Emergency Instructions
Clasification Society 2024 - Version 9.40
Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - International Codes - SCV Code - Code of Safety for Small Commercial Vessels Operating in the Caribbean - Chapter VIII - Operational Requirements - Part B - Preparations for Emergencies - Emergency Instructions

Emergency Instructions

Parent topic: Part B - Preparations for Emergencies

Rough weather at sea, crossing hazardous bars or flooding

  1. Close all watertight and weathertight doors, hatches, and airports to prevent taking water aboard.

  2. Keep bilges dry to prevent loss of stability due to water in bilges. Use power driven bilge pump, hand pump, and buckets to dewater.

  3. Arrange fire pumps to be used as bilge pumps where permitted.

  4. Check all intake and discharge lines, which penetrate the hull, for leakage.

  5. Passengers shall remain seated and evenly distributed as directed by the master.

  6. Passengers shall wear life jackets when instructed by the master.

  7. Where assistance is needed follow the procedures on the emergency broadcast placard posted by the radiotelephone.

  8. Prepare survival craft (life floats, (inflatable) rafts, (inflatable) buoyant apparatus, boats) for launching.

  9. Instructions to abandon the vessel shall not be given unless in the opinion of the master the risk of persons remaining on board exceeds the risk of evacuating the vessel.

Man overboard

  1. Throw a life buoy overboard as close to the person as possible.

  2. Post a lookout to keep the person overboard in sight.

  3. Launch the rescue boat and manoeuvre to pick up person in the water, or manoeuvre the vessel to pick up the person in the water.

  4. Have a crew member put on lifejacket, attach a safety line to him or her, and have him or her stand by ready to jump into the water to assist the person overboard if necessary.

  5. Where person is not immediately located, notify Coast Guard and other vessels in vicinity by radiotelephone.

  6. Continue search until released by Coast Guard or where the master considers it impracticable to continue the search.

Fire

  1. Cut off air supply to fire – close items such as hatches, ports, doors, ventilators, and louvers, and shut off ventilation system.

  2. Cut off electrical system supplying affected compartment if possible.

  3. Where safe, immediately use portable fire extinguishers at base of flames for flammable liquid or grease fires or water for fires in ordinary combustible materials. Do not use water on electrical fire.

  4. Where fire is in machinery spaces, shut off fuel supply and ventilation and activate fixed extinguishing system if installed.

  5. Manoeuvre vessel to minimize effect of wind on fire.

  6. Where unable to control fire, immediately notify the Coast Guard and other craft in the vicinity by radiotelephone.

  7. Move passengers away from fire, have them put on lifejackets, and where necessary, prepare to abandon the vessel.

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