Shipboard Emergency Procedures and Contingency Planning
This domain tests how a tanker prepares for fire, spill, collision, grounding, gas release and medical emergencies. The exam looks for the sequence of alarm, muster, isolation, communication and accounting for people.
Contingency planning
The muster list assigns duties and alarms. Drills must be realistic and recorded. The ISM Code requires emergency preparedness, and MARPOL requires a Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan. A Vessel Response Plan may also apply in some national waters. Emergency shutdown systems, fire pumps, foam systems, breathing apparatus and spill equipment must be ready.
Immediate priorities
Sound the alarm, stop cargo or transfer operations, isolate the source, muster and headcount, notify the terminal and authorities, and control ignition sources. Boundary cooling protects adjacent tanks. Fixed foam is used for oil fires; gas fires need dry powder or appropriate foam. Never enter a space to fight a fire without breathing apparatus and a backup team.
Worked example
A cargo hose ruptures during loading. The correct sequence is: stop cargo, close the manifold valve, sound the alarm, notify the terminal, muster and headcount, deploy spill containment, monitor gas, and eliminate ignition sources. Reasoning: isolating the source first limits the release; notification brings shore resources; gas monitoring decides whether evacuation is needed.
Traps that cost marks
Forgetting to account for all personnel; applying water directly to a gas fire; failing to notify the terminal; assuming the emergency plan is only a document; ignoring cargo isolation before spill response.