Programme overview
Introduction:
Shipboard emergency management breaks down at sea when muster lists name crew who have signed off, when drills rehearse the same fire every month and when the master and the shore crisis room hold different pictures of a flooding or grounding casualty. This Core Concept course trains masters, officers, designated persons ashore and ship managers to organise the bridge and engine command teams, direct fire, flooding, collision, grounding, cargo, machinery and abandon ship responses, and coordinate rescue and company support ashore. Participants produce a Vessel Emergency Plan and a Tabletop Casualty Exercise Pack.
Course Objectives:
- Organise the onboard emergency command structure, muster list, station bill duties and deputies so every casualty type has a named leader and a relief
- Plan and evaluate a rotating drill programme that exercises fire, flooding, enclosed space, man overboard and abandon ship scenarios with measurable crew performance criteria
- Direct the first-hour response to fire, flooding, collision, grounding, cargo and machinery casualties using damage control decision aids and hold-or-abandon criteria
- Coordinate distress alerting, on-scene search and rescue duties and liaison with a rescue coordination centre using IAMSAR Manual Volume III procedures
- Activate and run a company emergency response team and shore crisis room that supports the master with technical, salvage, crewing and stakeholder messages
- Secure evidence, logs and voyage data after a marine casualty and hand them over to the investigation team in a controlled sequence
Target Audience:
- Ship command staff who hold overriding authority on board and lead the emergency party structure during a casualty
- Deck and engineering officers who lead fire, damage control, boat preparation and machinery isolation parties
- Shore-based safety leads who hold the designated person ashore duty and activate company emergency support
- Fleet and technical superintendents who advise masters on stability, damage and salvage options during a casualty
- Ship management staff who staff the shore crisis room and handle flag, charterer, insurer and family communications
Course Outline:
Day 1: Marine Casualty Types and Onboard Emergency Organisation
- Marine Casualty Classification: Fire, Flooding, Collision, Grounding, Cargo and Machinery Events
- Onboard Command Structure: Bridge Command Team, Emergency Party, Engine Party and Support Party
- Muster List and Station Bill Design With Named Deputies and Crew Change Updates
- General Emergency Alarm Signals, Muster Stations and Headcount Reporting to the Bridge
- Vessel Emergency Readiness Self-Assessment Against Recent Casualty Reports
Day 2: Drill Programme Design, Survival Craft and Rescue Coordination Rules
- Drill Matrix Planning: Scenario Rotation, Unannounced Drills and Crew Performance Criteria
- Drill Evaluation Sheets, Debrief Records and Corrective Training Loops
- LSA Code Survival Craft Types: Davit-Launched and Free-Fall Lifeboats, Liferafts and Rescue Boats
- IAMSAR Manual Volume III: Ship Duties as Assisting Vessel and On-Scene Coordinator
- Distress Alerting and Rescue Coordination Centre Liaison Procedures
Day 3: Leading Fire, Flooding, Collision and Grounding Responses
- Engine Room and Accommodation Fire Command: Boundary Cooling, Ventilation Shutdown and Fixed System Release Decisions
- Flooding and Damage Control: Sounding Rounds, Watertight Door Status and Damage Stability Aids
- Collision Immediate Actions: Damage Assessment, Pollution Check and Assistance to the Other Vessel
- Grounding Response: Tidal Assessment, Hull Survey, Refloating Options and Salvage Contact
- Man Overboard Recovery: Williamson Turn, Rescue Boat Launch and Search Pattern Selection
Day 4: Cargo, Machinery and Abandon Ship Decisions Under Escalation
- Hazardous Cargo Emergencies: Container Fire, Cargo Shift and Toxic Vapour Response
- Blackout and Loss of Propulsion Recovery: Emergency Generator, Steering Gear and Drift Plan
- Hold-or-Abandon Decision Criteria and Abandon Ship Sequence From the Bridge
- Medical Emergency Organisation at Sea: Radio Medical Advice, Casualty Transfer and Evacuation Requests
- Company Emergency Response Team Activation: Shore Crisis Room Roles, Salvage, Insurers and Family Liaison
Day 5: Vessel Emergency Plan and Tabletop Casualty Exercise
- Case Vessel Data Pack: General Arrangement, Muster List and Emergency Equipment Plans
- Tabletop Casualty Exercise: Engine Room Fire Escalating to Flooding With Shore Crisis Room Injects
- Flag, Charterer and Media Holding Statement Drafting Under Time Pressure
- Post-Casualty Evidence Preservation and Investigation Handover Checklist
- Vessel Emergency Plan Build and Tabletop Casualty Exercise Pack Peer Challenge
Skills You Will Gain:
- Shipboard Emergency Command
- Muster List Design
- Drill Programme Evaluation
- Damage Control Decision-Making
- Search and Rescue Liaison
- Shore Crisis Room Coordination
- Casualty Stakeholder Messaging
- Casualty Evidence Preservation
Why Attend This Course:
- Leave with a Vessel Emergency Plan and a Tabletop Casualty Exercise Pack that can be run on your own ships and in your own office
- Take hold-or-abandon and damage control decisions under time pressure in a casualty scenario with escalating injects
- Test how the master and the shore crisis room share information before a real casualty exposes the gaps
- Compare emergency organisation with peers from tanker, bulk, container, offshore support and passenger fleets
Conclusion:
A marine casualty is decided in the first hour, by whether the command team knows its roles, the crew has drilled the scenario and the shore crisis room supports rather than distracts the master. The five days move from casualty types and onboard organisation, through drill design, survival craft and rescue coordination, to fire, flooding, collision, grounding, cargo, machinery and abandon ship decisions. The tabletop casualty exercise ends with a Vessel Emergency Plan ready for fleet use.