Question and Answers

1. Shall be contained in Watertight casing 2. Have brief instructions about how to use them 3. Emit smoke of highly visible color at a uniform rate of not less than 3 minute when floating in calm water 4. Shall not emit any flame during entire smoke emission time 5. Not to be swamped in a seaway 6. Continue to emit smoke when submerged in a water for a period of 10 seconds under 100 mm of water

Following are the SOLAS requirements of Hand flares - 1. To be contained in a Water tight casing 2. Instructions shall be given regarding operation 3. Should have integral means of ignition 4. Burn with a bright red color 5. Burn uniformly with an average luminous intensity of not less than 15,000 cd 6. Have a burning period of not less than one minute 7. Continue to burn after having been immersed in 100 mm of water for a period of 10 seconds

Requirements of Rocket Parachute as per SOLAS - 1. Be contained in a Water tight casing 2. Supplied with brief instructions for activating 3. Have integrated means of ignition 4. When fired vertically shall atleast reach an altitude of 300 meters 5. Burn with bright red color 6. Burn uniformly with an average luminous intensity of not less than 30000 cd 7. Have a burning period of not less than 40 seconds 8. Have a rate of descent of not less than 5m/s 9. Should not damage its parachute or attachments while burning

In cargo ships of 1000 gt and upwards at least 2 independently driven fire pumps and for ships lesser than 1000 gt at least 2 power driven pumps out of which one shall be independently driven. Each pump shall in any event be capable of delivering at least two required jets of water. Pumps shall have capacity of 25 m3/hr each.

International Shore connection shall be having the following dimensions - Outside diameter : 178 mm Inside diameter : 64 mm Bolt Circle diameter : 132 mm Slot in flanges : 4 holes, 19mm in diameter spaced equidistant Flange thickness : 14.5 mm Minimum Bolts and Nuts : 4, each of 16mm DIA and 50mm in length

Following are the requirements of a fixed CO2 systems, as per the SOLAS - 1. The pipes for conveying system shall be provided with control valve so marked as to indicate clearly the space to which the pipe is led 2. The provision shall be made to prevent inadvertent release of the medium into space 3. The pipes may pass through accommodation areas provided that they are of substantial thickness and that tightness is verified with a pressure test at a head not less than 5N/mm2 4. Means shall be provided to give an audible indication of the release in which persons normally work 5. The alarm shall operate for the length of the time needed to evacuate the space but in no case less than 20seconds before the medium is released 6. Control of the system shall be readily accessible and simple to operate. Clear instructions shall be displayed 7. For cargo spaces the quantity of the carbon di oxide available shall be sufficient enough to give minimum volume of the free gas equal to 30% of the gross volume of the largest cargo space protected on the ship 8. For machinery space the quantity of carbon dioxide carried shall be sufficient enough to give minimum volume of free gas equal to 40% of the gross volume of largest machinery space so protected. This volume excludes the part of the casing above the level at which the horizontal area of the casing is 40% or less of the horizontal area of the space concerned taken midway between the tank top and the lowest part of the casing or 35% of the gross volume of the largest machinery space protected including casing 9. The volume of free carbon di oxide shall be calculated at 0.56m3/kg. 10. For machinery space the fixed piping system shall be such that 85% of the gas can be discharged into the space within 2 minutes 11. Two separate controls shall be provided to release including activation of the alarm.

Following test and checks shall be carried out on SCBA - 1. Visual test - a). General condition of the set, condition of visor 2. Gauge/leak test - a). After opening the valve there should be steady increase in the reading. The pressure should not fall - if it does it shows leakage 3. Face Mask test - a). All straps are in good condition and no leakages occurs in face mask 4. Operational check and test - a). Bottle recharged to optimum pressure. Low pressure whistle to be tested

Following are the functional requirement of Fire Safety - 1. Division of Ship into main vertical and horizontal zones by thermal and structural boundaries 2. Separation of Accommodation spaces from the remainder of the ship by thermal and structural boundaries 3. Restricted used of combustible materials 4. Detection of the fire in the zone of origin 5. Containment and extinction of fire in the zone of origin 6. Protection of means of escape and access for fire fighting 7. Ready availability of of fire extinguishing appliances 8. Minimization of possibility of ignition of flammable cargo vapors

The rescue boat has two functions during an abandonment: (a) Recover persons from the water, preferably in a horizontal manner. (b) Marshall survival craft upwind and clear of toxics or the dangers associated with capsize of the parent vessel.

Risk assessment is a detailed and careful assessment of potential harmful factors that are contained within the nature of an operation. It is expected to classify the work and identify high, low and tolerable risk elements to personnel within the working environment. It is meant to provide an action plan which would permit ongoing operations to within limits of a tolerable risk. Check lists are employed to assess the Initial Risk and subsequent detailed parameters effecting the overall final assessment, prior to commencement of the work.

Pump rooms on tankers are protected spaces and covered by a fixed fire extinguishing system, which is operated from outside of the compartment. (Usually a CO2 operation. Note: Pump rooms are treated as enclosed spaces.) After July 2002, under SOLAS II-2 Regulations 4, 5.10.3/4, cargo pump rooms were required to be fitted with gas detection/bilge alarm systems.

The emergency fire pump must be capable of delivering the required two jets of water to any part of the vessel and also be able to produce a pressure of 2.1 bar on a third additional hydrant.

I would check the condition of all the web straps that they are not worn and that they are secure about the body. Inspect the air content gauge and ensure that the bottle is full. When turning on the air valve I would listen for the ‘whistle’ alarm signal. When placing the mask over the face an even tension must be applied to the mask straps in order to create an airtight/smoke seal. This would be subsequently checked by shutting the air valve so that the wearer would experience the mask ‘crushing’ onto the face, so creating a partial vacuum. This denotes that the wearer is not drawing air from around the sealed mask, and is therefore providing an effective smoke seal. I would then open up the valve to allow the wearer to breath on demand. Finally, communication with the wearer and the control position would be checked to ensure a safe entry.

A fireman’s suit with boots and gloves; a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA); harness and safety line; a protective helmet; safety lamp; and a fireman’s hand axe with insulated handle.

Following steps shall be taken in order to beach the liferaft - a) Order all persons to secure their lifejackets, and cause the floor of the liferaft to be inflated. b) Carry out the operation in daylight onto a beach area which is rock free and without surf. c) Deploy the sea anchor and man the two paddles on approaching the shore line, attempting to fend off any rock obstructions.

To bring the lifeboat alongside the ship during launching, when the parent vessel has an adverse list.

Ship's pyrotechnics are valid for 3 years.

You should aim the rocket downwind – because the wind acts on the stretched line, not on the small rocket. This causes the line to ‘bow outward’ and allows the rocket to turn in towards the target area.

The air in the bottle of the TEMSC is to allow the boat to clear the immediate area in a battened down condition so as to be free from toxics or harmful gases. Provided the boat is correctly battened down and sealed the air will last for a period of 10 minutes and will tend to pressurise the inside of the craft. This is expected to provide enough time for the boat to head upwind into a clean atmosphere.

Following markings can be found on the liferaft container - (a) The manufacture’s name and/or logo. (b) The instructions for launching in diagram and text format. (c) The capacity (manning) that the raft is designed for. (d) Whether it is equipped with a survival pack and type of pack (A or B). (e) The length of painter fitted to the survival craft. (f) The date of last service. (g) The next date of service due. (h) The symbol ‘do not roll’ sign.

The Safety of Life at Sea (Convention) (SOLAS) Regulations require the liferaft painter to be 15 m in length. However, it should be noted that manufacturers supply liferafts with a standard painter length of 25 m.

Six hand flares, four rocket parachute flares and two orange smoke floats.

One for every person on board plus an additional 5% and enough child lifejackets equal to 10% of the total number of persons on board to ensure one lifejacket for every child on board.

The function of the Safety Officer is to primarily promote a safety culture aboard the ship. This may be carried out by regular drills and training exercises. Promotion poster displays, holding active safety meetings or making use of the Training (Video) Manual. The Safety Officer would also be a member of the Safety Committee, under the Chairmanship of the Master, and could expect to draw up the agenda for the meeting. He would normally take the minutes of the meeting and give a safety report at this time. Such a report would include details of any investigation undertaken following an accident. Recommendations from accident findings would be a cause for deliberation by the Safety Committee. Accident reports, obtaining witness statements and taking photographs to support any incident, all fall to the duties of the Safety Officer. The position of the Safety Officer is an appointment and he/she cannot resign this position. In the event the Safety Officer observes unsafe activity on the vessel he has the authority to stop this work immediately. Only the Master can order the resumption of said work. His duty is also to maintain a log account and file of all accidents and accident reports.

A vessel can take on bunkers from a bunker barge on the offshore side or alternatively from shore side facilities. In any event the following activities should be carried out: (a) Seal all deck scuppers before commencing to take on bunkers. (b) Display the red light signal or ‘B’ Bravo Flag by day. (c) Additional ‘No Smoking’ signs displayed at the gangway and deck outlets. (d) No unauthorized personnel allowed on board and gangway watch set. (e) Three-way communication link tested between (i) the manifold; (ii) the pumping station and (iii) the tank top ullage port. (f) Ships Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP) checklist observed. (g) Fire precautions set in a position of readiness. (h) Drip trays in position under flange/pipe connections. (i) Anti-spillage equipment readily available. (j) Double access established. (k) Adequate manpower on deck throughout, especially during topping off. (l) Log Book entries made on commencement and finish. (m) Notation in the Oil Record Book on completion.