2.1 Owners, operators and crews should take into
consideration that the nature of an emergency does not allow time
for deliberation. Accordingly, the procedures should be practiced
beforehand.
2.2 The towing procedures should be maintained
on board the ship for ready use by the ship’s crew in preparing
their ship for towage in an emergency.
2.3 The crew should have good knowledge of equipment
stowage location and accessibility . Any identified improvements to
stowage arrangements should be implemented.
2.4 Crew dealing with an emergency situation should
be aware of power availability required for winches and tools, as
well as for deck lighting (for bad/low visibility and night time situations).
2.5 It is recognized that not all ships will have
the same degree of shipboard equipment, so that there may be limits
to possible towing procedures. Nevertheless, the intention is to predetermine
what can be accomplished, and provide this information to the ship’s
crew in a ready-to-use format (booklet, plans, poster, etc.).