DUTIES OF OFFICE DURING EMERGENCY ON BOARD

-
Element 8 of ISM code deals with the emergency preparedness. Element 8.1 says that company should establish procedure to identify, describe and respond to potential emergency ship board situation. So it is the responsibility of office to identify possible ship board emergency situation specific to the type of ship and accordingly contingency plans to be made.
       The office should be prepared at all times to efficiently handle an emergency situation which might occur on any of the company's vessel. The contingency plan made by the company for specific type of ship should contain:-
  1. Procedures to be followed in response to different types of emergency situation.
  2. Procedure for establishing and maintaining contact between ship and shore.
  3. Checklist appropriate to the type of emergency, so that no step in emergency response procedure is omitted.
  4. List of all names and contact details of pertinent organizations.
  5. Compilation and duties of the persons acting within the contingency plan.
Element 8.2 says company has to establish programs for drills and exercises to prepare for emergency actions. Most important responsibility of the office is listed in element 8.3, which says that contingency plan should provide for measures ensuring that the company's shore side organization should respond at any time to hazards, accidents and emergency situation involving its ships.

DUTIES OF OFFICE IN:-
1) Formation of emergency team:- 
              Office forms the emergency teams on board a ship, which will be given in its SMS manual. Whole ship's personnel will be divided into different teams like command team, emergency team, support team, boat preparation team etc. The duties of each personnel will be clearly defined in different types of emergencies.
    Similarly emergency team will also be formed in office which shall as soon as possible assist the master to initiate, engage, command and co-ordinate the appropriate action as the situation may require. The contingency team consists of the following person:- 1) Leader of team 2) Technical 3) Operation 4) manning 5) Insurance 6) Legal 7) Administration
  The Company has to set up above mentioned persons such that everybody is prepared and know their duties in case an emergency is called. The company has to lay down a policy in which the contingency team shall be ready at any time.

2) During emergency situation:-
     Whenever there is an emergency situation, the vessel calls the company and the one who gets the message first is responsible for contacting the head of technical and marine division. Then the members of emergency  teams are informed. Now depending on the type of emergency the mobilization of teams will take place in the office. If the emergency is pollution or collision or loss of lives, then red mobilization takes place in the office and all the reams have to assemble in the office. But if the emergency is not of that serious then all teams are not required. responsibilities of company will be:-
  1. Office should know the development of the situation and master may seek advice from the emergency team and discuss further action to be taken.
  2. During action each member of the team shall evaluate the condition under his responsibility.
  3. the team leader shall be kept fully informed about any action suggested or executed by the member of the team.
  4. Also during action the person in charge and his assistant is appointed for the following job:-
  • Keep the emergency room equipped and in good order.
  • keep the relevant charts available.
  • Keep track of members.
  • Receive the alarm report/ mobilize the team.
  • call the technical superintendent's and fleet manager
  • Notify the owner, charterer, cargo owner, class and flag state.
  • Hire of salvage
  • call press conference and inform media.
The office has to evaluate and make the action plan which are based on a worst case scenario. The action plan will be updated continuously as soon as new information is received. Also the office shall not diminish the  Master's over riding authorities.

3) Maintaining contact between ship and office:-
     the contact between ship and office is to be maintained throughout the action so that the advice is given to the master or person - in - charge on board, what is to be done and what may be further action. Also the company knows the latest development and can plan accordingly. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CRITICAL EQUIPMENT AND OPERATION UNDER ISM CODE.

-
Critical equipments are equipments whose failure will lead to a potential hazardous situation or an accident, thereby causing injury to personnel or loss of life or damage to marine environment or property. This causes deviation or failure of the ISM objective 1.2.2 of ISM code. PROVISION IN ISM :- Element 10.3 of ISM code states----      The company should establish procedures in its safety management system to identify equipment and technical system, the sudden operational failure of which may result in hazardous situation. The SMS should provide for specific measures aimed at promoting the reliability of such equipment or systems. These measures should include the regular testing of standby arrangement or equipment or technical systems that are not in continuous use.      Hence SMS must have with respect to the critical equipment have procedures:- 1) To identify them 2) To ensure their test and functional reliability 3) To establish and use the alternative arrangements on
Read more

Various codes of PSC inspection and how to present to PSCO in case IOPP equipment is not working

-
Following are the various codes which are used to represent Action to be taken by vessel against the deficiency reported:- Deficiency Action Codes 10 deficiency rectified 15 rectify deficiency at next port 16 rectify deficiency within 14 days 17 rectify deficiency before departure 18 rectify deficiency within 3 months  30 detainable deficiency 99 other (specify) Note: For ISM deficiencies, only code 10, 18 and 30 can be used. Restrictions on Updating Codes Both codes 15 and 16 can only be updated to code 10. Code 17 can only be updated to code 10, 15, 16 and 99. Code 18 can only be updated to code 10. Code 30 can only be updated to: - code 10 or 18 (ISM def.) - code 10 or 99 (non - ISM def.) Code 18 can only be updated to code 10. We will discuss one case where 15 ppm equipment has started malfunctioning just before the arrival of the port. After investigating it was found that the  coalescer filter has become very dirty and because of this th
Read more

CLEAR GROUND FOR DETAILED INSPECTION DURING PSC INSPECTION

-
CLEAR GROUNDS:- Evidence that the ship, its equipment or its crew does not correspond substantially with requirement of relevant convention or that the master or crew members are not familiar with essential shipboard procedures relating to the safety of ship or prevention of pollution.     Clear grounds to conduct a more detailed inspection include:- 1) The absence of principal equipment or arrangements required by convention :- e.g. MARPOL annex 1 requires that ship above 400 GRT and above must have an OWS with automatically stopping device, if effluent exceeds 15 ppm. Absence of this principal equipment will lead to detention. 2) Evidence from a review of the ship's certificate that it is clearly invalid: - e.g. Safety equipment certificate found invalid since no renewal survey was carried out. 3) Evidence that the ship's logs, manuals or other required documentation are not on board, are not maintained or falsely maintained:- e.g. ORB part 1 not present on board or in
Read more