Abandonment of ship and survival craft boarding
What this domain tests
Abandonment is a controlled evacuation, not a race. The exam asks who gives the order, what you take, how you leave the ship and how you board the craft without injuring yourself or others.
Rules
- Only the master, or the senior surviving officer, can order abandon ship. The order is verbal and repeated over the PA; the general alarm is not the order.
- Before leaving: warm clothes, long sleeves, head covered, sturdy shoes, lifejacket, immersion suit if carried. Take nothing else; leave personal belongings.
- Leave by the marked route to your station, report for the headcount, and stay with your group.
- Board from the deck whenever possible. If you must enter the water, jump feet first, look forward, one hand on the lifejacket, legs together, then swim clear and get into the craft.
- Never jump onto a liferaft canopy and never jump into a lifeboat.
- Once away, clear the ship's side, stay together, stream the sea anchor if in a raft, and keep a lookout.
Worked example
The master orders abandon ship and your raft is inflating alongside in a rough sea. The safest route is the embarkation ladder: you climb down, step into the raft and sit low. Only if the raft drifts away do you jump feet first into the water, keeping the lifejacket pinned, and swim to it.
Traps
- Jumping overboard before the order, or jumping onto the raft.
- Going back for bags or documents.
- Leaving without the headcount or the assigned radio.
- Standing between the ship's side and the raft.