Responding to Orders and Information

As mentioned in the previous lesson, Standard Marine Communication Phrases influence Maritime English vocabulary. Some features of the SMCP are specifically aimed at making radio communication as well as routine and special-purpose messages onboard more effective. Of course, this goes for communication ship to ship or ship to station as well. 

During radio communications, it is very important to say if a piece of information is not immediately available, not heard or if there is any uncertainty. If information is not available to you at the moment, you need time to find the answer. Respond with: 'Stand by' this phrase communicates with the receiver that you are not able to give the information now, but it will be with them very soon.  When you don’t have information to give, “no information” is the correct way to reply. 

If you do not properly catch a message, respond with 'say again' or 'repeat'. This should be confirmed by using 'I say again' or 'I repeat'.

To establish a clear transmission, the verb 'read' should be used instead of 'hear' or 'listen' and the indication of the signal strength will serve to identify the clarity of transmission. An example to the question “How do you read me?”, an answer will be “I read you fair with signal strength three” to signify that the signal received is “fairly good”.

To signal readiness for receiving a message, use:  ”I am ready to receive your message” or ”I am not ready to receive your message”.

Avoidance of Synonyms

Words should be used consistently throughout so that for instance, the vessel has been agreed upon to be used instead of the yacht, even though you are on a yacht.

Example:

“No vessel in the vicinity” is the correct phrase to be transmitted when communicating that there are no other ships around.

Avoiding synonyms means to agree upon the use of one word instead of many similar describing the same noun or phenomenon. When everybody uses the term “stairs” no one has to ponder on the meaning of synonyms like 'steps', 'escalator', 'companionway', 'staircase' and so on. Elaborate synonyms are always accompanied by the risk of the receiver not knowing this particular word.

Avoid Contracted Forms

Auxiliary verbs and not-forms should not be contracted. This helps preserve pronunciation clarity and enhance audibility. As a matter of fact, it is recommended to reduce the use of auxiliary verbs in general. 

Auxiliary verbs are 'help verbs' and we are used to having them in sentences for nuance, to be polite and to follow a tone or mode in everyday communication. However, in Maritime communication, these words tend to diffuse a message. 

Avoiding contracted auxiliary verbs means pronouncing every word – instead of saying “she’ll enter the fairway in five minutes”, say “she will enter the fairway in five minutes”. To completely avoid auxiliary verb, the example would be: ”She is entering the fairway in five minutes". 

The same goes for:

• He’ll → he will
• She didn’t → she did not
• It’s → it is

Example of contracted not-forms: 

Use “I cannot locate you on my radar screen” instead of “I can’t locate you on my radar screen”.

Provide fully Worded Answers to "Yes/No"-Questions

Replies should not be restricted to a simple “yes” or “no” but fully developed containing all the question items. 

Example: 

There will only be two available answers to the question “Is the turning effect of the propeller very strong?”. Either:

“Yes, the turning effect of the propeller is very strong” or

“No, the turning effect of the propeller is not very strong”

Furthermore, provide fully worded responses to instructions, pieces of advice or orders – this makes sure messages are acknowledged at all times. 

If an instruction, an order or a piece of advice is transmitted, the receiving station will make sure that the information has been received and understood by repeating the main wording preceded by I will/can or I will not/cannot. 

Example: 

The straightforward order of “Stop engines until the pilot boat is clear” will be expected to get the following reply: “I will stop engines until the pilot boat is clear”.

Providing fully worded answers is a way to secure that a message is received as intended. It is called closed-loop communication. For a fully closed loop, the sender should even confirm that the receiver has understood correctly:

• P: “Stop engines until the pilot boat is clear”
• Q: “I will stop engines until the pilot boat is clear”.
• P: “All received”

To enable closed-loop communication, one phrase for one event is important:

Provide one phrase for one event

When asking or giving orders, one phrase for one event is a golden rule. If you are responding to orders or questions, this can be eased in a similar way to avoid misunderstandings. If you respond “yes” to a phrase containing more than one event, it is not clear to what you respond affirmatively. Responses to orders and answers to questions of special importance (both in external and onboard communication) should be given according to the form of the phrases above.

During warnings, emergencies or in generally pressured situations, try to avoid using (or use sparingly) function words such as the, a/an, is/are

Example: 

“Danger of icing in the area around …” will be used to notify that “there is a danger of icing in the area around …”

Avoid Conditionals  

Avoid using modal verbs such as the conditionals 'can', 'may', 'might', 'should' and 'could'. In official communications, they should be avoided but be careful with them in any situation where clear communication is intended.

Here follows an example of conditionals to avoid:

Always be careful when using modal verbs as the conditionals, in any situation where clear communication is intended. Combining this advice with message markers helps keep vital communication to the point and easy to understand:

• Do not say: "May I enter the fairway?" or “Can I enter the fairway?”
• Say: "Question. Do I have permission to enter the fairway?"
• Answering the question above, do not say: "You may enter the fairway."
• Say: "Answer. You have permission to enter the fairway."

“Can” and “may” are tricky, they can describe the possibility as well as the capability of doing something. A recipient can mistakingly decode your reply as you may do a certain task or manoeuvre when you are actually trying to communicate that you have understood and will follow the instruction. 

• Do not say: "I might enter the fairway soon."
  Say: "Intention. I will enter the fairway."
• Do not say: "You should anchor in anchorage B 3."
  Say: "Advice. Anchor in anchorage B 3."
• Do not say: "You could be running into danger."
  Say: "Warning. You are running into danger."

When an official Instruction or Advice is given, and you respond in the affirmative, say:

• "I will/can ... " - followed by the instruction or advice in full.

To answer in the negative, respond:

• "I will not/cannot ... " - followed by the instruction or advice in full.

Example: Bunkering Communication

Bunkering, the supplying of fuel, is naturally a situation where extra safety measures need to be taken. Thus, clear communication regarding checklists and procedures is vital – it can actually be a matter of life and death. Here, safe communication avoiding misunderstandings as well as the knowledge of proper words comes to great use. The same goes for message markers and closed-loop communication. 

Let’s listen to some examples based on the pre-bunkering checklist.