GMA OOW Deck study guide
GMA OOW Deck · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Ghana Maritime Authority Officer of the Watch (Deck) Certificate of Competency is the national credential that lets a deck officer stand a navigational watch on Ghana-flagged vessels and, through STCW recognition arrangements, on many foreign-flagged ships. It is aimed at cadets and ratings who have completed approved sea service and an approved education and training programme and are moving into their first officer role. The GMA OOW Deck study guide has 9 sections and about 4,113 words.
01Navigation
Navigation on the GMA OOW deck paper tests whether you can plan and monitor a passage, fix the ship's position with confidence, and apply the Collision Regulations as a decision-making framework rather than a list of rules. IMO Resolution A.893(21) sets four stages: appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring.
477 words, about 2 min02Meteorology
Meteorology on the OOW deck paper tests your ability to read synoptic charts and forecasts, recognise frontal weather, and make a safe avoidance decision for a tropical revolving storm (TRS). Wind flows from high to low pressure and is deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern.
502 words, about 3 min03Ship Construction and Stability
Ship construction and stability questions test your grasp of transverse stability, free surface effect, load distribution and hull stresses, and your ability to calculate a simple GM from a load condition. The metacentric height is GM = KM − KG.
453 words, about 2 min04Cargo Handling and Stowage
Cargo handling and stowage tests safe segregation, securing, cargo care and the documentation that proves the stow is compliant. The emphasis is on the IMDG Code, the CSS Code and the Grain Code.
446 words, about 2 min05Ship Operation and Personnel Management
Ship operation and personnel management tests STCW rest hours, watchkeeping practice, fatigue management, the ISM Code and the way a deck officer manages a crew and prepares for port state control. STCW requires at least 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any 7-day period.
453 words, about 2 min06Marine Engineering (Deck Officer Level)
Marine engineering at deck officer level tests the bridge–engine relationship: telegraph orders, steering gear checks, bunkering procedures and pollution-prevention equipment. You are not expected to overhaul machinery, but you must know the checks that protect the ship.
439 words, about 2 min07Maritime Law and International Conventions
Maritime law questions test the framework of UNCLOS, SOLAS, MARPOL, MLC, STCW and the liability regimes. You need the zones, the certificate structure and the discharge or liability rules that affect daily decisions.
461 words, about 2 min08Shipboard Safety and Emergency Procedures
Shipboard safety and emergency procedures test your ability to run drills, fight fires, abandon ship and enter enclosed spaces without turning an emergency into a second casualty. The fire triangle is fuel, oxygen and heat; the fire tetrahedron adds the chemical chain reaction.
434 words, about 2 min09Marine Communications (GMDSS)
GMDSS questions test sea areas, distress procedures, equipment frequencies and false-alert handling. The examiner wants to see that you can send the right alert on the right equipment and follow up on the right voice channel.
448 words, about 2 min