Abandoning the Ship

The decision to abandon the ship is made by the Master. Usually, the vessel offers the best chance of survival for the vessel’s crew. A liferaft or lifeboat is the last resort in case it is no longer safe to stay onboard. 

Are you well prepared?... Records show that ships can sink in less than 15 minutes. This affords little time to formulate a plan of action, so careful pre-planning is essential to be ready in an emergency. We will go through a few pointers for you to remember when abandoning ship.

Warm Clothing

Put on as many layers of warm clothing as possible, including foot protection, making sure to cover the head, neck, hands and feet. Fasten, close and button-up clothing to prevent cold water from flushing through the clothing.

Immersion Suit

If an immersion suit is available, put it on over the warm clothing and if the suit does not have inherent floatation, put on a lifejacket and secure it correctly.

Anti-Seasickness Medicine

If time permits, all persons should, before boarding the survival craft or in any case immediately after boarding, take some anti-seasickness medicine in a dose recommended by the manufacturer. Seasickness will interfere with your survival chances as vomiting removes precious body fluid; seasickness, in general, makes you more prone to hypothermia and impairs your will to survive.

Avoid the Water

Avoid entering the water if possible, e.g., board davit-launched survival craft on the embarkation deck or by the marine escape system. If davit-launched survival craft, a marine escape system or other means of dry embarkation are not available, use overside ladders or if necessary, lower yourself using a rope or fire hose.

Accidentally In The Water

Once in the water, whether accidentally or by ship abandonment, orientate yourself and try to locate the vessel, lifeboats, liferafts, other survivors or other floating objects. If you were unable to prepare yourself before entering the water, button-up clothing now, in cold water, you might experience violent shivering and great pain. These are natural body reflexes that are not dangerous. You do, however, need to take action as quickly as possible before you lose full use of your hands, so button-up clothing, turn on signal lights, locate whistle, etc.

Do Not Swim!

While afloat in the water, do not attempt to swim unless it is to reach a nearby craft, a fellow survivor or a floating object on which you can lean or climb. Unnecessary swimming will pump out any warm water between your body and the layers of clothing, thereby increasing the rate of body heat loss. It is also making unnecessary movements of your arms and legs, sending warm blood from the inner core to the extremities (arms and legs) and thus to the outer parts of the body - this can result in very rapid heat loss. Stay calm and take up a good position to prevent drowning.

Correct Body Position

The body position you assume in the water is also vital in conserving heat. Float as still as possible. Keep your legs together, elbows close to your side and arms folded across the front of your lifejacket. This position minimises the exposure of the body surface to the cold water. Try to keep your head and neck out of the water.

Get Lower Than 5 Meters

Unless it is unavoidable, do not jump from higher than 5 meters into the water. Try to minimize the shock of sudden cold immersion. A sudden plunge into the cold water can cause rapid death or an uncontrollable rise in breathing rate and may result in an intake of water into the lungs. 

On occasions, it may be necessary to jump into the water; if so, you should keep your elbows to your side, cover your nose and mouth with one hand while holding the wrist or elbow firmly with the other hand.

In the Survival Craft

Try to board a lifeboat, raft or other floating platforms as soon as possible to shorten the immersion time. Remember, you lose body heat many times faster in water than in air. Since the effectiveness of your insulation has been severely reduced by water soaking, you must now try to shield yourself from the wind, to avoid a wind-chill effect (convective cooling). If you manage to climb aboard a lifeboat, shielding can be accomplished with the aid of a canvas cover or tarp, or an unused garment. Huddling close to the other occupants of the lifeboat or raft will also conserve body heat.

We Are Alive! Now What?

A lifeboat is not the "Wild West", there must be law and order! The person in charge should prepare some rules. You must maintain discipline under the chosen person. Some of you onboard the lifeboat may have gotten a shock, but it is the job of the person in charge to make it clear to everybody that the situation is far from hopeless and that the boat/raft is specially built & equipped for precisely this situation. 

Storytelling and Singing

The person in charge must be aware that not everybody who has been rescued has the same mental strength. It is, therefore, essential to keep a constant eye on everybody's condition and keep spirits up to be as optimistic as possible. Tell stories or sing songs to help you all think about something else. 

Smoking or No Smoking?... The person in charge will decide whether smoking is permitted or not. But remember - smoking can make you thirsty and seasick. Naked flames can also damage the boat/raft.

Crew Duties

The muster list shall show the duties assigned to members of the crew concerning guests in case of emergency. These duties shall include:

• Warning the guests.
• Seeing that they are suitably dressed and have donned their lifejackets correctly.
• Assembling guests at muster stations.
• Keeping order in the passageways and on the stairways and generally controlling the movements of the guests.
• Ensuring that a supply of blankets is taken to the survival craft.

Alarms and Mustering

The boat alarm is given with the whistle followed by the same signal given by the fire bells/main alarm system. The signal can vary from vessel to vessel. Know the signal on your Yacht! Always check it straight away upon signing on. 

When an Alarm Sounds

As soon as a boat alarm sounds, everybody must immediately mobilise, following the muster list and put on lifejackets. The commander of the boat must count those present to ensure that nobody is missing. If someone is missing, the Master must judge whether there is the time and the possibility of initiating a search. The crew can then commence their assigned duties as described in the boat muster list, as practised in drills.

Special Circumstances Before Boarding

Emergency lighting in the embarkation area (the deck area from which lifeboats or liferafts are boarded). Where is it?... How is it operated?...

Special Circumstances Before Launching

Stabiliser fins, if equipped, must be able to be taken in so they cannot damage lifeboats or liferafts. Therefore they must be supplied with power from an emergency source. Make sure to read the instructions - overboard discharge. You must know how to prevent the discharge of water into lifeboats or liferafts while the vessel is being abandoned.

Launching of Survival Craft

If there is sufficient time, the Master can issue orders to collect extra blankets, provision and water to bring in the boat/raft. This job can already be assigned to particular crew members and described in the boat muster list. The Master can also order extra rafts to be launched and released. These can then be collected later, as well as additional provisions and food used for survival. If the lifeboat or raft to which you are assigned should suffer an accident, you must change to an undamaged boat or raft as ordered.

Boarding

Today it usually is possible to release the lifeboat with the entire crew onboard. Boarding of lifeboats or liferafts can be done under three principles:

• By crawling down a ladder on the side of the vessel.
• By boarding where the lifeboat or raft is placed or from an embarkation deck to which they are lowered. Launching is done with the crew onboard.
• By evacuation via inflated chutes (MES, this system is specially designed for use on ferries).

Do Not Get Wet!

Try to board the lifeboats or liferafts without getting wet. But if it is necessary to go into the water to board the boat or raft, remember:

• Never jump into the water headfirst – always jump legs first.
• Hold on to your lifejacket.
• Don't jump down into the lifeboat or raft. Jump into the water as close to the boat or raft as possible. (If this distance is small and it is safe to do so, a person can jump directly into the liferaft ensuring that they do not get hurt, hurt anyone else or damage the liferaft itself.)

Launching of Lifeboat

The typical crew for a lifeboat consists of 5–6 persons, and they must perform their tasks. The commander of the boat is in charge of the launch and ensures that the engine is started. The second in command takes charge of the launch if the commander is absent. The second in command is generally also responsible for operating the boat's engine. The remaining persons insert the drain plug(s), release ropes and prepare bowsing tackles. As soon as the boat is lowered to the embarkation deck, they rig the bowsing tackles and release the tricing pendants. 

They must ensure that the painter is made fast as far forward as possible. The embarkation ladder is launched, and crew/guests are helped to board the boat safely. One person must be ready to operate the brake. The boat is launched on order from the commander. The same person can perform one or more of the tasks.

Manual Release of Lifeboat

The lifeboat must be released from the blocks when it is floating on the water. Simultaneous release of the blocks is possible in some lifeboats by operating a single handle. Other lifeboats have to be released manually at each end. If so, this must be done simultaneously.

Hydrostatic Release of Lifeboat

The release of the blocks on vessels built after 1998 is by hydrostatic offload release, which is activated a few meters over the water, and the blocks are then released automatically when the boat is floating. It is thus possible to move away from the ship as quickly as possible. The system also has an emergency release for use before the boat is floating on the water – if this becomes necessary.

Release of Liferaft

Davit-launched rafts can be equipped with an automatic or semi-automatic release mechanism. In some cases, they must be released manually. The release mechanism is activated a few meters over the water and the raft is then released automatically when it is floating on the water. The stress in the fall is significantly less. The system does, however, have an emergency release if this becomes necessary. The greatest possible care must be taken under all circumstances, and release may only occur on order from the person in charge.

It's the Master's Orders to Abandon Ship

The Master makes the decision to abandon the ship. You can contribute to a successful operation by knowing what to do and by understanding the dangers you will be facing. As mentioned previously it is the Master's decision whether to abandon ship or not. 

The order to abandon ship can be given by walkie-talkie or over the ship's public announcement (PA) system. The commander of the lifeboat or raft is then responsible for the further launching of the lifeboat or raft. If a walkie-talkie is not used, the following signals can be used by the commander of the lifeboat or raft on launching:

Means of Survival

We have briefly explained how your body responds to cold, what you can do to help ward off the harmful effects of cold, and, finally, how to administer aid to an immersion survivor. We will now sum up a number of important reminders. Follow them - your life may depend on them!

• Plan your emergency moves: Ask yourself what you would do if an emergency does arise. Where is your nearest exit to the deck for escape? Where is the immersion suit, lifejacket, lifeboat or raft? How would you quickly get to your foul weather gear, insulated clothing and insulated gloves?
• Know your survival equipment: The time of the emergency is not the time to learn.
• Wear many layers of clothing: Wear them even in the tropics, to offset the effects of the cold. Wear an immersion suit if available. Put on a lifejacket! Do it as soon as possible in an emergency.
• Try to board the lifeboat or liferaft dry: When you are abandoning the ship, try to board the lifeboat or liferaft without entering the water. If you have to go into the water, try to enter it gradually. Take anti-seasickness medicine as soon as possible.
• Swim only to a safe refuge nearby: Swimming increases body heat loss. Instead, you should try to reduce heat loss. Try to float in the water with your legs together, elbows to your side and arms across your chest.
• Do not issue any food or water for the first 24 hours: Only issue food and water to a person who has either bled or vomited considerably. Post a lookout and prepare the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon), SART (Search and Rescue Transponder), signalling devices, and portable radio equipment.

In a survival situation, you must force yourself to have the will to survive. This will make the difference between life and death.