using
breathing apparatus and fireman’s outfit has to be done.
 Re-entry is usually done from the lowest space in the engine room
and probably from the emergency escape.
 Care is to be taken not to allow the carbon dioxide to escape.
 The entering personnel must enter with a fire hose and extinguish
any local spots of fire.
 If confirmed that the fire is out then the exhaust blowers can be run
and the gases removed.
  However fire patrols must be kept for a long period after the fire until
the engine room is manned again.

Five likely causes of a fire emergency on board with

their precautions:
Fire causes and precautions:- It is noted that the maximum number fires on
ships initiates in the ship’s accommodation area due to negligence of the
ship’s staff. A ship accommodation is an area where the crew member’s
cabin is located along with galley, recreational room, meeting room etc.
The best way to avoid incidents of fire on ship is to take preventive
measures than to suffer later.

 Do not smoke cigarette sitting or lying on the bed and also, do not
keep or throw live smoking buds in the dust bins.
 Try not to use essence stick or candles inside the cabins. If they are
used, make sure they are lit up during your own presence and while
your going out of the cabin, are blown off
 Never use hot plate or heater for cooking purpose inside the cabin.
 Never use loose or open wire (without plug or naked wire).
 Always make sure electrical circuit is never overloaded i.e. too many
connection in one socket.
 Never put your clothes near or on room heater or lamps.
 Do not bring oily rags inside your boiler suit pocket into the cabin.
 Never leave iron unattended when ironing clothes in laundry room.
 Always make sure all the electrical circuits in accommodation are in
sound condition to avoid short circuit fire.
 Chief cook should make sure that galley is always attended when hot
plate is on.
 Never leave oil pan unattended in galley.
 Toaster and kettle must never be over heated.
 If any welding or gas cutting operation is carried out inside
accommodation, all the precaution that are necessary, must be
taken.
 In tanker ship, accommodation ventilation suction should be away
from cargo holds as their vapour can enter inside the accommodation
and create a flammable atmosphere.
 All the visitors coming on board when the ship is at port must be
briefed about the fire hazards.
Safe Lookout / Sole Lookout as per STCW:
 Under the STCW Code, the OOW may, be the sole lookout in
daylight provided that on each such occasion:
 The situation has been carefully assessed and it has been
established without doubt that it is safe to operate with a sole lookout.
 Full account has been taken of all relevant factors, including, but not
limited to:
 State of weather.
 Visibility.
 Traffic density.
 Proximity of dangers to navigation.
 The attention necessary when navigating in or near traffic
separation schemes.
 When deemed necessary, assistance is immediately summoned to
the bridge.
 If sole lookout watchkeeping practices are to be followed, clear
guidance on how they should operate will need to be given in the
SMS.

Actions to be taken in case of dragging anchor &

delay in readiness of the engines:
 Inform Master.
 Sound Uniform on ship whistle (two short blast followed by one long
blast; to attract the attention of other vessel and to indicate that “You
are running into danger.)
 Stop all cargo operations and prepare vessel for manoeuvring. Let go
cargo barges and crane barges if they are alongside.
 Inform and alert Vessel traffic system (VTS) and other vessels
nearby about the condition and inform about the actions taken. Seek
permission for re-anchoring.
 Start heaving up the anchor and once the vessel’s maneuverability is
restored, shift the anchorage position where drifting can be safer or
take to the open sea.
 Deploy more cables or drop a second anchor (not recommended for
big vessels) before the speed of dragging of the vessel increases.
  This can stop the small vessel from dragging anchor at very early
stage before the ship is pressed to leeward side with increasing
speed.
 If the scenario permits, let the vessel drag in a controlled manner. But
this is not recommended in areas where offshore work such as oil
and gas operations are being carried out, which can result in
damaging the submerged pipe lines, cables etc.
 Release the bitter end and let go the anchor completely, when
weighing of anchor is not possible. A ship without minimum of 2
anchors is not considered to be sea worthy, a careful assessment is
to be made prior making this decision.
 If Weather permits, call (tugs) for assistance.

Responsibility of the OOW in the following in

circumstances: Action on receiving storm warning
1. Prepare for the onset of stormy weather with strong winds.
2. Inform Master.
3. Inform Chief Officer.
4. Inform Catering Staff.
5. Inform Engine Room.
6. Secure all movable equipment on the bridge.
7. Switch on ARPA and commence plotting.
8. Switch on navigation lights. Later on, clouds may result in partial
darkness; rain and/or spray may result in decrease of visibility.
9. Switch on second steering motor also.
10. Try out pneumatic whistle, electric klaxon and also foghorn.
11. Keep a record of all relevant actions/ events in the Bridge
Notebook.
12. Inspect the chart and ensure that the intended course is safe
bearing in mind the following points:
 More under keel clearance would be required because of
pitching, rolling and heaving.
 The ship would be more difficult to manage in bad weather and
hence it may be necessary to give dangers a wider berth than in
calm weather.
 Failure of main engine, failure of generators, failure of steering
systems, etc., in bad weather, as some of the possibilities that must
not be overlooked.
While keeping bridge watch at sea, Actions to be
taken when following alarms are activated: Gyro
failure
1. Inform the Master
2. Change over to 2nd gyrocompass if available, Otherwise, following
procedure to be followed.
3. Change over to Hand steering for steering with magnetic compass.
4. Apply Compass deviation value to magnetic compass course with the
help Deviation card and observation,
5. Consider effect on other navigational and communication equipment
which have a gyro feed especially Radar/ ARPA and ECDIS and
enter headings manually.
6. Plot positions more frequently to confirm course made good and
accordingly allow correction to course steered. In coastal waters,
make good use of parallel indexing technique to keep vessel on
charted track.
7. Also secure True course run (Course made good) by plotting GPS
position and verify with Heading of Magnetic compass.
8. Reduce speed if considered necessary.

In the meantime, to check Instruction Manual for troubleshooting guide.