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Workbook Activity T4 Wk5

LO1.4: Explain the actions to be taken following a collision of a ship
Learning Outcomes Exercises 1.4
1. State the Six (6) probable causes of collision accidents between ships:

a. Harsh weather condition

b. Navigational equipment failure

c. Inexperience of the crew

d. Improper performance of duty, hasty lookout

e. Reckless behavior, drinking alcohol during voyage

f. Over fatigue, lack of sleep or rest

g. Negligence of COLREGs

2. List three (3) duties of the Master following a collision and elaborate each by your own words

a. Assess the damage- when a collision happen, the master is responsible in assessing
the damage to further understand the collision situation and make actions
accordingly. In this, he would check the vessel’s water tight integrity and ensure that
he would take all precautionary measures to avoid escalation of the situation.

b. Report the situation- the master is also responsible in reporting the situation to
competent authorities. In doing so, he will send a distress signal to inform other
vessel in the vicinity in order for them to send assistance or for them to give way. In
reporting the situation the master will record the important data and report it to the
owner. Also, he will also inform the crew about the situation by sounding the alarm.

c. Last Resort- if the damage is out of control the master would resort to the last resort
which is preparing life saving equipments and preparing for abandon ship to avoid
loss of lives due to the collision. However, if the ship did not suffer from too much
damage, the crew will stay onboard the vessel and wait for assistance.

3. State Ten (10) important things to do during ship collision accident and explain each:

1. Inform the master and engine room-the master and the engine room must be
informed because the master is the responsible of the vessel and have the overall
command thus he must be informed.

2. Immediately send distress signal-distress signal must be sent to inform vessels in the
vicinity and for them to send assistance of keep distance from the collision situation.

3. Record important data- important data must be recorded because it will be the basis
 during the investigation of the collision

4. Sound the alarms-sounding the alarm will inform the crew onboard about the current
situation and for them to act accordingly

5. Assess the damage- assess the damage to where the impart happened in order to act
accordingly like closing water tight doors or other precautionary measures

6. Take the soundings- take the soundings of the tanks, because the tanks far away from
the impact can experience damage or crack due to the shock

7. Take immediate action in case of damage-in case of damage, make necessary

arrangement to avoid the situation from escalating and avoid other compartments
from flooding

8. Check for oil Spill-it is included in the SOPEP plan and to ensure that the environment
will not be damaged

9. Reach the nearest port, if possible- reach the nearest port to ask for assistance

10. Abandon the ship only if everything else fails-if everything else fails, it is most best to
save the crew’s lives and avoid human casualties to abandon the ship because the
vessel might sink or the cargo might explode.

4. Enumerate Three (3) procedures in Master reporting incidental situation:

1. Immediately Send Distress Signal: Send distress messages through VHF,MF/HF or any
other available means, depending on the sea are you are in and time limit you have.

2. Record Important Data: Record the time of ship collision, name and IMO number of the
vessel(s) you collided with and report to Owner.

3. Sound the Alarms: Sound the general emergency alarm; Take attendance and prepare
abandon ship for worst case scenarios.

5. Explain further the definition of ship collision

-Ship collision is when a ship collide with another ship or a floating object like iceberg. It is an accident
where a part of a ship impacts and causes immense danger to the crew, marine environment and the
vessel. It happens due to human error or natural disasters. From the word collision itself, it means
collide which means 2 objects are present in the impact. For example, ship to ship, ship to iceberg or
ship to drilling platform. This ship collision if not taken action quickly could escalate to worst scenario
and consequences.

6. State at least four (4) different major categories to be checked in case of ship collision and explain
each:

When a ship collision occurs, in order to ensure vessel and personnel’s safety, the following
major concern categories should be checked:

1. Vessel’s ability to maintain stability, movement and navigation- this is important to

 be checked because in checking the stability of the vessel, the crew will be able to
determine if the vessel will capsize due to the collision.

2. The functionality of major machinery systems and equipment- major machinery and
equipments especially in the engine room should be checked because it is vital to
ensure that it is working properly to avoid explosions, or further damage to the
vessel.

3. Crew, cargo and environment safety- the crew, cargo and environment safety must
also be check because the crew’s lives are important, the vessel can be replaced but
the lives of the crew will not be replaced. Next is cargo, cargo needs to be checked if
it is in good condition because if the cargo is hazardous or susceptible to combustion
it can result to explosion. Lastly, the environment safety must also be checked
because the environment must be taken care of properly and due to collision, oil
spills can arise and will result to destruction of environment.

4. Notification of all related stakeholders-the stakeholders’ notification must also be

checked because the stakeholders, namely the ship owner, operators, ship managers,
or charterers have concern regarding the situation and will notify and help to in the
actions to be made in the collision situation.