CASTOR INSTITUTE OF MARINE & ENGINEERING EDUCATION PVT. LTD.

RATING FORMING PART OF A NAVIGATIONAL WATCH

(RFPNW)

Gyro Compass on Ships: Construction, Working, and Usage

A Gyro compass is a form of gyroscope, used widely on ships employing an

electrically powered, fast-spinning gyroscope wheel and frictional forces
among other factors utilising the basic physical laws, influences of gravity
and the Earth’s rotation to find the true north.

Construction

Gyro compass has become one indispensable instrument in almost

all merchant ships or naval vessels for its ability to detect the direction of
true north and not the magnetic north. It is comprised of the following units:

Master Compass: Discovers and maintains the true north reading with the
help of gyroscope.

Repeater Compasses: Receive and indicate the true direction transmitted

electrically from the Master Compass.

Course Recorder: Makes a continuous record of the manoeuvring on a

moving strip of paper.

Control Panel: Governs the electrical operation of the system and

ascertains the running condition by means of a suitable
meter.

Voltage Regulator: Maintains constant supply of the ship to the motor-

generator.

Alarm Unit: Indicates failure of the ship’s supply.

Amplifier Panel: Controls the follow-up system.

Motor Generator: Converts the ship’s DC supply to AC and energizes the

Compass equipment.

Gyro compasses are linked to the repeater compasses via one transmission
system. The fast-spinning rotor attached weighs from 1.25 pounds to 55 pounds.
It is driven thousands of revolutions per minute by another electric motor.
However, the most essential part in a Gyro compass system is the spinning wheel,
which is known as the Gyroscope.
Working

External magnetic fields which deflect normal compasses cannot affect Gyro
compasses. When a ship alters its course the independently driven
framework called ‘Phantom’ moves with it, but the rotor system continues to
point northward. This lack of alignment enables it to send signal to the
driving motor, which moves the phantom step in with the rotor system again
in a path where the phantom may have crossed only a fraction of a degree or
several degrees of the compass circle. As soon as they are aligned, electrical
impulses are sent by the phantom to the repeater compasses for each degree
it traverses.
The Gyroscope in the Gyrocompass is mounted in such a way so that it can
move freely about three mutually perpendicular axes and is controlled as to
enable its axis of spin settled parallel with the true meridian, influenced by
the Earth’s rotation and gravity.

The Gyro compass system applications are based upon two fundamental
characteristics, which are:

Gyroscopic Inertia: The tendency of any revolving body to uphold its plane
of rotation.

Precession: A property that causes the gyroscope to move, when a couple is

applied. But instead of moving in the direction of the couple, it moves at
right angles to the axis of the applied couple and also the spinning wheel.

These two properties and the utilization of the Earth’s two natural forces,
rotation and gravity, enacts the Gyrocompass seek true north. Once settled
on the true meridian the rotor indefinitely will remain there as long as the
electrical supply of the ship remains constant and unaltered and unaffected
by external forces.

Usage and Errors

Gyro compasses are pre-eminently used in most ships in order to detect true
north, steer, and find positions and record courses. But due to the ship’s
course, speed and latitude, there could appear some steaming errors. It has
been found that on Northerly courses the Gyro compass north is slightly
deflected to the West of the true meridian whereas on Southerly courses it is
deflected to the East.

Modern ships use a GPS system or other navigational aids feed data to the
Gyrocompass for correcting the error. An orthogonal triad of fibre optic
design and also ring laser gyroscopes which apply the principles of optical
path difference to determine rate of rotation, instead of depending upon
mechanical parts, may help eliminate the flaws and detect true north.
MAGNETIC COMPASS

A Magnetic compass is a critical piece of marine navigational equipment.

Simply put, a magnetised needle, suspended freely, points North because of
the forces caused by the Earth’s magnetic field. Once North is known, the
other directions are easily found.

The ship magnetic compass is usually housed on the ‘monkey island’ above
the navigating bridge and reflected into the bridge by means of a periscope
like device, so a helmsman can easily read the compass when he is steering
the ship.

The Meridians, Two Definitions

The true meridian is the longitude and always points True North

The Magnetic Meridian is at an angle to the True Meridian. Since the

Magnetic North and South poles of the Earth are not the same. It can be
imagined as ‘magnetic longitude’.

Why do we need great compass accuracy at sea?

The marine magnetic compass at sea is mainly used for steering a course.
The compass reading must be accurate, especially on long sea passages,
because an error of one or two degrees in a long course can make a
difference of thousands of nautical miles in reaching your destination after
many days.

The compass is also used to bearings of terrestrial and celestial objects for
navigation, and errors must be minimised for this purpose. The compass
reading at sea must be therefore corrected as accurately as possible.

Errors and corrections in ship magnetic compass

Variation: Is the angle between the true and magnetic meridian, that is to
say, the angle that the freely suspended magnetic needle makes with the
True Meridian. If the magnetic needle is drawn to the right of the true
meridian, the variation is termed Easterly and if the needle is drawn to the
left of the True Meridian, the variation is termed Westerly.
Variation differs from place to place but does not change with the direction
of the ship’s head (course of the ship)
Deviation: A ship is made of steel, acquires a certain magnetism and so
inherently has an effect on the magnetic compass. In other words, the
compass needle on board does not lie on the magnetic meridian but is
deflected on one side or the other because of the ship’s magnetism. Although
corrective magnets are inserted in the housing (also called binnacle) of the
compass to counteract this, the system is not perfect because the ship also
loads steel cargo which makes the error variable. Also, the error thus caused
is found to vary as the ship points in different directions (different headings).
This error is called ‘deviation’ and is named East if the compass needle is
drawn to the right and West if the needle is drawn to the left.

Compass error is, simply, the combination of the errors of Variation and
Deviation, and is applied by the navigator to the compass reading to get the
corrected compass reading.

Practice at sea
Variation is known for all geographical locations and is available to the
mariner on charts. Deviation is calculated every watch (every 4 hours) at sea
by one of many methods usually involving celestial bodies like planets and
stars and so, the compass error at any point of time is accurately known.

COMPASS BEARINGS

The compass bearing is the direction towards which you are headed, as
shown by a compass.

The four cardinal points on a compass, which split the circumference of the
compass into four equal parts, are (going clockwise) North, East, South
and West. Since there are 360º in the circumference, the cardinal points are
separated by 360º/4 or 90º.
Between the cardinal points there are other points:

North
North-East
East
South-East
South
South-West
West
North-West
North

Between these points there are even more points, as follows:

North
North by East
North-North-East
North-East by North
North-East
North-East by East
East-North-East
East by North
East
East by South
East-South-East
South-East by East
South-East
South-East by South
South-South-East
South by East
South
South by West
South-South-West
South-West by South
South-West
South-West by West
West-South-West
West by South
West
West by North
West-North-West
North-West by West
North-West
North-West by North
North-North-West
North by West
North

These points split each 90º angle into eight, hence the angle between two
consecutive points is 90º/8 or 111⁄4º.
Changing over from Hand Steering to Auto Steering:

Before changing over from hand steering to auto steering, the settings on the
auto pilot panel must be adjusted for weather and traffic conditions.
The vessel must be made steady on the course on which she has to be set
on auto steering.

Changing over to emergency steering system:

When the steering panel gives an alarm, it must be read carefully to see as
to what has gone out of order, operation must be changed-over to the other/
alterative steering gear/ motor or transmission system/ telemotor, engine
room must be informed immediately.

If the Auto-pilot gives an alarm or the off-course alarm goes off, adjust the
settings on the Auto-pilot panel accordingly.
If the Auto-pilot fails, change-over to hand steering.
If the Follow-up system doesn’t work (the feedback leg of the steering gears
doesn’t function properly), change-over to Non-Follow-Up mode.
If the steering transmission systems or telemotors stop working, emergency
steering has to be performed by trick-wheel arrangement or solenoids after
bringing the rudder mid-ships.

Further, if the steering hydraulic or electric motors also stop working,

rudder will have to turned by some mechanical arrangement like chains and
blocks, this is not possible in case of large rudders (large ships). As the last
resort, Jury rudder is used, which means some arrangement/ structural
changes, which overside work as an alternative rudder arrangement e.g.
wooden planks on the stern turned/ rotated like a rudder.

HELMS ORDER & MAINTAINING A STEADY COURSE

Standard Wheel Orders

The art of steering a ship can be gained by practice. The ship’s head,
rudder and steering wheel all turn the same way, that is, to turn the ship to
starboard one must turn the wheel to starboard. The angle of turn given to
the rudder is shown in degrees on the helm indicator situated forward of the
wheel.

All orders received by the helmsman are to be repeated twice; once

when the order is received and again when the order has been carried out.
This is to ensure that the helmsman has both understood and carried out
the orders correctly.
 Order Meaning
Midships Rudder to be held in the fore and aft
position
Port five 5° of port rudder to be held.
Port ten 10° of port rudder to be held.
Port fifteen 15° of port rudder to be held.
Port twenty 20° of port rudder to be held.
Port twenty-five 25° of port rudder to be held.
Hard-a-port Rudder to be held fully over to port.
Starboard five 5° of starboard rudder to be held.
Starboard ten 10° of starboard rudder to be held.
Starboard fifteen 15° of starboard rudder to be held.
Starboard twenty 20° of starboard rudder to be held.
Starboard twenty-five 25° of starboard rudder to be held.
Hard-a-starboard Rudder to be held fully over to starboard.
Ease to five Reduce amount of rudder to 5° and hold.
Ease to ten Reduce amount of rudder to 10° and hold.
Ease to fifteen Reduce amount of rudder to 15° and hold.
Ease to twenty Reduce Amount of rudder to 20° and hold.
Steady Reduce swing as rapidly as possible.
Steady as she goes Steer a steady course on the compass
heading indicated at the time of the order.
The helmsman is to repeat the order and
call out the compass heading on receiving
the order. When the ship is stead on that
heading, the helmsman is to call out:
“Stead…”

Example:

When the officer of the watch requires a course to be steered by compass,

the direction in which he wants the wheel turned should be stated followed
by each numeral being said separately, including zero.

Order Course to be
steered
“Port, steer one eight two” 182°
“Starboard, steer zero eight 082°
two”
“Port, steer three zero five” 305°

On receipt of the order to steer, for example, 182°, the helmsman should repeat it
and bring the ship round steadily to the course ordered. When the ship is steady
on the course ordered, the helmsman is to call out:

“Steady on one eight two”

The person giving the order should acknowledge the helmsman’s call out.
If it is desired to steer on a selected mark the helmsman should be ordered
to:
“Steer on…buoy…(mark)…(beacon)”

The helmsman should repeat the order and when steady on the
mark call out:
“Steady on…buoy…(mark)…(beacon)”

The person giving the order should acknowledge the

helmsman’s call out.
On-the-job training

On-the-job training at sea is critical to a helmsman developing ability to

"sense" or anticipate how a ship will respond in different conditions. The
experienced helmsman uses measured responses to sea conditions, even
when encountering heavy weather that may cause a ship to pitch and roll as
it pounds its way through oncoming waves. Subsequently, the helmsman
learns to relax and take into account the vessel's natural rhythm in order to
avoid oversteering whatever the maritime environment. Consequently, more
accurate steering is attained with less rudder. Applying the minimal rudder
required to steer a course reduces drag of the ship, thereby favourably
impacting the ship's speed and operating costs.

One of the helmsman's most important duties is steering a ship in a

harbour or seaport when reduced speeds slow a ship's response to the
rudder. For it is during ship arrivals and departures, when most ship
collisions or groundings occur. Clear communication, then, between the
officer of the bridge and the helmsman is essential for safe operations. The
officer or harbour pilot relies upon the helmsman to flawlessly execute
steering commands to avoid a variety of hazards, including man-made
obstacles, land formations, grounding in shallow waters, and the threat of
collision with other vessels. In addition, powerful sea tides and river
currents encountered in seaports heighten navigation dangers, as a ship's
ability to stop is severely limited.

LOOKOUT DUTIES AND REPORTING

A lookout is a person at the ship’s bridge who maintains a continuous watch

of the sea to report any kind of hazard that can be an obstacle in the
navigation and cause harm to the ship. According to COLREG, a lookout is
required to give his uninterrupted attention at all times to the ship’s
navigation in order to inform the officer on watch (OOW) about other ships,
shipwrecks, debris, floating objects etc.

The lookout should inform the officer on watch when he observes any of the
following:

 Any kind of floating object

 Navigation mark or lights
 Any type of distress signal from other ships or ports
 Land
 Ice, irrespective of size or form
 Any type of ship irrespective of its size
 Sandbags or prominent navigational features
 Problem with any of the ship’s navigation systems, including
navigational lights
 Any kind of hazards or derelicts that can be dangerous to the ship’s
navigation
The main duties of a lookout are:

 To give utmost attention through sight, hearing, and any other means
in order to assess any change in the operating environment
 Detecting and reporting on ships, shipwrecks, debris, shipwrecked
person, and other navigational hazards
 Reporting on possibilities of collision stranding, and other dangers to
navigation
 The lookout should remain at his position at all times until he is
relieved from his duties. On relieving, he should provide all the
information to his reliever about things that he has reported.

REPORTING TECHNIQUES

Relative bearing - The direction of an object from a ship is called the

bearing. Bearing is measured in degrees clockwise around a circle, from
000° to 360°. Relative bearings have the ship's bow as a reference point;
Lookouts often are required to report objects in degrees of relative bearing.
The figure shows the relative bearings around a ship. An object dead ahead
is bearing 000°; one on the starboard beam is at 090°, and so on. Study the
illustration. Practice pointing to various objects and compare your estimates
of their bearing to what they really are. With practice you will be able to
report a contact within 10° of its actual bearing.
Bearings are always reported in three digits, and spoken digit by digit,
except that objects dead ahead or astern (000°, 180°); on either beam (090°,
270°); or on either bow (045°, 315°) or quarter (135°, 225°) may be indicated
as such. For example, a ship bearing 315° could be reported as being broad
on the port bow, although the bearing itself can be used.

Points from the bow, stern - Another method of indicating direction to a

sighted object is by expressing the direction in reference to own ship's bow
or stern in points or compass points. Remember each point is 11.25º. For
example, a lookout report of a sighted vessel at 045º relative, would be; "A
ship 4 points (broad) on the starboard bow." Refer to the below diagram, and
see that 045º is 4 compass points.

Verbal Lookout Report - Always report everything you see, hear, or believe
you see or hear. By reporting doubtful targets, more eyes are brought to
bear on them, resulting in improved chances of identification. At night and
in poor visibility, report even the faintest hunches. At such times, a hunch
that you have seen something often means you really have. Do not delay the
report while you try to get a better look—the main thing is speed.

The report - Give the initial report when you first sight a contact. Usually
the contact is too far away for a positive identification, but do not delay the
report. Include in the initial report:
1. WHAT YOU SEE: Describe the contact quickly and briefly. Name the type
or class of ship or aircraft if you recognize it; otherwise, simply report "ship,"
"plane," and so forth.
2. BEARING: Always report contacts in relative bearings. These are given as
three digits, spoken digit by digit. The bearing can also be reported using
compass points (each point = 11.25) off the bow or stern.
3. RANGE: Estimate of ranges are reported in yards/miles and spoken digit
by digit, except that multiples of hundreds and thousands are spoken as
such.
4. MOVEMENT: Report whether the contact is moving from right to left, left
to right (this is bearing drift), opening, closing, paralleling, high speed, slow
speed, dead in the water, and so forth.

ALARM SYSTEMS ON BOARD SHIP

An emergency does not come with an alarm but an alarm can definitely help
us to tackle an emergency or to avoid an emergency situation efficiently and
in the right way. Alarm systems are installed all over the ship’s systems and
machinery to notify the crew on board about the dangerous situation that
can arise on the ship.

Alarm on board ships are audible as well as visual to ensure that a person
can at least listen to the audible alarm when working in an area where
seeing a visual alarm is not possible and vice versa.

It is a normal practice in the international maritime industry to have alarm

signal for a particular warning similar in all the ships, no matter in which
seas they are sailing or to which company they belong to. This commonness
clearly helps the seafarer to know and understand the type of warning
or emergency well and help to tackle the situation faster.

The main alarms that are installed in the ship to give audio-visual warnings
are as follows:

1) General Alarm: The general alarm on the ship is recognized by 7 short

ringing of bell followed by a long ring or 7 short blasts on the ship’s horn
followed by one long blast. The general alarm is sounded to make aware the
crew on board that an emergency has occurred.
2) Fire Alarm: A fire alarm is sounded as continuous ringing of ship’s
electrical bell or continuous sounding of ship’s horn.

3) Man Overboard Alarm: When a man falls overboard, the ship internal
alarm bell sounds 3 long rings and ship whistle will blow 3 long blasts to
notify the crew on board and the other ships in nearby vicinity

4) Navigational Alarm: In the navigation bridge, most of the navigational

equipments and navigation lights are fitted with failure alarm. If any of these
malfunctions, an alarm will be sounded in an alarm panel displaying which
system is malfunctioning.

5) Machinery space Alarm: The machinery in the engine room has various
safety devices and alarms fitted for safe operation. If any one of these
malfunctions, a common engine room alarm is operated and the problem
can be seen in the engine control room control panel which will display the
alarm.

6) Machinery Space CO2 Alarm: The machinery space is fitted with

CO2 fixed with fire extinguishing system whose audible and visual alarm is
entirely different from machinery space alarm and other alarm for easy
reorganization.
7) Cargo Space CO2 Alarm: The cargo spaces of the ship are also fitted with
fixed firefighting system which has a different alarm when operated.

8) Abandon Ship Alarm: When the emergency situation on board ship goes
out of hands and ship is no longer safe for crew on board ship. The master
of the ship can give a verbal Abandon ship order, but this alarm is never
given in ship’s bell or whistle. The general alarm is sounded and everybody
comes to the emergency muster station where the master or his substitute
(chief Officer) gives a verbal order to abandon ship.

9) Ship Security Alarm System: Most of the ocean-going vessels are fitted
with security alert alarm system, which is a silent alarm system sounded in
a pirate attack emergency. This signal is connected with different coastal
authorities all over the world via a global satellite system to inform about the
piracy.

Different Alarm signals of the vessel are clearly described in the muster
list along with the action to be carried out so that all the crew member can
perform their duties within no time in actual emergency.

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION

1) The public-address system is a loudspeaker installation enabling the

broadcast of messages into all spaces where crew members or passengers,
or both, are normally present, and to muster stations. It allows for the
broadcast of messages from the navigation bridge and such other places on
board the ship as the Administration deems necessary. It shall be installed
with regard to acoustically marginal conditions and not require any action
from the addressee. It shall be protected against unauthorized use.

With the ship underway in normal conditions, the minimum sound pressure
levels for broadcasting emergency announcements shall be:

1. in interior spaces 75 dB (A) and at least 20 dB (A) above the speech

interference level;
2. in exterior spaces 80 dB (A) and at least 15 dB (A) above the speech
interference level.

2) Verbal Communication

3) A sound-powered telephone is a communication device that allows users

to talk to each other with the use of a handset, similar to a
conventional telephone, but without the use of external power.
Environmental Protection - The Officer in Charge of the Watch (OOW) and
all bridge/wheelhouse watch standers should be aware of the serious effects
of operational and accidental pollution of the marine environment and
should be familiar with the International Convention for the Prevention of
Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and the ship's Shipboard Oil Pollution
Emergency Plan (SOPEP).

Reporting obligations - All ships should make a report to the relevant

authorities when an incident involving another ship is observed or an
incident on their own ship involves:
• a discharge or probable discharge of oil or of noxious liquid substances
above the permitted level for whatever reason, including securing the safety
of the ship or saving life; or
• a discharge or probable discharge of harmful substances in packaged
form, including those in containers, portable tanks, vehicles and barges; or
• a discharge during the operation of the ship of oil or noxious liquid
substances in excess of that which is allowed.

A report is also required if the ship suffers damage, failure or a breakdown

that affects the safety of the ship or impairs safe navigation, and results in a
discharge or probable discharge into the sea of a harmful substance.
However, reports are not required simply because there has been a
breakdown or failure of machinery or equipment.

Reporting points - The SOPEP should include as an appendix the list of

agencies or officials of administrations designated to receive and process
reports from ships.

In the absence of a local agency or if there is any delay in contacting a listed

reporting point the nearest coastal radio station, designated ship movement
reporting station or Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) should be contacted
by the fastest available means.

Shipboard oil pollution emergency plans.

Plan format. The plan must contain the following six sections. A seventh
nonmandatory section may be included at the shipowner’s discretion:
(1) Introduction. This section must contain the following:
(i) Introductory text.
(ii) General information.
(a) The ship’s name, call sign, official number, International
Maritime Organization (IMO) international number, and principal
characteristics.

(2) Preamble. This section must contain an explanation of the purpose and
use of the plan and indicate how the shipboard plan relates to other shore-
based plans.
(3) Reporting Requirements. This section of the plan must include
information relating to the following:
(i) When to report. A report shall be made whenever an incident
involves—
(a) A discharge of oil or oily mixture resulting from damage to the ship
or its equipment, or for the purpose of securing the safety of a ship
or saving life at sea;
(b) A discharge of oil or oily mixture during the operation of the ship in
excess of the quantities or instantaneous rate allowed by the
regulations.
(c) A probable discharge. Factors to be considered in determining
whether a discharge is probable include, but are not limited to: ship
location and proximity to land or other navigational hazards, weather, tide,
current, sea state & traffic density.

(ii) Information required. This section of the plan must include a

notification form, that contains information to be provided in the initial and
follow-up notifications.

(iii) Whom to contact. This section of the plan must make reference to
the appendices listing coastal state contacts, port contacts, and ship
interest contacts.

(4) Steps to control a discharge. This section of the plan must contain a
discussion of procedures to address the following scenarios:
(i) Operational spills
In the event of an operational spill:
- Cease operations
- Secure the system in use
- Notify the master
- Commence clean up
- Dispose of recovered oil and clean up materials must be in
accordance with local laws

Examples of operational spills are:

Pipe leakage: The plan must provide specific guidance for dealing with pipe
leakage; Example:
- Sound general alarm and initiate emergency response procedures
- Stop bunkering operations and close manifold valves
- Locate source of leakage and contain all spilled oil
- Begin clean up procedures
- Drain affected pipeline into tank

Tank overflow: The plan must include procedures for dealing with tank
overflows. It must provide alternatives such as transferring cargo or bunkers
to empty or slack tanks, or readying pumps to transfer the excess ashore:
Example:
- Stop bunkering, close manifolds
- Sound general alarm
- Inform bunkering personnel of incident
- Begin clean up
-Transfer oil back to shore if necessary
Hull leakage: The plan must outline procedures for responding to spills due
to suspected hull leakage, including guidance on measures to be taken
to reduce the head of oil in the tank involved either by internal
transfer or discharge ashore.

(ii) Spills resulting from casualties.

In the event of a spill:
Example: In case of Grounding
- Sound the General Alarm
- Initiate visual inspection of vessel
- Take soundings to determine seabed
- Evaluate the probability of a release
- Determine if towing assistance is available
-After assessing the situation, evaluate the possibility of transferring
bunkers or trimming ballast.

Example: In case of Fire or explosion

- Sound fire alarm to alert Master, officers, and crew
- Determine if there are casualties
- Determine the extent of damage
- Request assistance
- Assess the potential for a spill

Example: In case of Collision

- Determine the extent of damage
- Ready pumping system for salvage pumping
- Determine effects of separation (opening of breached spaces,
increase threat of pollution, etc)
- If oil tanks are breached, attempt to transfer to other tanks

Example: In case of Hull failure

- Ring general alarm and inform crew
- Depending on circumstances, select heading and minimum speed to
minimize any hull deflections
- Observe surrounding water for oil movement in way of engine room
intakes. May be necessary to manoeuvre, if possible, to keep suctions
free from oil
- Take actions to reduce hull stress (reduce speed or stop)
- Assess potential for capsizing

Example: Excessive list.

- Determine cause (shift of cargo, incorrect loading, flooding, etc)
- Check all tanks and voids
- If oil has spilled, make appropriate notifications
- Take corrective action
(5) National and Local Coordination. This section of the plan must contain
information to assist the master in initiating action by the coastal State,
local government, or other involved parties. This information must include
guidance to assist the master with organizing a response to the incident
should a response not be organized by the shore authorities. Detailed
information for specific areas may be included as appendices to the plan.

(6) Appendices. Appendices must include the following information:

1. Twenty-four-hour contact information and alternates to the designated
contacts.
2. These details must be routinely updated to account for personnel changes
and changes in telephone, telex, and telefacsimile numbers.
3. Clear guidance must also be provided regarding the preferred means of
communication.

(7) Non-mandatory provisions. If this section is included by the shipowner, it

should include the following types of information or any other information
that may be appropriate.

The development of a response plan - prepares the vessel owner or operator

and the vessel’s crew to respond to an oil spill.
The plan must be written in English and, if applicable, in a language that is
understood by the crew members with responsibilities under the plan.
A vessel response plan must be divided into the following sections:
(1) General information and introduction.
(2) Notification procedures.
(3) Shipboard spill mitigation procedures.
(4) Shore-based response activities.
(5) List of contacts.
(6) Training procedures.
(7) Exercise procedures.
(8) Plan review and update procedures.
(9) On board notification checklist and emergency procedures (unmanned
tank barges only).
(10) An appendix for vessel-specific information for the vessel or vessels
covered by the plan.

PYROTECHNICS ON BOARD

Pyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-

contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the
production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound.

Used under extreme emergency situations (such as distress), these are

provided onboard ships to grab the attention/inform ships within range so
as to seek help and assistance of the vessels for rescue. Basically, it is a
visual method of sending SOS signals. These pyrotechnics are used in time
of distress is mentioned in Annex 4 of COLREGs.
In the unfortunate event (such as an ‘abandon ship’ situation) wherein one’s
own ship is beyond saving, pyrotechnics can be one of the last resorts for
the ship personnel’s survival and rescue out at sea. Pictorial representation
for usage at sea is displayed on the cover of each of the units mentioned
below.

Location of pyrotechnics (in parenthesis is the minimum carriage

requirement as per SOLAS)

Bridge
Hand Flares (06 nos)
Rocket Parachute Flares (12 nos)
Buoyant smoke signal (02 nos; 01 on each side, port, and starboard)
Line throwing appliance (at least 01 no)

Lifeboat (each)
Hand Flares (06 nos)
Rocket Parachute Flares (04 nos)
Buoyant smoke signal (02 nos)

Different Type of pyrotechnics:

Hand Flare:

A hand flare is a small cylindrical stick which when activated, produces an

intense red smoke or light without an explosion. Should be held out leeward
when activated. Can be used by the day as well as night.

Rocket parachute flare:

As the name suggests, the equipment is designed to fire a single red star to
a height of approximately 300m; this flare, launched at the minimum height
of 300m in the air, self-activates to produce intense red smoke. A parachute
opens up and reduces the rate of descent which gives more time to the flare
to remain at a height and to provide a clear view to nearby ships or help.

Buoyant smoke signals:

This pyro tech equipment is held in a compact container with a buoyant

nature so that it can float on the water surface to signal distress situation.
Mostly for use by the day, this can indicate the position of distress with the
bright orange smoke as well as for determining the wind direction for rescue

Line Throwing Appliances:

A line throwing appliance is not a distress signalling equipment but is

counteracting equipment in distress situations. It is used so that a
connection is made in terms of a strong line between the distressed ship and
the safe ship (to create a bridge) to pass on towing lines or another kind of
help.
Maintenance and disposal
 All pyrotechnics must be kept in safe storage with the cases properly
shut. This is especially important after safety brief to the personnel on
board with regard to pyrotechnics usage.

 Keep flares away from fuel or combustibles and store in an accessible

dry place

 Carry out maintenance work (cleaning, expiry date check etc) weekly
as well as monthly as per the LSA maintenance schedule of the ship
as instructed under the company’s ISM requirements.

 In case of expiry of the pyrotechnics out at sea, hold on to them for

disposal to an authorized entity once in port. Do not throw them out
at sea or use them after expiry; being a product that produces an
exothermic, usage after expiry can be risky

SART:

A SART is basically an electronic device that automatically reacts to the

emission or interrogation by radar. This enhances the visibility of the party
in need of assistance on the radar display (PPI). They operate on the 9 GHz
band and only transmit, when they are switched on, when interrogated by a
radar.

General features, location and functioning of the SART

 SART is made of fiber reinforced plastic which can withstand and bear
the prolonged exposure to sunlight and extreme weather conditions
 It is capable of floating free of the survival craft
 International orange in colour
 SART is mounted on a mounting bracket which is fixed to a bulkhead
on ship, on the bridge
 It operates on the 9GHz frequency band (9.2 to 9.5 GHz) and
generates a series of clips on the radar it is interrogated by (3 cm/X
Band radar).
 They can either be portable or fixed permanently into the survival
craft
 The SART is activated manually and hence responds only when
interrogated
 When activated in a distress situation, the SART responds to radar
interrogation by transmitting a signal which generates 12 blips on the
radar and turns into concentric circles as the range between the two
reduces
 On the PPI, the distance between the blips will be 0.6 miles
 This signal is very easy to spot than a signal echo from say, a radar
reflector
 The SART also has an audio or visual indication of its correct
operation and informs survivors when interrogated by the radar
 An audible beep is heard every 12 seconds when there are no radars
in sight and every 2 seconds when interrogated by radar
Carriage Requirement

 Passenger ship- at least 02

 Cargo ship 500 GT and above- at least 02
 Cargo ship 300 GT and above- at least 01
 1 on each survival craft

Battery Requirement

 In standby condition, operational for 96 hours

 In working condition, operational for 08 hours
 Battery should be replaced every 2 to 5 years
 Operable in temperature between -20 deg to 55 deg

Test Procedure

Self-Test (General)

 Switch SART to test mode

 Hold SART in view of the radar antenna
 Check that visual indicator light operates
 Check that audible beeper operates
 Observe radar display and see if there are concentric circles on the PPI
 Check the battery expiry date

Self-Test (Typical)

 Remove SART from the bracket

 Insert probe into the SART at 2 seconds interval; the lamp flashes and
the beeper sounds
 Observe concentric circles on the X band radar

In case of a false activation, switch the SART off immediately. Transmit a

DSC safety alert on VHF Channel 70. Transmit a safety broadcast by RT on
VHF Channel 16 to all stations indicating your ID and position and that you
wish to cancel your false alert which was transmitted in error.
EPIRB’s

Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) is a device to alert

search and rescue services (SAR) in case of an emergency out at sea. It is a
tracking equipment that transmits a signal on a specified band to locate a
lifeboat, life raft, ship or people in distress. AN EPIRB is a SECONDARY
means of DISTRESS alerting which is to say that it comes later in the
hierarchy of alerting SAR authorities in case of a distress. It is mandatory to
carry one EPIRB on every ship and two EPIRBS for all Indian Registered
ships

Types Of EPIRB

COSPAS-SARSAT– EPIRBS under the COSPAS-SARSAT system work on the

406.025 MHz and 121.5 MHz band and are applicable for all sea areas

INMARSAT E– 1.6 GHz band is the one which this EPIRB works on. These
are applicable for sea areas A1, A2 and A3

VHF CH 70– This works on the 156.525 MHz band and are applicable for
sea area A1 only

Testing EPIRB

The EPIRB should be tested once a month to ensure operational integrity.

The procedure to do so is as follows:

1. Press and release the test button on the EPIRB

2. The red lamp on the EPIRB should flash once
3. Within 30 seconds of pressing the button, the strobe as well as the red
light should flash several times
4. After 60 seconds of operation, the EPIRB will switch off

Maintenance of EPIRB

1. The EPIRB must be inspected visually for any defects such as cracks
2. It is advisable to clean the EPIRB once in a while with a dry cloth
3. While cleaning, the switches must be specifically checked
4. The lanyard of the EPIRB must be neatly packed into the container of
the EPIRB without any loose ends dangling about
5. The expiry date of the battery must be checked to cover the immediate
as well as the next voyage at the least
6. Send the EPIRB back to the service agent or the supplier if the EPIRB
fails the monthly checks
7. Change the battery onboard if the facilities are available or send it to
the servicing agent if there isn’t
8. If the EPIRB has been used in an emergency, it must be returned to an
authorised service agent for a battery change.
9. In the event that the HRU has crossed its expiry date, the HRU ought
to be replaced onboard and HRU must be marked with an expiry date 2
year into the future.
Battery

 12 Volt batteries
 48 hours of transmitting capacity
 Normally replaced every 2 to 5 years

False Alerting

It is possible that the EPIRB might get activated by mistake by an individual

onboard. In order to prevent a chain of SAR operations in motion it is
imperative that the EPIRB false transmission be cancelled. In case the
EPIRB is falsely activated, the nearest coast station or RCC (Rescue Co
Ordination Center) must be informed immediately of this event and as
mentioned, cancel it. The cancellation intimation must also be sent to the
appropriate authority (for example, DG Shipping for Indian Registered Ships
or for ships plying in India waters when the false alert is transmitted). The
ship owner and/or the agent must also be informed.