CAPT.

SUNDARAM Q&A

SET-I

1. What is lug and lug less shackle?

Ans.

2. How will you dismantle the shackle?

Ans. The tapered pin which is connecting the three parts of the shackle should be
removed with the help of hammer and marline spike.

3. How will you cancel the distress alert sent wrongly by EPIRB?

Ans. If for any reason the EPIRB is activated accidently, Switch off EPIRB immediately.
Contact nearest Coast Station, LES or RCC and cancel the distress alert.

4. What is Coriolis force?

Ans. Coriolis force is the deflecting force created due to rotation of earth, it causes the
wind to deflect to right in NH and to left in SH when travelling from High pressure area
to Low pressure area.

5. Why is action to keep out of the way of TRS different for different hemispheres?

Ans. The dangerous semicircle in both the hemispheres is different i.e. RHSC in HN and
LHSC in SH. So in NH wind in veering in dangerous semicircle and it is backing in
dangerous semicircle of SH. And therefore the action to keep out of the way of TRS of
one hemisphere will lead me to eye of TRS in other hemisphere.

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 CAPT. SUNDARAM Q&A

6. Why gyro doesn't works at higher latitudes?

Ans. Settling and steaming error become extensive and most importantly due to earth
speed which keeps on reducing as you go higher up in latitude 902 Cos Lat. The gyro
attains its direction perpendicular to the movement of earth, so as you go higher up the
speed of earth reduces and the gyro becomes more erratic.

7. South cardinal buoy 180 degrees course, Action?

Ans. Reverse course inform master and engine room as there is a possibility I might have
missed out something.

8. What is the difference between grounding, stranding and beaching?

Ans. Stranding and beaching are both type of grounding. Beaching is intentional
grounding and stranding is accidental grounding.

9. Master incapacitated what tells you that you can take command, where is it
written that you can take over?

Ans. As per STCW Sec A-II, Para-3, Master has the ultimate responsibility for the safety
of the ship, crew and cargo and for protection of marine environment against pollution
from ship and the chief mate shall be in a position to assume that responsibility at any
time. Thus the mate is second in command to master.

SET-II

1. Mob in TSS, actions?

Ans. MOB in TSS it will be difficult to execute Anderson turn, so my plan would be to go out
of TSS and the drop rescue boat and pick up the MOB,
1. Put helm towards the side person has fallen overboard.
2. Release MOB buoy and mark the position on GPS.
3. Raise alarm and control the steering, take the vessel out of TSS.
4. Inform VTS and all the vessels in vicinity by means of urgency message (PAN
PANx3.......)
5. Handover to master and attend to rescue boat preparations being the head of rescue
team
6. Lower the rescue boat and proceed to rescue the person while communicating with the
ship.
7. Rescue the person and give him medical attention necessary.

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 CAPT. SUNDARAM Q&A

2. GPS fail at open sea. Your action?

Ans. 1. Use visual and radar bearings or sextant. Ascertain accurate position.

2. Once that is done. Try and troubleshoot GPS problem. Consult GPS manual for
troubleshooting and ask E/O to carry out any repairs required.
3. And not to mention that all equipment will give alarm thay are connected with
GPS. So we will acknowledge all alarms carefully.
4. Our AIS may have a built in GPS. We may take position from that.

3. Can gyro at earth can work at moon also?

Ans. Gyro on earth cannot work on moon as the weight used for gravity control and for
damping will be different on moon and the desired effect cannot be obtained.

SET-III
1. Duties of on Scene Commander?

Ans. Until an OSC has been designated by the Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator
(SMC), the first facility arriving at the scene should assume the duties of an OSC. These are: -

(a) Coordinate operations of all SAR facilities on-scene.

(b) Receive the search or rescue plan from SMC or plan the operation himself, if nothing is
received.

(c) Modify the plan if the situation demands, keeping the SMC advised.

(d) Coordinate on-scene communications.

(e) Monitor the performance of other participating facilities.

(f) Ensure that operations are conducted safely. There should be safe separations among all
facilities both surface and air.

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 CAPT. SUNDARAM Q&A

(g) Make periodic situation reports (SITREPs) to the SMC. They should include, but not be
limited to:

1. Weather and sea conditions.

2. Latest search results.
3. Any actions taken.
4. Future plans and recommendations.
(h) Maintain a detailed record of the operation, including: -

1. On-scene arrival and departure times of SAR facilities, other vessels and aircraft
engaged in the operation.
2. Areas searched.
3. Track spacing used.
4. Sightings and leads reported.
5. Actions taken.
6. Results obtained.
(i) Advise the SMC to release facilities no longer required.

(j) Report the number and names of survivors to the SMC.

(k) Provide the SMC with the names and designations of facilities with survivors aboard.

(l) Report which survivors are in each facility.

(m) Request additional SMC assistance when necessary, eg, medical evacuation of seriously
injured survivors.

2. Master Overboard in Pacific, action?

Ans. 1. Commence the Anderson turn by putting the rudder hard over to the side
master has fallen overboard.

2. Release MOB Buoy from bridge mark position on GPS.

3. Raise alarm for MOB. Ask 3/O to come on the bridge and 2/O to proceed to
Rescue boat preparation, as master is overboard so as his second in command I will assume
responsibility of the vessel.

4. Carry out rescue operations, recover master.

5. Inform owners and seek medical assistance from shore.

6. Follow instructions from owners.

3. RADAR limitation?

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 CAPT. SUNDARAM Q&A

Ans. 1. Range discrimination- It is the ability of the RADAR to distinguish between

two targets on same bearing and different range, as per IMO performance standards a
RADAR should be able to distinguish between 2 targets separated by 40 m on 1.5 M
range scale.

2. Bearing discrimination- It is the ability of the RADAR to distinguish between

two targets on same range and different bearing, as per IMO performance standards it
should not be more than 2.5°.

3. Minimum range- It is the minimum range at which the target can be

detected by the RADAR, and is affected by various aspect: Height of RADAR, VBW, Pulse
Length and Wavelength. As per IMO performance standard the RADAR scanner placed at
a height of 15 m should be able to detect the target at 40 m.

4. Maximum range- It is the maximum range at which the target can be

detected. It depends on various factors: Height of scanner, VBW, HBW, diffraction,
attenuation, Weather effects, Nature of target, power of the set and receiver sensitivity.

5. Range Accuracy- It is the accuracy with which the RADAR can measure the
range of a target, as per IMO performance standards the error should be not more than
1% of range scale in use or 30 m.

6. Bearing accuracy- It is the accuracy with which the RADAR can detect the
bearing of an object, as per IMO performance standards it should not be more than +/-
1°.

4. Can u use gyro on moon? Explain.

Ans. Yes, Gyro can work on moon, provided we can make it north seeking with gravity
control and north settling with damping control, both by weights on the moon as the
effect of gravity will be different on moon.

5. What’s egg code?

Ans. Egg code is used in the ice charts to represent the amount of ice in the area, types
of ice and age of the ice in the are covered by the ice chart. It is called egg diagram
because of the oval shape in which the diagram is represented.

6. What aspects of engine you need to know if you have to take over from master?

Ans. 1. Total time required to start and stop engine

2. Critical rpm

3. Time taken to charge main air bottles for auxiliary blowers

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 CAPT. SUNDARAM Q&A

4. Power of engine

5. Total no of starts n stops possible

6. RPM at various speeds

7. Horse power

8. Time from full ahead to crash stop

9. Critical RPM.

7. El Niño effect?

Ans. At irregular intervals (roughly every 3-6 years), the sea surface temperatures in the
Pacific Ocean along the equator become warmer or cooler than normal. These
anomalies are the hallmark of El Niño and La Niña climate cycles, which can influence
weather patterns across the globe.

8. Declination?

Ans. Declination is the angle at the centre of the earth contained between the body and
the equinoctial and is 0°-90° N/S.

9. Polar distance?

Ans. It is the complement of declination i.e. 90°-Declination. It is the angle at the centre
of the earth contained between the body and the Pole N/S.

SET-IV
1. Master overboard in South Pacific heavy weather how long will you carry out
search?

Ans. The search should be carried out until all reasonable hope of rescuing the survivors
are lost. However there are few things to consider when considering the time required
carrying out the search,

1. Vessel should have sufficient fuel to reach to closest port where bunker supplies
can be taken.
2. The probability of the survivor i.e. master, to be alive in the prevailing conditions,
the IAMSAR volume 3 provides the tables predicting the probability of surviving
based on Sea temperature and wind force and temperature, also a graph is provided
for the effect of hypothermia on the survivor with lowering temperature. Most

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 CAPT. SUNDARAM Q&A

probably a person overboard will not be having sufficient warm clothing which
reduces the probability of survival.
3. Probability that the survivors if alive are within that area.

2. Cannot locate master in above your action?

Ans. After consultation with other assisting craft and land-based authorities, should take the
following action:
1. Terminate active search
2. advise assisting craft to proceed on passage and inform the land- based authority
3. Send a message to all ships in the area asking them to continue to keep a look-out
4. Inform owners and obtain instructions.

3. Plan passage in from East Coast to West Coast during both monsoons?

Ans. During NE monsoon- Current circulation would be anticlockwise, so therefore the

currents would be mostly against, so best would be to plan a passage by coming away
from coastline so as to reduce the effect of against current.

During SW Monsoon- Current will be favourable as the direction will be clockwise so

I would proceed along the coastline utilising the currents.

4. Currents during both monsoons?

Ans. During NE Monsoon the current circulation is anticlockwise and during SW

monsoon circulation of currents is clockwise.

SET-V
1. MOB in TSS action?

Ans. MOB in TSS it will be difficult to execute Anderson turn, so my plan would be to go out
of TSS and the drop rescue boat and pick up the MOB,
8. Put helm towards the side person has fallen overboard.
9. Release MOB buoy and mark the position on GPS.
10. Raise alarm and control the steering, take the vessel out of TSS.
11. Inform VTS and all the vessels in vicinity by means of urgency message (PAN
PANx3.......)
12. Handover to master and attend to rescue boat preparations being the head of rescue
team
13. Lower the rescue boat and proceed to rescue the person while communicating with the
ship.
14. Rescue the person and give him medical attention necessary.

2. GPS failed at sea action?

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 CAPT. SUNDARAM Q&A

Ans. 1. Use visual and radar bearings or sextant. Ascertain accurate position.

2. Once that is done. Try and troubleshoot GPS problem. Consult GPS manual for
troubleshooting and ask E/O to carry out any repairs required.

3. And not to mention that all equipment will give alarm thay are connected with
GPS. So we will acknowledge all alarms carefully.

4. Our AIS may have a built in GPS. We may take position from that.

3. Can gyro on earth work in moon?

Ans. Gyro on earth cannot work on moon as the weight used for gravity control and for
damping will be different on moon and the desired effect cannot be obtained.

4. Vessel on 180 south cardinal buoy sighted straight ahead action?

Ans. Reverse course inform master and engine room as there is a possibility I might have
missed out something.

5. Master overboard in pacific state your action?

Ans. 1. Commence the Anderson turn by putting the rudder hard over to the side master
has fallen overboard.

2. Release MOB Buoy from bridge mark position on GPS.

3. Raise alarm for MOB. Ask 3/O to come on the bridge and 2/O to proceed to
Rescue boat preparation, as master is overboard so as his second in command I will assume
responsibility of the vessel.

4. Carry out rescue operations, recover master.

5. Inform owners and seek medical assistance from shore.

6. Follow instructions from owners.

6. RADAR limitations?

Ans. 1. Range discrimination- It is the ability of the RADAR to distinguish between two
targets on same bearing and different range, as per IMO performance standards a
RADAR should be able to distinguish between 2 targets separated by 40 m on 1.5 M
range scale.

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 CAPT. SUNDARAM Q&A

2. Bearing discrimination- It is the ability of the RADAR to distinguish between

two targets on same range and different bearing, as per IMO performance standards it
should not be more than 2.5°.

3. Minimum range- It is the minimum range at which the target can be

detected by the RADAR, and is affected by various aspect: Height of RADAR, VBW, Pulse
Length and Wavelength. As per IMO performance standard the RADAR scanner placed at
a height of 15 m should be able to detect the target at 40 m.

4. Maximum range- It is the maximum range at which the target can be

detected. It depends on various factors: Height of scanner, VBW, HBW, diffraction,
attenuation, Weather effects, Nature of target, power of the set and receiver sensitivity.

5. Range Accuracy- It is the accuracy with which the RADAR can measure the
range of a target, as per IMO performance standards the error should be not more than
1% of range scale in use or 30 m.

6. Bearing accuracy- It is the accuracy with which the RADAR can detect the
bearing of an object, as per IMO performance standards it should not be more than +/-
1°.

7. NE monsoon plan passage from Tuticorin to Haldia?

Ans. During NE monsoon- Current circulation would be anticlockwise, so therefore the

currents would be mostly against, so best would be to plan a passage by coming away
from coastline so as to reduce the effect of against current.

8. Approaching port without master?

Ans. Company DPA to be advised of the situation. Inform Port control about the
situation, ask for pilot to come as far outside as possible in any event take the ship safely
to pilot boarding ground.

9. Any method to determine position apart from celestial or GPS fixes? How to use
contour lines?

Ans. Position fixing can also be done with the help of contour lines. Note down the time
when crossing a depth contour with the help of echo sounder and afterwards obtain a
PL from celestial or terrestrial observation. Now apply run and transfer the depth
contour using tracing paper to the PL observed, the point of intersection would be the
position.

10. Errors of GPS?

Ans. 1. Satellite Clock Error

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 CAPT. SUNDARAM Q&A

2. User Clock Error

3. GDOP

4. Orbital Error

5. Multipath Error

6. Ionospheric Delay

11. Basic principle of GPS?

Ans. It determines position by calculating the range of the user from the various
satellites, position of these satellites is known to the GPS contained in the Almanac data
in Navigational message. The range is calculated by measuring the time difference
utilising the identical sets of C/A code generated within the user and the satellite and
multiplying it with speed of light. The equation now obtained is resolved with equations
obtained from other the other satellites.

12. VDR Module?

Ans. 1. Data recording unit

2. Audio recording unit

3. Final recording unit

4. Remote alarm module

5. Replay station

13. How DGPS works?

Ans. DGPS is a GPS in which the position fix is agumentated by differential data,
provided to GPS receiver via various DGPS stations in form of correction. The error is
calculated in terms of Range or Lat/Long a DGPS station knows its position and position
of satellites so it calculates the position or range and compares it with correct position
or range the difference in the two values would be the correction which is sent to all the
GPS receivers within the range.

14. TRS avoiding action in SH? Why is this action different from action in NH? Till what
time will you keep wind on bow?

Ans. Avoiding action for TRS in SH,

- In Dangerous semicircle i.e. LHSC: keeping the wind on port bow 1 point for slow
vessels (speed less than 12 knots) and 4 points for vessel fast vessels (speed more than
12 knots) altering as the wind is Backing.

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 CAPT. SUNDARAM Q&A

- In Navigable semicircle i.e. RHSC keeping the wind 4 points on Port quarter,
alter course as the wind is veering.

The dangerous semicircle in both the hemispheres is different i.e. RHSC in HN and LHSC
in SH. So in NH wind in veering in dangerous semicircle and it is backing in dangerous
semicircle of SH. And therefore the action to keep out of the way of TRS of SH
hemisphere will lead me to eye of TRS in NH.

In both the above cases vessel to proceed in the same way i.e. keep the wind on port
bow until the pressure comes back to normal.

15. Malacca Strait master fell, takeover the command and tell each and everything you
will do, what will be your priority?

Ans. My first priority will be the safety of the vessel,

1. Firstly I would ensure that the vessel is safe w.r.t navigational dangers.
2. Take over command from master as he will not be able to carry out his duties.
3. After it is ensured the vessel is safe I will ask 2/O to attend to master and to check
what kind of medical condition is master in.
4. Inform owners along with the details of medical condition of master.
5. Seek for medical advice from shore.
6. Obtain instruction from owners for further action, if required drop anchor near port
with 3/O at forward station to discharge master and for a new master to join.

16. TSS both steering gear motors fail, state your action?

Ans. It is an emergency situation,

1. Raise alarm, inform master and engine room muster crew and take headcount.
2. Stop engines to reduce the momentum of the vessel.
3. Display NUC signal and change AIS status.
4. Inform all the vessels in vicinity and VTS.
5. Check for what kind of steering failure, so as to determine possibility of use of
emergency steering gear or NFU mode.
6. Hand over to master when he is on bridge and proceed to anchor station.
7. Prepare and keep both anchors ready for letting go in case it is required.

17. Why will you not prefer amplitude of moon?

Ans. Amplitude is taken when the body centre is on the horizon. In case of moon due to
the close proximity of the moon the horizontal parallax is too much and at the time of
theoretical rising the centre of moon is still below the horizon as when we will apply all

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 CAPT. SUNDARAM Q&A

corrections to moon altitude at the time of rising the T. Alt will be negative i.e. below
the horizon.

Prepared By- Abhishek Jha