NIMASA STCW PSSR key terms

Any craft carried aboard a vessel to help survivors after abandoning ship, including lifeboats, liferafts and rescue boats, built and equipped to keep occupants alive until rescue arrives.

A rigid or partly rigid craft carried specifically for abandoning ship, strong enough to be launched fully loaded and to keep its occupants alive at sea for a defined period.

A fast, manoeuvrable craft designed to rescue persons in distress and to marshal survival craft, rather than primarily to carry the ship's own crew away from the vessel.

A packed craft that inflates from a gas cylinder when the painter is pulled or the release is operated, providing buoyancy and shelter for survivors who board it from the water or a launching point.

A shipboard crane arm that supports and lowers a survival craft or rescue boat from its stowed position to the water, usually pivoting or travelling along a track.

The wire ropes running from the davit or winch to the craft's lifting hooks, which carry the craft's weight during lowering and recovery and must be inspected and renewed on schedule.

A mechanism that lets the lifting hooks be released while the craft still hangs on the falls, used to clear the ship quickly; it must be designed to prevent accidental release until deliberately operated.

A hook arrangement that can only be released when the craft's weight is fully taken by the water or a cradle, so the falls carry no load at the moment of release.

A safety device that blocks the on-load release handle until the craft is waterborne, preventing the hooks from opening while the boat is still suspended above the sea.

The friction brake on a lifeboat or rescue boat winch that holds the craft's weight and controls the lowering speed; it must be tested and adjusted to a specified load.

A line attached to the bow of a liferaft that is secured to the ship or a strong point; pulling it triggers inflation and keeps the raft tethered until boarding is complete.

A deliberately weak connection in the liferaft painter system that breaks under the load of a sinking ship, freeing the raft to float up while the painter remains attached to it.

A device that automatically frees a liferaft from its cradle at a set depth of immersion, allowing the raft to float to the surface even if nobody can release it manually.

The deck area from which persons board survival craft, kept clear of obstructions and provided with safe access, lighting and instructions for boarding.

A designated assembly point where crew and passengers report on hearing the general emergency alarm, are checked off and receive instructions before proceeding to survival craft.

The posted schedule assigning each person aboard a station and specific duties during emergencies, including preparation of survival craft, fire teams and bridge support.

The order to leave the vessel when it can no longer be saved, given only by the master or a designated officer, after which the crew proceed to survival craft with essential equipment.

The complete arrangement of davits, winches, falls and controls used to move a survival craft from stowed position to the water and, where required, to recover it.

The rate at which a survival craft descends on its falls, controlled by the winch brake or centrifugal brake so that it reaches the water without violent impact.

Launching a survival craft in rough seas, using techniques such as a sea anchor, oil or careful timing to keep the craft from being thrown against the ship's side.

A drogue streamed from a survival craft to hold its head to wind and sea, reducing drift, spray and the risk of capsizing in heavy weather.

The skills of manoeuvring, trimming and controlling a survival craft at sea, including use of the tiller, oars or engine, weight distribution and keeping the craft head to the sea.

A highly manoeuvrable rescue boat capable of rapid launch and recovery, used to recover persons from the water and to tow or marshal liferafts in an emergency.

The trained person in charge of a rescue boat, responsible for its safe launch, handling, recovery and the safety of the crew and any persons taken aboard.

An emergency in which a person falls into the sea, requiring immediate alarm, helm and lookout action, and rapid launch of a rescue boat or other recovery means.

The procedure for bringing survivors from the water or from a survival craft safely back aboard ship, using hoists, ladders, nets or a rescue boat as conditions allow.

A protective garment that reduces body heat loss for a person in cold water, designed to be donned quickly and to allow the wearer to climb into a survival craft.

A bag or suit of low-conductivity material used to wrap survivors, especially in a survival craft, to reduce heat loss when full immersion suits are not available.

A medical condition in which the body's core temperature falls below normal, causing shivering, confusion and loss of consciousness, and requiring gradual rewarming and careful handling of the casualty.

The sudden gasp, rapid breathing and heart strain caused by plunging into cold water, which can lead to drowning within the first minute and must be managed by controlled breathing.

The continued fall of a casualty's core temperature after rescue, caused by cold blood returning from the limbs, which is why survivors must be handled gently and rewarmed gradually.

Heat Escape Lessening Posture: a technique in which a person in the water draws the knees up and holds the arms tight to the chest to slow heat loss until rescue.

A survival technique in which several persons in the water press close together with arms linked, reducing heat loss and making the group easier to spot.

Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon: a float-free device that transmits a distress alert with the vessel's identity and position to satellite systems when activated in an emergency.

Search and Rescue Transponder: a portable radar transponder carried in survival craft that responds to a searching radar with a distinctive line of dots, guiding rescuers to the craft.

The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System: the international framework of radio equipment, frequencies and procedures used for distress, urgency and safety communication at sea.

A priority transmission indicating that a vessel or person is in grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance, sent by DSC, voice or satellite equipment.

The international radiotelephony distress, safety and calling frequency, monitored by ships and coast stations and used to initiate distress communication before moving to a working channel.

Rocket parachute flares, hand flares and smoke signals carried in survival craft to attract attention; they must be in date, handled carefully and fired only when there is a chance of being seen.