Safety - General — Most Asked Questions
150 questions asked about safety - general across the Fn 3 paper, heaviest first. These are the questions that named no specific system, so they could not be filed elsewhere.
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1 How do you test water tight door?
Also asked: “Water tight door testing”
Answer
A watertight door is proved twice: pressure-tested to the flooding head it may face, and checked on board for proper seating all round.
- Doors are type-tested by water pressure to the head they could sustain at final or intermediate flooding stages.
- Where a fitted door cannot be pressure-tested without damaging insulation or outfit, a prototype test of each type and size plus matching on-board fitting procedure is accepted.
- Every door on board is checked for proper seating between bulkhead, frame and door — no bottom groove where dirt can lodge and hold it open.
- Operating test both ways: power close from bridge and local, hand operation on power failure, markings and alarms proved.
Surveyor follow-up: hose test passes but the door weeps at the sill under head — seating or seal, and where do you look first?
Full theory: Decks, Openings and Watertight Closing Appliances -
2 What is convention and code?
Also asked: “What is a convention and what is a code. Difference between both”, “What is a convention & code different”
Answer
A convention is the binding treaty; a code is the detailed rulebook that the convention makes mandatory.
- Conventions like SOLAS, MARPOL and STCW are agreements states sign and enact as law.
- Codes like ISM, IMDG, FSS, LSA and IMSBC spell out exactly how to comply — construction, equipment, operations.
- A code bites when its parent convention references it; that reference turns guidance into surveyable requirements.
- Say it as: convention says what states must achieve, code says what ships must carry and do.
Surveyor follow-up: LSA Code — which convention gives it force, and which chapter points at it?
Full theory: Maritime Codes & Conventions: The Complete List -
3 Classes of fire
Also asked: “Types of fire”
Answer
Fires are classed by fuel: solids, liquids and gases, electrics, metals — each class owns its extinguishing medium.
- Class A: ordinary combustibles like wood, paper and textiles — killed by water cooling.
- Class B: flammable liquids and gases — killed by foam blanketing and smothering.
- Class C: energised electrical gear — killed by CO2 or dry powder, never water jets.
- Class D: combustible metals like magnesium and aluminium — killed by special dry powder or sand; high-voltage involvement adds a Class E tag.
Surveyor follow-up: galley deep-fat fire with water and CO2 beside it — which one, and why not the other?
Full theory: Classes of Fire & Portable Fire Extinguishers on Ships -
4 A) minimum age to work on board
Answer
Nobody sails under 16, and under-18s work under strict limits — medical, agreement and training papers must be in hand first.
- Minimum age for sea service is 16 with the full MLC package behind it.
- Under-18 seafarers face roster limits — no night work or hazardous tasks without safeguards and supervision.
- Medical fitness certificate, seafarer agreement with birth details, and basic safety training come before sign-on.
- The shipowner proves compliance at flag and port-state inspection — birth date on the agreement settles disputes.
Surveyor follow-up: a 17-year-old cadet rostered for a night engine-room watch — compliant or not?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
5 DPA and his responsibility
Answer
The designated person ashore is the company-to-ship safety link with a direct line to top management.
- Every company appoints a DPA holding authority over safety and pollution prevention on each ship.
- The DPA monitors safe operation, sees that shore support and resources reach the ship, and owns the safety culture.
- Direct access to the highest management level is mandatory — no chain of juniors in between.
- The master calls the DPA when commercial pressure and safe operation collide; the DPA backs the safe call.
Surveyor follow-up: master overruled on sailing with a known defect — who does he call, and what must that person do?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
6 Shell exapnsion plan
Also asked: “Shell ex plan”
Answer
The shell-expansion plan flattens the hull skin onto paper: every plate numbered, every strake lettered, measured round the girth.
- Three-dimensional shell plating drawn in two dimensions with verticals measured around the girth, not straight up.
- Side and bottom show as one continuous sheet with plate numbers and strake letters for survey and steel work.
- Frame lines, seams, butts, deck edges, stringers, bulkheads, openings and bossings all land on the same drawing.
- Surveyors live on it: find any plate, plan renewals and read thickness increases without climbing the staging.
Surveyor follow-up: point at the plan and name the garboard strake — then the sheer strake.
Full theory: Midship Sections Compared by Type of Ship -
7 what do you understand by condition of employment & complaint redressal system onboard
Answer
The employment agreement states every term of the job; the complaint system lets a seafarer enforce it without fear.
- The agreement names shipowner, wages, leave, rank, place and date of signing — plus birth details proving age and identity.
- Onboard complaints go to the head of department, then the master, with the right to be heard and recorded.
- Unresolved complaints go ashore to the company DPA, flag state and finally port-state control.
- No victimisation for complaining in good faith — the log, the agreement and the MLC poster prove the route.
Surveyor follow-up: a rating says wages are short with no payslip — which paper do you ask for first?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
8 Company responsibilities & authority
Answer
The company owns safety from the office: named people, written duties, real resources and a DPA with top-level access.
- Owners report the operating company by name to the flag; the company documents who does what for safety and pollution prevention.
- Adequate resources and shore support are a company duty, not a ship’s request — auditors check the money reached the ship.
- The designated person carries out the safety brief with direct access to the highest management.
- Top management plans audits, reviews reports and closes corrective actions — paper without follow-up fails.
Surveyor follow-up: repeated defects with no spares landed — ship’s fault or company’s, and which document proves it?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
9 Offload and onload mechanism
Also asked: “Onload off load mechanism”
Answer
Off-load releases only when water takes the weight; on-load releases under full load with crew aboard — hooks, interlocks and hydrostatic piston between them.
- Off-load: waterborne with no hook load, the hydrostatic piston lifts, trips the lever and frees the falls — safety-pinned against piston failure.
- On-load: releases under up to 1.1 times full load from inside the boat, guarded against accidental use.
- If the hook hangs on after waterborne, a crew member frees it by hand — never force the gear under load.
- Reset, test and pin both modes on schedule; a disabled off-load in a fire traps the boat.
Surveyor follow-up: boat waterborne but hooks holding — on-load or off-load release, and what do you touch first?
Full theory: LSA Chapter 3: Line Throwing, EEBD & SCABA -
10 sketch and describe such device
Answer
Answer any sketch-and-describe with the same frame: purpose, labelled parts, working sequence, safeties and tests.
- Purpose in one line: what the device moves, measures or protects.
- Labelled sketch with every working part named — release hooks, pistons, levers, valves or windings.
- Working sequence step by step from normal to operated with the energy path traced.
- Safeties, interlocks and tests that prove it: pins, alarms, pressure checks and reset procedure.
Surveyor follow-up: now apply that frame to the release gear in front of you — purpose and parts first.
Full theory: LSA Chapter 3: Line Throwing, EEBD & SCABA -
11 IF IN PORT, TAKE IMMOBILIZATION
Answer
Immobilization needs port permission first: main engine work only after the harbour, class and agent agree the ship may lie dead.
- Take written permission from port authorities before any main-engine work that stops propulsion.
- Isolate the machinery under repair so essential services — power, fire main, bilge — never die together.
- Keep bilges dry through the separator, fire appliances ready and trials planned for each unit after.
- Start return-to-service early so trials, steering and paperwork finish before the sailing time.
Surveyor follow-up: agent says sail in two hours with the engine open — whose permission holds the ship, and what do you log?
Full theory: Operating the Plant — Preparing, Starting, Watchkeeping and Keeping Warm -
12 A complaint should be addressed to the head of the department of the seafarer lodging the complaint or to the superior officer
Answer
Complaints start at the department head: seafarer to HOD or superior officer first, in writing, with the facts and the remedy wanted.
- Address the complaint to the head of the seafarer’s department or the superior officer above him.
- State facts, dates, witnesses and the agreement term breached with the remedy sought.
- The HOD hears both sides and attempts resolution within the time set for the issue’s seriousness.
- Log the complaint and the outcome — an unlogged complaint never happened at inspection.
Surveyor follow-up: rating complains verbally to a fitter instead of the HOD — valid first step or not?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
13 Accommodation, Recreation, food and catering
Answer
MLC sets the hotel standard at sea: decent cabins, recreation, and messing fit for the voyage length and crew mix.
- Accommodation sized, ventilated, heated, lit and quiet with separate sleeping rooms by rank and watch where required.
- Recreation rooms, library, films and sports gear with shore-leave access protecting health and morale.
- Food free of charge, of nutritional quality and variety, with trained cooks and hygienic galleys.
- Drinking water free and safe; messing inspected with the log proving checks, not promises.
Surveyor follow-up: galley clean but no trained cook aboard — compliant or not, and what paper proves it?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
14 Ans a) immediate action upon fire. Actions to be taken As soon as a fire is detected, several actions should be taken to ensure the safety of the vessel and the personnel
Answer
Fire found means alarm, inform, muster, close up and fight: seconds spent early save the ship.
- Raise the fire alarm at once and tell the bridge the location and class of fire.
- Muster with headcount while ventilation, dampers and fuel quick-closing valves shut.
- Boundary-cool around the seat with the BA team attacking from the safe side.
- Bridge manoeuvres for smoke, calls for help and readies the boat if control slips.
Surveyor follow-up: smoke in the accommodation at night — alarm first or investigate first, and who decides?
Full theory: Safety and Emergencies -
15 Conditions of employment
Answer
Employment conditions ride the agreement: rank, wages, leave, hours, repatriation and termination terms in writing.
- Signed agreement names owner, wages and calculation, leave, hours of work and rest, and repatriation.
- Termination and expiry terms with notice periods plus health and social-security benefits stated.
- Collective agreement reference where one applies, with any national-law extras attached.
- Original aboard for inspection; unsigned or vague terms fail port-state control.
Surveyor follow-up: wages short with no payslip — which paper do you ask for first?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
16 Designated person (DPA
Answer
The DPA is the company-to-ship safety link with a direct line to top management and authority over resources.
- Every company appoints a designated person holding safety and pollution authority on each ship.
- Monitors safe operation, sees shore support and resources reach the ship, and owns the safety culture.
- Direct access to the highest management tier is mandatory — no junior chain in between.
- The master calls the DPA when commercial pressure meets safe operation; the DPA backs the safe call.
Surveyor follow-up: master overruled on sailing with a known defect — who does he call, and what must that person do?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
17 Enforced seafarers' rights
Also asked: “• Enforced seafarers’ rights”
Answer
Rights bite through inspection: flag certifies, port state detains, and complaints trigger deeper checks.
- Flag issues the maritime labour certificate with the declaration of compliance behind it.
- Port state inspects papers first, then conditions on complaint, evidence of avoidance or substandard signs.
- Grounds for detail include missing or false documents, avoided compliance and crew or union complaints.
- No-favourable-treatment means non-ratifying flags face the same bar — detention examples prove it.
Surveyor follow-up: papers valid but crew allege unpaid wages — detain, investigate or sail, and on what ground?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
18 If the HOD or superior officer cannot resolve the complaint to the satisfaction of seafarer, the latter may refer to the matter, who should handle the matter personally
Answer
Unresolved complaints rise to the master personally: he hears the seafarer, decides, and records the outcome.
- HOD failure moves the file to the master without delay — no side routes, no gossip chain.
- The master hears the seafarer personally with representation allowed and witnesses where needed.
- Decision with reasons goes in writing to the seafarer with the log updated the same day.
- Still unresolved means ashore to the company, flag and port state with the full paper trail.
Surveyor follow-up: master delegates the hearing to the chief officer — compliant or not, and why?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
19 It can be achieved by speed optimization, weather routing, hull monitoring and maintenance, efficient cargo operation
Also asked: “• It can be achieved by speed optimization, weather routing, hull monitoring and maintenance, efficient cargo operation”
Answer
Efficiency is sailed, not bought: slower steaming, weather routing, clean hulls and full stows cut fuel per mile.
- Speed optimisation trims the cubic fuel curve — small knots off save large tonnes.
- Weather routing dodges head seas and currents that burn bunkers for no miles.
- Hull monitoring with cleaning and propeller polishing holds design slip and consumption.
- Efficient cargo work trims port time, ballast legs and half-load voyages that waste the index.
Surveyor follow-up: CII sliding with the hull freshly cleaned — speed, routing or cargo, and what number proves it?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex VI — Emission Reduction, EEDI, EEXI & CII -
20 Minimum standard to ensure decent work in one place
Answer
MLC gathers every seafarer labour standard into one convention: one certificate proving decent work on any ship.
- Consolidates dozens of older labour conventions into a single bill of rights with titles and regulations.
- Minimum bars for age, medical, training, agreement, wages, hours, leave, accommodation, food and health cover.
- Certification with declaration plus flag and port-state inspection enforcing the same text worldwide.
- One place means one audit: the surveyor reads certificate, declaration and conditions together.
Surveyor follow-up: older ILO certificate offered instead of MLC papers — accept or detain, and why?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
21 One comprehensive set of global standards
Also asked: “• One comprehensive set of global standards”
Answer
One convention, one standard, every flag: MLC unites labour rules so no owner buys advantage by cutting crew conditions.
- Single global text replacing scattered conventions with titles, regulations, standards and guidelines.
- Same minimums for employment, accommodation, health and enforcement on all ratifying ships.
- No-favourable-treatment extends the bar to non-party flags calling at party ports.
- Level field enforced by certificate, inspection and detention speaking the same language.
Surveyor follow-up: non-ratifying flag alongside with lower crew wages — same inspection or lighter touch?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
22 Person falling unconscious. Actions
Also asked: “Person falling overboard. Actions”
Answer
Unconscious means airway, breathing and circulation first: isolate power, lift clear, resuscitate, then treat injuries.
- Cut the current or gas source without touching the casualty — dry insulation underfoot and gloved hands.
- Lay flat, clear the airway, pinch nose and breathe mouth-to-mouth watching the chest rise; facial injuries take the Holger-Neilson face-down method.
- Feet a foot higher than the head unless chest or head injury needs the head raised; vomiting cases go on the side.
- Once breathing returns, treat visible injuries, keep warm and land to medical care with the incident logged.
Surveyor follow-up: face burnt with no breathing — mouth-to-mouth or Holger-Neilson, and why?
Full theory: Safety and Emergencies -
23 SOPEP contains the following things
Answer
SOPEP holds reporting, contacts, immediate actions and coordination: the oil-spill drill in a folder.
- Master and crew reporting procedures with formats ready for coastal states.
- Authority and company contact lists kept current with telephone and message details.
- Immediate crew actions to stop, contain and clean with the gear and diagrams on board.
- Shipboard coordinator named linking ship, company and shore response under Annex I.
Surveyor follow-up: contact list two companies out of date — paper defect or detention, and what fixes it today?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex I — Prevention of Pollution by Oil -
24 Seafarer has right to be accompanied or represented by another seafarer
Answer
No seafarer faces a hearing alone: representation by a shipmate is a right, and revenge for complaining is banned.
- Companion or representative of choice at every hearing stage from HOD to master.
- Protection against victimisation for good-faith complaints, recorded in the procedure.
- Witnesses heard and notes shared so the record, not rank, decides the outcome.
- Shore routes stay open with the same protection through company, flag and port state.
Surveyor follow-up: witness afraid to speak with the HOD present — separate hearing or overrule, and why?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
25 Slip and real slip
Also asked: “Real and apperent slip”
Answer
Apparent slip uses ship speed; true slip uses wake speed — the wake correction turns one into the other.
- Apparent slip compares pitch-times-rpm advance against speed over ground, ignoring the wake.
- Wake fraction states how much the hull drags water along with the ship.
- True slip recomputed on wake speed is the real working slip of the wheel.
- Worked wheels show single-digit apparent with low-teens true; negative apparent in a following sea means wake, not magic.
Surveyor follow-up: 4.28 m wheel at 2 revs per second with slips given — wake speed up or down, and what proves it?
Full theory: The Propeller — Fixed Pitch, Controllable Pitch and Cavitation -
26 The HOD or superior officer should attempt to resolve the matter within prescribed time limit according to the seriousness of the issue
Answer
Complaints carry clocks: the HOD resolves within the set time for the issue’s seriousness — safety fastest, routine slower.
- Seriousness sets the deadline: safety and health first, welfare and discipline behind.
- The HOD hears promptly, decides in writing and tells the seafarer face to face.
- Missed deadline or rejected outcome moves the file to the master automatically.
- Every date logged — the surveyor reads the clock, not the excuse.
Surveyor follow-up: safety complaint unresolved after a week — escalate, wait or re-file, and to whom?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
27 The separation of fine water in the separated fixed place in two stages,in the first stage of separation is by gravity whereas in the second stage the separation is by coalescing filter. Oily water separator mainly consi
Also asked: “The separation of fine water in the separated fixed place in two stages,in the first stage of separation is by gravity whereas in the second stage the separation is by coalescing filter. Oily water separator mainly consists of 3 unit”
Answer
The separator works in two stages: gravity drops the big oil first, coalescing filter catches the fine mist after.
- First stage gravity: oily water rests, oil rises to the top collection space, baffles strip droplets on the way through.
- Second stage coalescer: tiny remaining particles join into big drops on the inserts and float up to drain manually.
- Three working units in sequence — gravity chamber, coalescing filter and polishing stage — land effluent under 15 ppm.
- Prove by venting air on fill, watching the sight flow and testing the monitor with auto-stop before discharge.
Surveyor follow-up: effluent clean but the sight glass milky — gravity stage, coalescer or monitor, and what do you open first?
Full theory: How Oily Water Separation Works — Gravity, Coalescence and Why Turbulence Ruins It -
28 This regulation does not apply to coal in its solid form or nuclear fuels
Answer
Dangerous-goods rules carve out solid coal and nuclear fuels: coal answers to bulk-cargo rules, nuclear to its own SOLAS chapter.
- Solid coal in bulk follows IMSBC and bulk-carrier rules for spontaneous heating and gas — not packaged-goods classes.
- Nuclear fuels and wastes sail under SOLAS Chapter VIII with their dedicated INF Code, not general dangerous-goods lists.
- Everything else dangerous sorts into nine classes from explosives to miscellaneous with proper shipping names.
- Say the exclusion first, then the rule that does apply — surveyors fail answers that stop at the carve-out.
Surveyor follow-up: coal slurry and spent fuel rods alongside — which rule for each, and what code names them?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter VII — Carriage of Dangerous Goods & IMDG Code -
29 Water spray system
Also asked: “Water sprinkler system”
Answer
Water spray cools and smothers where sprinklers cannot reach: open deluge heads over machinery, decks and manifolds.
- Unlike sealed sprinkler bulbs, spray heads run open and flood together on zone release.
- Protects accommodation fronts, machinery flats, cargo manifolds and helicopter decks by cooling steel below failure.
- Generation must fill the largest space at a metre of depth per minute with rapid foam or water cover where fitted.
- Prove by section test valve, alarm gong and pump auto-start — dry heads never prove a wet system.
Surveyor follow-up: spray system for the manifold with sprinklers inside — which protects what, and why both?
Full theory: Ship Sprinkler & Hypermist (Water Mist) Systems -
30 a handle on a machine having a small button on it which must be kept pressed down by the hand to continue contact so that if the operator is incapacitated contact is broken and the machine stops. called also dead handle
Answer
A deadman handle stops the machine the instant the operator lets go: spring-loaded contact held only by a living hand.
- Small button on the operating handle must stay pressed for the circuit to hold.
- Release from fainting, slipping or distraction breaks contact and stops the machine at once.
- Fitted on winches, cranes, lifts and test rigs where an unattended running machine kills.
- Prove by letting go on test — a handle that stays in is already a failure.
Surveyor follow-up: deadman taped down for a long lift — help or sackable offence, and why?
Full theory: The Moving Parts — Liner, Piston, Gudgeon Pin and Connecting Rod Wear -
31 be harmful to personnel, or
Answer
Any substance or operation that can harm people gets controlled: identify the hazard, guard the exposure, train the crew.
- Name the harm first — toxic, corrosive, flammable, asphyxiant or kinetic — from the safety data sheet.
- Guard by enclosure, ventilation, procedures and protective equipment in that order.
- Train the crew on symptoms, escape and first aid before the job starts, not during it.
- Log risk assessments and drills — the surveyor reads controls, not intentions.
Surveyor follow-up: new chemical aboard with no data sheet — use, store or refuse, and what paper do you demand?
Full theory: Safety and Emergencies -
32 condition of employment Regulation 2.1 Seafarer's employment agreements PURPOSE : To ensure that seafarers have a fair employment agreement
Also asked: “condition of employment Regulation 2.1 Seafarer’s employment agreements PURPOSE : To ensure that seafarers have a fair employment agreement”
Answer
Regulation 2.1 guarantees a fair signed agreement: every term of the job in writing before the gangway.
- Names, birth details, owner address, rank, wages and calculation, leave and repatriation on the face of it.
- Termination, expiry, health cover, collective-agreement reference and national-law extras behind it.
- Signed by seafarer and owner or authorised agent with place and date — unsigned means unseaworthy manning.
- Original aboard for inspection with a copy ashore; piracy clauses extend cover past expiry.
Surveyor follow-up: agreement signed but wages short with no payslip — which term has failed first?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
33 contribute overall to additional air pollution
Answer
Every extra burn adds to the air burden: fuel burned, cargo vapours and waste gases all count under Annex VI.
- Main and auxiliary exhaust for NOx, SOx and particulates with fuel sulphur as the lever.
- Cargo vapours, venting and incinerator exhaust join the same account.
- Controls are cleaner fuel, tuned combustion, scrubbers and efficient voyages cutting tonnes per mile.
- Prove by delivery notes, record books and CII trends — the surveyor adds the columns.
Surveyor follow-up: incinerator running clean with main-engine smoke heavy — which source fails Annex VI first?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex VI — Air Pollution: SOx, NOx & Exhaust Gas Cleaning -
34 ensure the safe operation of each vessel,
Answer
Safe operation of each ship is the company’s first duty: named people, real resources and a working system per vessel.
- Owners declare the operating company to the flag; the company writes who does what for safety and pollution.
- Adequate resources and shore support reach every ship — auditors check money met the mast.
- The designated person carries the brief with direct access to top management.
- Each vessel runs the system daily with records proving drills, maintenance and review.
Surveyor follow-up: repeated defects with no spares landed — ship’s fault or company’s, and which document proves it?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
35 immediate action upon fire
Answer
Fire found means alarm, inform, muster, close up and fight: seconds spent early save the ship.
- Raise the fire alarm at once and tell the bridge the exact location and class.
- Muster with headcount while dampers, ventilation and fuel valves shut.
- Boundary-cool around the seat with the BA team attacking from the safe side.
- Bridge manoeuvres for smoke, calls for help and readies the boat if control slips.
Surveyor follow-up: smoke in the accommodation at night — alarm first or investigate first?
Full theory: Safety and Emergencies -
36 monitor the safety and pollution-prevention aspects of the operation of the vessel and ensuring that adequate resources and shore-based support are applied, and
Answer
The DPA watches every ship’s safety and pollution record and lands the resources to fix it.
- Monitors safe operation and pollution prevention across the fleet from reports, audits and near-misses.
- Sees adequate resources and shore support applied where the ship cannot fix it alone.
- Reports to top management with corrective action tracked to closure, not filed.
- Builds the safety culture by training, meetings and rule updates pushed to every ship.
Surveyor follow-up: same defect three ships running — DPA informed or not, and what proves it?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
37 provide a link between the Managing Company and those on board, with direct access to the highest level of management
Answer
The DPA is the live wire between office and ship: company link, crew voice, top-management access.
- Appointed by every company as the safety link between managers and seafarers.
- Carries crew concerns upward and company decisions downward without dilution.
- Direct access to the highest management tier is mandatory — no junior chain in between.
- The master calls this link when commercial pressure meets safe operation.
Surveyor follow-up: DPA unreachable during an emergency — next link in the chain, and what do you log?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
38 sketch and describe a typical system
Answer
Answer any sketch-and-describe with one frame: purpose, labelled parts, working sequence, safeties and tests.
- Purpose in one line: what the system moves, measures or protects.
- Labelled sketch with every working part named in operating order.
- Working sequence step by step from normal to operated with the energy path traced.
- Safeties, interlocks and tests that prove it: alarms, trips, reset and log entries.
Surveyor follow-up: now apply that frame to the separator in front of you — purpose and parts first.
Full theory: How Oily Water Separation Works — Gravity, Coalescence and Why Turbulence Ruins It -
39 Major non conformity
Answer
A major non-conformity means the system has failed: DOC and SMC go, the ship stays until corrective action closes.
- Serious breakdown of the safety system or a danger to people, ship or environment — not a single missed form.
- Only the issuing administration withdraws the DOC; every SMC under it falls invalid with it.
- Typical triggers run missing certificates, unknown duties, denied master’s authority, dead maintenance and skipped drills.
- Return needs root-cause correction proved by audit — paper promises never sail.
Surveyor follow-up: major or observation — no maintenance records kept at all, and who decides?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
40 Ig system safety
Answer
Inert-gas safety is oxygen, pressure and seals: trips stop bad gas, alarms warn early, deck seals block backflow.
- Trips on scrubber high level, deck-seal low level, emergency stop, power loss, oxygen past 8%, hot gas, low line pressure and lost seawater.
- Alarms shadow every trip with rising oxygen and falling pressure trends first.
- Deck seal water stops cargo gas flowing back to machinery; blowers stop and isolations shut on trip.
- Restart only with oxygen back in range, seals remade and scrubber normal — log the cause, not the reset.
Surveyor follow-up: oxygen 9% with pressure normal — trip or alarm, and do you keep feeding the tanks?
Full theory: Deck Foam & Inert Gas (IG) Systems on Tankers -
41 Which type you had
Answer
Answer which-type with your ship’s fit: name the system aboard, its alternative and why yours suits her trade.
- Name the fitted type first — boiler, purifier, steering, lifeboat or extinguisher — with maker and model.
- State the working alternative and one line on how it differs.
- Say why yours fits the ship: trade, size, regulation or company standard behind the choice.
- Close with one operating number — pressure, temperature or capacity — proving you ran it.
Surveyor follow-up: fitted type against its alternative — which one for your next ship, and why?
Full theory: The Moving Parts — Liner, Piston, Gudgeon Pin and Connecting Rod Wear -
42 Aft perpendicular and forward perpendicular
Also asked: “Fwd and aft perpendicular”
Answer
Perpendiculars frame the ship’s length: forward where the stem meets summer load waterline, aft at the rudder stock line.
- Forward perpendicular at the stem’s summer-waterline intersection amidships plane.
- After perpendicular commonly at the rudder-stock centreline on the same waterline.
- Length between perpendiculars sizes tonnage, freeboard and stability maths — overall length does not.
- State which length every figure uses before the surveyor has to ask.
Surveyor follow-up: length overall versus between perpendiculars — which one sizes the load line?
Full theory: Ship Hydrostatics: Buoyancy, Displacement and Trim -
43 Eedi and eexi ( difference and unit
Answer
EEDI judges new designs, EEXI judges existing ships: same grams-per-tonne-mile maths, different fleets.
- EEDI applies at build with required values per type and size driving hull and machinery choice.
- EEXI extends the same attained-versus-required test to trading ships with power limits and retrofits.
- Units stay CO2 grams per deadweight-mile capacity against reference lines.
- CII then grades yearly operation with correction factors and improvement plans.
Surveyor follow-up: EEXI file missing with CII rated — pass, endorse or detain?
Full theory: Load Line: Marks, Letters & Conventions -
44 Fire plan location and details
Also asked: “Fire plan, location, importance”
Answer
Fire plans live inside, outside and ashore: crew fights from the alleyway copy, shore boards from the gangway case.
- Inside accommodation alleyways for the crew — stations, mains, detectors, escapes and fixed systems at a glance.
- Outside in a weathertight case at the gangway for the shore party boarding a strange burning ship.
- Copy with the company so advice reaches the ship when comms survive and access does not.
- Details name every hydrant, hose, nozzle, damper, detector, EEBD, raft and suit with escape routes drawn.
Surveyor follow-up: outside case empty with the inside plan current — detain, endorse or accept?
Full theory: Fire Control Plan, Muster List & Flooding Response -
45 How many months
Also asked: “How many months (14 months”
Answer
Answer months with the certificate behind the number: interim papers count months, full terms count years.
- Interim SMC six months for new ships; interim DOC twelve months for new companies and ship types.
- Full DOC and SMC five years with annual and intermediate verifications inside anniversary windows.
- Annex VI and load-line certificates run five years with surveys spacing the months between.
- State the paper with the months — a bare number without its certificate fails the question.
Surveyor follow-up: interim SMC expired yesterday with the audit booked next week — sail or stay?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
46 How to correct it
Also asked: “how to rectify”
Answer
Correct by root cause, not symptom: report, fix, verify the fix worked, and feed the lesson back into the system.
- Report the non-conformity with its possible cause before touching a spanner.
- Fix the defect and the system gap behind it — part renewed plus procedure rewritten.
- Verify effectiveness by re-inspection and trend watch; unverified fixes do not close.
- Brief the crew and update drills, spares and records so the same fault never recurs.
Surveyor follow-up: same defect back a month after correction — fix, verification or system, and who answers?
Full theory: Safety and Emergencies -
47 How will you check, by gasmeter
Also asked: “Check in gas meter”
Answer
Check with a calibrated gas meter sampling low, middle and high: oxygen first, then flammables, then toxics.
- Calibrate zero and span per maker with hoses, filters and batteries proved before entry.
- Draw from deck sampling points and space levels — gases stratify, one reading never clears a space.
- Know the instrument’s limits: catalytic heads die in inert gas, leaded vapours poison filaments.
- Log oxygen, hydrocarbon and toxic readings with time and position; unlogged checks never happened.
Surveyor follow-up: meter reads zero in an inerted tank — safe, dead sensor or wrong principle, and what proves it?
Full theory: Safety on the Oily Water Separator -
48 Isc why and dimensions
Also asked: “Isc(why used, dimensions”, “ISC(why used, dimensions”
Answer
The shore coupling lands foreign water aboard: 178 mm outside, 64 mm bore, 132 mm bolt circle, four 16 mm bolts.
- Standard steel flange for 1 newton per square millimetre service with flat face and ship-side coupling.
- Four 19 mm slots to the flange edge on the bolt circle with 14.5 mm minimum thickness.
- Bolts, nuts, washers and gaskets kept with the connection ready at the gangway.
- Why: any port’s main feeds any ship’s hydrants — one flange ends adapter hunts in a fire.
Surveyor follow-up: shore main connected but weeping at the flange — gasket, bolts or faces first?
Full theory: Fire Control Plan, Muster List & Flooding Response -
49 Shell expension plan
Also asked: “Shell exp. Plan”
Answer
The shell-expansion plan flattens hull skin to paper: plates numbered, strakes lettered, measured round the girth.
- Side and bottom show as one continuous sheet with plate numbers and strake letters for survey and steel work.
- Frame lines, seams, butts, deck edges, stringers, bulkheads, openings and bossings land on the same drawing.
- Verticals measured around the girth, not straight up — the drawing unrolls the hull like a tin.
- Surveyors live on it: find any plate, plan renewals and read thickness rises without staging.
Surveyor follow-up: point at the plan and name the garboard strake — then the sheerstrake.
Full theory: Midship Sections Compared by Type of Ship -
50 Water tight door regulation
Also asked: “Watertight door regulations”
Answer
Watertight doors shut remotely and locally with alarms and lights: sliding at sea, power with hand backup, proved on schedule.
- Sea-going doors slide and close remotely from the bridge with local control both sides of the bulkhead.
- Open-shut lights at the console with audible closure alarms; power, control and lights live through blackout.
- Hand gear both sides closes dead ship inside 90 seconds; one door’s failure never spreads to sisters.
- Remote-release doors alarm 5–10 seconds from central release until fully shut with re-open limits on contact.
Surveyor follow-up: console green with the door standing open — indication, control or door, and what first?
Full theory: Decks, Openings and Watertight Closing Appliances -
51 Hydrogen and metal fire
Answer
Hydrogen burns invisible and metals burn untouchable: isolate fuel, starve the triangle, and never throw water on metal.
- Hydrogen from batteries and chemistry burns pale and almost invisible — ventilate, isolate supply, cool surroundings.
- Magnesium, sodium, lithium and potassium fires feed on water and CO₂ — they split them and burn harder.
- Fight metal fires with dry powder or dry sand smothering, breaking fuel and chain reaction, not cooling.
- Attack from upwind with faces and hands covered; re-ignition watches run long after flames die.
Surveyor follow-up: hose already played on a magnesium fire with white-hot flare-up — keep hosing, smother or withdraw?
Full theory: Classes of Fire & Portable Fire Extinguishers on Ships -
52 Procedure for hotwork outside designated space
Answer
Hot work outside the workshop needs paper before sparks: permit, gas-free proof, fire watch and a clean boundary.
- Risk-assess under the SMS permit with the master’s authority, valid only for the named place and hours.
- Clear combustibles, cover openings, gas-test the space and decks below, and post charged extinguishers each side.
- Station a trained fire watch with stop authority through the job plus the cooling hour after.
- Stop on alarm, ventilation failure or gas return — re-permit, never resume on a dead permit.
Surveyor follow-up: permit valid but the fire watch left for tea with sparks flying — continue, pause or stop and re-permit?
Full theory: Permits to Work: Hot Work, Working Aloft/Overside & LOTO Isolation -
53 Angle of heel
Answer
Angle of heel is the steady transverse tilt: the fixed angle where righting and heeling moments balance.
- Read in degrees to port or starboard from upright against the GM and GZ curve for that displacement.
- List is heel from off-centre weight with positive GM — one-sided, stable, rolling about the listed angle in weather.
- Heel from wind or turning is a moment balanced by righting levers — ease the moment and she returns.
- Loll is the unstable cousin with negative GM — rolls about either side and must never be confused with list.
Surveyor follow-up: 4° steady to port in still water that rolls about 4° in a seaway — list, heel or loll, and what proves it?
Full theory: Ship Stability: GM, Righting Levers and Free Surface -
54 Difference between listing and heeling
Answer
List is built-in lean from shifted weight; heel is pushed lean from wind, sea or helm — one stays, one goes.
- List moves G off centreline by cargo shift or bilging with GM still positive — fixed angle, one side only.
- Heel comes from an outside heeling moment balanced against GZ — remove wind or rudder and she uprights.
- Listed ships roll about the listed angle in heavy weather; heeled ships roll about the moment’s mean.
- State which side and why before correcting — ballasting a loll like a list can roll her the other way.
Surveyor follow-up: steady starboard tilt that vanishes when the wind eases — list or heel, and what do you move first?
Full theory: Ship Stability: GM, Righting Levers and Free Surface -
55 (if you are not getting enough rest what will you do
Answer
Short rest is a safety defect: log it, report it, take compensatory rest and refuse unsafe fatigue in writing.
- STCW demands 10 hours rest in 24 with 77 in 7 days, split into at most two periods with one unbroken six.
- Disturbed rest by callouts earns compensatory rest before the next watch — drills must not manufacture fatigue.
- Records signed by master and self each month go to flag and port state on demand.
- Report short rest to the master and DPA, stand down from safety-critical work, and record the refusal.
Surveyor follow-up: six hours logged with a canal transit ahead and the master pressing on — sign, refuse or sail tired?
Full theory: STCW: The Convention & Its Eight Chapters -
56 Action on sca fir how will you extinguished
Answer
Starve a scavenge fire calm: slow down, cut fuel to the unit, cool and lube on, shut drains, watch temperatures to extinction.
- Reduce speed at once and puncture fuel to the affected unit while jackets and pistons keep cooling.
- Raise cylinder lubrication and shut scavenge drains so flame cannot run the trunk into the engine room.
- Track scavenge and exhaust temperatures of the unit — the fire dies in 15–30 minutes when starved.
- Raise fuel back slowly only with temperatures normal and no re-ignition signs, monitoring every minute.
Surveyor follow-up: temperatures falling with smoke still puffing at the drain — relight, wait or open for inspection?
Full theory: Scavenge Fires, Trunk Safety & Relief Devices -
57 Actions immediately taken by persons onboard to stop, reduce or control the oil discharge
Answer
Stop oil first, tell everyone second, clean third: alarm, shutdown, valves, master, authorities, then transfer and clean.
- Sound the emergency alarm with emergency shutdown of every transfer and closure of all valves at once.
- Inform the master, terminal and then port or coastal authorities with position, quantity and source.
- Transfer remaining oil to empty or slack tanks respecting stress and stability with ventilation stopped on vapour risk.
- Contain on deck and clean with shipboard gear, storing recovered oil carefully for shore reception.
Surveyor follow-up: discharge stopped with authorities uninformed and cleanup logged complete — closed, or still an offence?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex I — Prevention of Pollution by Oil -
58 Additional safety measures for bulk solas12
Answer
Chapter XII hardens bulk carriers against hold flooding: double-side strength, water alarms, ESP surveys and damage stability.
- Double bottom and side spaces built to flooding loads with survey planning and thickness reporting.
- Water-level detectors aft in every hold with two-stage alarms before free surface kills stability.
- Enhanced survey programme with cargo and ballast history, heated-cargo notes and inert-gas detail.
- Damage stability proven to keep the margin line dry — the surveyor reads the ESP file before the holds.
Surveyor follow-up: one hold alarm dead with ESP thickness reports overdue — load, repair or detain first?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter XII — Additional Safety Measures for Bulk Carriers -
59 Air pollution ammendment?
Answer
Air amendments tighten the stack: 2020 sulphur cap with EEXI, EEDI and CII driving efficiency year on year.
- Annex VI caps fuel sulphur with delivery notes and emission-area discipline proving compliance.
- NOx curves in Regulation 13 hold engines by speed with technical files and EIAPP certificates.
- EEXI and EEDI rate design efficiency while CII rates yearly operation toward the 2030 target.
- Answer by naming the amendment, its date and your ship’s proof — notes, files and CII grade together.
Surveyor follow-up: high-sulphur stem with a working scrubber and a falling CII grade — compliant air ship or not?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex VI — Air Pollution: SOx, NOx & Exhaust Gas Cleaning -
60 Anchor chain end point
Answer
The chain’s end point is the bitter end: the inboard link slipped to structure in the chain locker for letting go or slipping.
- Housed in the chain locker on a centreline division with spurling and hawse pipes guiding the chain above.
- Slipped to strong structure with a releasable clench for slipping the anchor in emergency.
- Proved by walking the locker: bitter ends secure, drainage clear, covers fitted against falling in.
- Dropping from the bitter end means the whole cable gone — the surveyor asks location before procedure.
Surveyor follow-up: bitter end shackled hard with no slip and mud to the pipe mouths — drainage, structure or emergency first?
Full theory: Anchor Handling and the Windlass — Duties, Brake and Slipping Clutch -
61 Anchor drop from bitter end in detail
Answer
Dropping from the bitter end runs the whole cable out: brake proved, stopper off, walk back under control to the slip.
- Muster the forecastle with windlass, brake and stopper proved and the locker cleared below.
- Walk the cable back on the brake in chosen water, sounding depth against shackles paid out.
- Slip or secure the bitter end on order with the clench proved releasable before letting go.
- Log shackles, depth, bottom and ship’s head — an unlogged drop is an unproved seamanship.
Surveyor follow-up: cable runaway with the brake smoking and the stopper still on — brake, stopper or seamanship first to blame?
Full theory: Anchor Handling and the Windlass — Duties, Brake and Slipping Clutch -
62 And its unit
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63 And leak test
-
64 Angel of loll
Answer
Angle of loll is unstable rest: negative GM lets her flop to port or starboard and stay until ballast cures her.
- G above M makes upright equilibrium unstable — any roll carries her to a fixed loll angle either side.
- Range of stability measures from the loll angle, not from zero — zero reads safe while she sits heeled.
- Never correct by ballasting across like a list; lowering G symmetrically is the cure that restores positive GM.
- Prove by GM calculation and free-surface removal before moving a tonne — wrong correction capsizes her.
Surveyor follow-up: steady heel either side with GM negative and free surface full — list, loll or damage, and what do you fill first?
Full theory: Ship Stability: GM, Righting Levers and Free Surface -
65 Bdn regarding 4th engg
Answer
The BDN is the fourth engineer’s fuel receipt and evidence: sulphur, quantity and sample sealed, signed and kept three years.
- Kept ready for inspection at all reasonable times with entries in the oil record book after bunkering.
- Retained three years after delivery with the representative sample sealed and signed by supplier and ship.
- States sulphur, density and quantity under Annex VI Regulation 18 for port-state proof.
- Blank unused manifold connections, sample at the flange and note disputes before signing — the fourth signs what he witnessed.
Surveyor follow-up: BDN unsigned with the sample missing and sulphur over the cap — burn, report or debunker first?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex VI — Air Pollution: SOx, NOx & Exhaust Gas Cleaning -
66 Before i cud finish answering he askd what is chpter 9
Answer
Chapter IX is the ISM chapter in one breath: safe operation and pollution prevention through a company system proved by DOC and SMC.
- Makes the ISM Code mandatory for safe management of ships and pollution prevention.
- Company owns the safety system with a designated person, resources and shore support behind every procedure.
- DOC proves the company, SMC proves each ship — port state reads both before the hull.
- Answer short when interrupted: objectives, company duty and the two certificates — then offer detail.
Surveyor follow-up: objectives quoted with the DOC expired and the SMC current — sail, stay or re-audit first?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
67 Bitter end purpose, how it breaks and location
Answer
The bitter end anchors the anchor: inboard chain end slipped in the locker to hold, slip or break away clean.
- Lives in the chain locker on its division plate, slipped to structure — never to paintwork or pipework.
- Holds riding loads passed back from stoppers and breaks by slipping the clench when the anchor must go.
- Proved by pulling the slip Frank and re-securing with drainage and covers rights afterwards.
- Location first in the oral: forward of collision, below the forecastle, port and starboard separated.
Surveyor follow-up: bitter end carried on deck with the slip seized — seamanship, structure or detention first?
Full theory: Anchor Handling and the Windlass — Duties, Brake and Slipping Clutch -
68 Bottom strengthening structures
Answer
Bottoms harden where seas pound: solid floors and close girders forward, full plate floors under machinery, taper without steps.
- Pounding zones with light forward draught earn solid plate floors at alternate frames with tight intercostal girders.
- Longitudinal framing shares bottom-shell load so fewer girders carry further — bracket floors never under engines.
- Engine-room double bottoms rise gradually fore and aft of the bulkheads, never stepped, to spread stress.
- Quote frame spacing, girder pitch and taper length together — the surveyor sketches strength from your numbers.
Surveyor follow-up: pounding damage with floors at every third frame and girders wide — rule spacing, draught or speed first?
Full theory: Double Bottom Structure and Bottom Framing -
69 Bulbous bow -why, how it helps to improve propulsion, types
Answer
The bulb cancels the bow wave: sized and placed to raise its own wave against the hull wave, cutting wave-making drag.
- Runs at design speed where the two wave systems subtract — steady-service ships gain most, tramps least.
- Pays its drag penalty off-design, so owners match bulb size and position to service speed and draught.
- Conventional, delta and cylindrical bulbs trade volume against flow into the propeller disc.
- U-sections forward keep volume low and fine; the bulb finishes the job the lines start.
Surveyor follow-up: bulb dry at ballast draught with resistance up at service speed — design, draught or trim first?
Full theory: Ship Resistance, Hull Form and Propulsion -
70 Bulbus bow and its working
Answer
The bulbous bow irons out the bow wave: its own wave cancels the hull wave at service speed for less drag.
- Sized, shaped and placed to raise a counter-wave that subtracts from the bow system over a narrow speed band.
- Steady-speed ships bank the saving voyage after voyage; speed-changers pay it back off-design.
- U-sections forward keep volume low and fine with the bulb finishing the wave-making reduction.
- Types run conventional, delta and cylindrical to feed the propeller disc cleanly at draught.
Surveyor follow-up: bulb ventilating at ballast draught with speed constant — trim, ballast or accept the loss?
Full theory: Ship Resistance, Hull Form and Propulsion -
71 Bwts type on vessel and how it works
Answer
Answer with your fitted BWTS: filtration plus kill step — UV, electrochlorination or deoxygenation — proving D2 at discharge.
- Filter first to take organisms and sediment, then kill by UV dose, active-substance dosing or deoxygenation.
- Type-approved plant with commissioning test proving D2 organism counts before the certificate lands.
- Operate by ballast plan with flow, dose and alarm logs kept in the ballast record book.
- D1 exchange only where the plant allows — bypassed treatment with D1 logged inside limits fails the survey.
Surveyor follow-up: plant bypassed with D2 samples clean and the record book perfect — compliant discharge or bypass offence?
Full theory: Ship Pipelines — Seawater, Bilge, Ballast & Fuel Systems -
72 Checks on mgps
Answer
MGPS lives on anodes and dosing: prove current flowing, anodes wasting evenly, strainers clear and machinery cool.
- Prove impressed-current output on the rectifier with structure negative to water and anodes positive.
- Inspect copper, aluminium and ferrous anodes for even wastage with no passivation or isolation.
- Watch heat transfer and cooler temperatures — blocked growth shows as creeping outlet heat first.
- Log currents, potentials and sea-chest inspections together; a silent rectifier grows a garden.
Surveyor follow-up: coolers hot with the rectifier dead and anodes bright — electrical, dosing or strainer first?
Full theory: Sea Chests (High/Low Suction) & Marine Growth Prevention (MGPS) -
73 Chemical used in bwts
Answer
BWTS chemistry kills what filters miss: electrochlorination making hypochlorite with TRO controlled and neutralised at discharge.
- Filters take the big organisms first; active substance finishes microbes to D2 counts.
- Electrochlorination doses on uptake with total residual oxidant monitored through the voyage.
- Neutralise before discharge inside limits so treated water kills nothing outside the ship.
- Log chemical, dose, TRO and neutraliser in the ballast record book with the type-approval certificate beside it.
Surveyor follow-up: TRO high at discharge with neutraliser proved empty — hold, dilute or discharge, and what paper covers it?
Full theory: Ship Pipelines — Seawater, Bilge, Ballast & Fuel Systems -
74 Coz room height
Answer
CO₂ rooms breathe from the bottom: exhaust suction at deck level with six air changes per hour, doors opening outward.
- Below-deck stores sit no more than one deck down with direct stair or ladder to open deck.
- Mechanical ventilation pulls from the bottom where leaked gas ponds, sized to six changes per hour.
- Doors open outward with gastight boundaries and closable vents worked from outside the space.
- No other stores inside — bottles on platforms with clamps, weighing gear and release cabinet clear.
Surveyor follow-up: ventilation drawing from the top with the door opening inward and paint stored inside — how many failures?
Full theory: CO2 Fixed Fire-Fighting System on Ships -
75 Crankcase explosion, safeties and actions
Answer
Crankcase explosions need mist plus heat: relief valves vent the slap, detectors warn of the mist, drills keep hands off hot doors.
- Relief valves at every crank throw and chaincase over 0.6 m³ lift near 0.05 bar with flame gauze and deflectors.
- Oil-mist detectors watch concentration continuously with white-mist alarms well below explosive limits.
- On alarm slow down, seek stop permission, shut fuel, stand clear of doors and valves, and cool on turning gear.
- Never open hot — air through a rich mist fires the secondary explosion that wrecks the crankcase.
Surveyor follow-up: mist alarm with the engine still loaded and doors warming — load on, slow down or stop now?
Full theory: Safety — Crankcase Explosion, Scavenge Fire and Starting Air Line Explosion -
76 Crankweb deflection safety
Answer
Deflections prove the shaft straight: read webs at five crank positions, plot against datum, and sail only inside maker limits.
- Read each crank at TDC, BDC and sides with the gauge seated clean, recording opening and closing of webs.
- Plot vertical misalignment per table — positives above datum, negatives below — and fair the shaft curve through bearings.
- Rough guide only near a micron of web movement per unit stress; maker tables rule, never memory.
- Excess deflection means misaligned, overloaded or loose-foundation bearings — realign before firing, not after.
Surveyor follow-up: one web open past limits with the rest fair and the foundation tight — bearing height, overload or damage first?
Full theory: Crankshaft Alignment, Web Deflections & Bearing Clearances -
77 Cross curv, static curve
Answer
Cross curves build the stability curve: KN or GZ against displacement and heel, corrected from assumed to actual KG.
- Read KN at zero KG or GZ at assumed KG for displacement and heel from the curve set.
- Correct GZ by GG1 sine heel for GZ sets, or by actual KG sine heel for KN sets — never mix the corrections.
- Plot the statical curve for range, maximum and vanishing angles with GM from its initial slope.
- Dynamical area under the curve is work done, not moment — quote units apart or fail the calculation.
Surveyor follow-up: GZ read straight off a KN curve with actual KG ignored — right lever, wrong lever or capsizing maths?
Full theory: Ship Stability: GM, Righting Levers and Free Surface -
78 Dead wt light wt gross and net wt
Answer
Deadweight carries, lightweight floats empty, gross and net measure volume — never mix tonnes with tonnage.
- Deadweight is loaded minus light displacement: cargo, fuel, water, stores and crew in tonnes.
- Lightweight is the finished empty ship with machinery and outfit, no consumables aboard.
- Gross tonnage is total enclosed volume, net tonnage the earning volume under the 1969 Convention.
- Standard displacement subtracts fuel and water for the warship comparison the surveyor sometimes probes.
Surveyor follow-up: deadweight claimed in cubic metres with GT quoted in tonnes — weight, volume or detention first to correct?
Full theory: Tonnage Measurement: Gross & Net Tonnage -
79 Deadfront why it is called dead ? Reason why it named as dead ?
Answer
Dead-front means dead to touch: every live conductor hides behind steel with only handles, dials and lamps forward.
- Open boards expose breakers, links and terminals on insulation — legal only below 55 V to earth on AC.
- Dead-front cubicles bury the live metal behind sheet steel; the front shows insulation, instruments and levers.
- Heavy modern loads and fault levels forbid open fronts — touch safety and arc control demand the steel.
- Call the whole protected assembly switchgear with breakers and isolators inside, not just the panel face.
Surveyor follow-up: dead-front panel opened live with breakers exposed and no permit — safe viewing or open-board offence?
Full theory: Switchboards & Protection — MSB to Emergency Bus -
80 Definition of liquified gases
Answer
Liquefied gases are vapours squeezed cold into liquid: methane near −162°C as LNG, propane-butane-ammonia as LPG.
- LNG is mostly methane with ethane and propane traces, boiled off near 0.2% daily to hold pressure above air.
- LPG is propane, butane and ammonia at higher boiling points under pressure in gas carriers.
- Both burn from boil-off as boiler or engine fuel or re-liquefy through vapour plant — never vented to air willingly.
- Carry by gas code with detectors, insulation and relief proved — name the gas, its point and its code together.
Surveyor follow-up: LNG boiling at −100°C claimed with air ingress suspected — temperature, pressure or insulation first to blame?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter VII — Carriage of Dangerous Goods & IMDG Code -
81 Differece btween code n convention?
Answer
A convention is the treaty law, a code is its technical rulebook: conventions bind states, codes detail how ships comply.
- Conventions like SOLAS and MARPOL carry obligations ratified by flag states into national law.
- Codes like ISM, ISPS, FSS and LSA spell out construction, equipment and management in testable detail.
- Many codes turn mandatory only when their parent convention chapter calls them up.
- Answer by pairing each code to its convention chapter — ISM to SOLAS IX, ISPS to SOLAS XI-2.
Surveyor follow-up: FSS Code quoted as standalone law with SOLAS unknown — binding, guidance or incomplete answer?
Full theory: Maritime Codes & Conventions: The Complete List -
82 Difference between d1 and d2
Answer
D1 exchanges ballast mid-ocean, D2 treats it to organism counts: 95% volumetric swap versus laboratory-clean discharge.
- D1 runs sequential, flow-through or dilution exchange to 95% replacement far from shore.
- D2 meets discharge counts — under 10 large organisms per m³ with microbe limits — through approved plants.
- Record D1 by method and position, D2 by plant readings and alarms in the ballast record book.
- Treatment bypassed with D1 logged inside limits fails the survey — exchange never substitutes for treatment where D2 applies.
Surveyor follow-up: D1 logged legal with the D2 plant bypassed and samples clean — exchange or offence, and what now?
Full theory: Ship Pipelines — Seawater, Bilge, Ballast & Fuel Systems -
83 Dpa and duty of dpa
Answer
The DPA is the crew’s direct line ashore: appointed by the company with access to the top for safety and pollution cover.
- Monitors safe and pollution operation of every ship with resources and shore support mobilised on demand.
- Builds the safety culture by policy, training, non-conformity review and accident analysis.
- Carries direct access to the highest management — no master’s report waits in a queue.
- Proved by name on the DOC system, contact posted aboard and audit trail of reports answered.
Surveyor follow-up: DPA unknown on deck with the number ashore disconnected — system, person or detention first to fail?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
84 Drydocking done? I said no
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85 EEDI EEOI SEEMP
Answer
EEDI rates the design, EEXI rates the existing ship, EEOI and CII rate the operation, SEEMP plans the improvement.
- EEDI indexes new-ship design efficiency at build against baselines by type and size.
- EEXI extends the index to existing ships with power limits and retrofits where conversion never pays.
- EEOI measures voyage efficiency with CII grading each year toward the 2030 target.
- SEEMP is the onboard plan — slow steaming, routing, hull care and tuning — that moves the grades.
Surveyor follow-up: EEDI perfect with CII sliding to E and SEEMP unrevised — design, operation or plan first to fix?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex VI — Emission Reduction, EEDI, EEXI & CII -
86 Economizer fire indication n action
Answer
Economiser fires smell and glow: soot on coils with heat, air and unburnt fuel meeting at manoeuvring loads.
- Thick soot from incomplete combustion and heavy fuel sticks to coils, worst at low-load manoeuvring with slow gas.
- Smoke smell from the casing with climbing outlet temperature and funnel sparks marks ignition.
- Stop the engine to starve oxygen, cool boundaries, post a funnel-spark fire watch with hoses charged.
- Wash soot sides clean after cooling and prove gas paths clear before relighting — relighting on soot refires it.
Surveyor follow-up: outlet temperature climbing with sparks aloft and back pressure rising — wash, stop or keep steaming?
Full theory: Troubleshooting the Boiler -
87 Economizer fire, identification, action
Answer
Name economiser fire by heat plus back pressure: high outlet temperature, sparks, deviating running figures with soot choking gas.
- High economiser outlet temperature with funnel sparks and exhaust deviations from rising back pressure.
- Superheater outlet climbing where fitted confirms gas-side choking rather than instrument error.
- Stop the main engine to drop oxygen below sustenance, cool boundaries and watch the funnel with charged hoses.
- Clean by water washing after full cooling with uptake and drains proved before return to load.
Surveyor follow-up: small soot fire claimed manageable at full load with sparks falling on deck — stop, slow or wash online?
Full theory: Troubleshooting the Boiler -
88 Effects of slack chain
Answer
Slack chains wreck timing: elongated links retard cams and pumps, then jump, hammer rollers and crack plates.
- Elongation from pin, bush, roller and sprocket wear shifts camshaft phase against the crank — fuel and exhaust timing drift.
- Retarded timing past about 2% stretch earns re-timing; past about 15% the chain is condemned.
- Slack span whips and jumps teeth with noise, cracked links and hammered tensioners following.
- Prove by timing marks, stretch measurement and link inspection with renewal logged before firing.
Surveyor follow-up: timing retarded with the chain at 3% stretch and tensioner hard over — adjust, re-time or renew now?
Full theory: Camshaft Chain Drive, Hydraulic Tensioners & Timing Synchronisation -
89 Egb fire, conditions, indications and action
Answer
EGB fires need soot, heat and air together: deposits from bad combustion ignite in slow manoeuvring gas and burn the uptake.
- Unburnt fuel and carbon from poor fuel and low-load running coat tubes while gas velocity stays too low to clear them.
- Ignition follows when air and heating meet the layer — smoke, sparks and outlet temperatures climb together.
- Stop to starve air, cool the casing boundary, and watch funnel and casing with fire parties closed up.
- Prove by easing-gear-tested steam paths and washed gas sides before raising steam again.
Surveyor follow-up: EGB warm with soot proved thick and the engine ordered full away — wash first, sail first or slow first?
Full theory: Boiler Safety Devices and Emergency Response -
90 Emergency shut down
Answer
Emergency shutdown stops fuel and fire risk in one motion: trips shut, fuel closed, engine still, bridge informed.
- Lift injection pumps and shut suction valves cylinder by cylinder where selective shutdown is ordered.
- Prove overspeed, oil-mist and emergency stops with alarms and monitors watched from the control station.
- Stand by turning gear with indicator cocks open where hot parts threaten seizure after the stop.
- Log cause, time and resets with the bridge — restarting without the trip’s cause found repeats the emergency.
Surveyor follow-up: shutdown reset with the overspeed cause still unknown and the bridge ringing — restart, investigate or stay stopped?
Full theory: Safety — Crankcase Explosion, Scavenge Fire and Starting Air Line Explosion -
91 Engime room flooded what ur acton
Answer
Flooded engine room means alarm, locate and pump: bridge and chief told, position logged, ingress fought, motors saved.
- Inform bridge and chief with the emergency alarm raised and the ship’s position and time logged at pump start.
- Find the burst pipe or hull breach with a second engineer while the first holds the pumps.
- Slow the engine, shift main sea suction to emergency bilge suction, and start the second pump as level climbs.
- Guard motors against shorting as water rises, stopping inflow by every means including trim and list control.
Surveyor follow-up: level still rising with both pumps running and suction on emergency bilge — abandon, patch or dewater first?
Full theory: The Bilge System the Separator Serves -
92 Few hull parts and their locations
Answer
Name hull parts bow to stern: chain locker and forepeak forward, decks above, keel below, collision bulkhead aft of the peak.
- Forepeak tank, chain locker, boatswain store and bulbous bow sit forward of the collision bulkhead.
- Second, upper and forecastle decks step upward with pillars, beams, girders and brackets carrying them.
- Panting stringers, breast hooks and fashion plates stiffen the bow shell against sea slap.
- Walk the surveyor fore to aft: peak, store, decks, frames, brackets, keel and side stringers each in place.
Surveyor follow-up: panting beam named at the stern with the breast hook claimed aft — forward, aft or re-learn first?
Full theory: Ship Types, Hull Form and the Parts of a Ship -
93 Fire in galley, actions, about wet chemical extnghr,
Answer
Galley fires die by isolation and smother: fuel and power off first, wet chemical on fat, never water on oil.
- Shut burners and heating plates with fuel and electrical supply isolated before a drop of agent flies.
- Smother fat and oil with wet chemical or fire blanket — water jets erupt burning oil across the galley.
- Massive drenching only for structure around the fire with re-ignition watches until steel cools.
- Ventilate against toxic gases after knockdown with the space proved cool before re-entering to clean.
Surveyor follow-up: fat fire with the extractor still running and the power still on — extinguish, isolate or ventilate first?
Full theory: Classes of Fire & Portable Fire Extinguishers on Ships -
94 Fire in workshop action
Answer
Workshop fires die by clean habits: alarm, isolate power, smother the bench, and keep hot work permitted or parked.
- Raise the alarm with ventilators managed and boundary cooling where the shop abuts paint and stores.
- Isolate electrics and gas with oily waste in closed metal bins — never near paint, spirits or steam pipes.
- Fight with the right portable: CO₂ and powder for electrics and oils, water only for solid furnishings.
- Afterwards permit every hot job with gas-free proof, screens and a fire watch — workshops burn twice without paper.
Surveyor follow-up: oily rags beside paint with wiring overloaded and hot work unpermitted — which fuel lit it, and what now?
Full theory: Classes of Fire & Portable Fire Extinguishers on Ships -
95 Fire safety in galley
Answer
Galley safety is grease control: clean ducts and filters, guarded fryers with auto-extinguishing, blankets to hand.
- Clean exhaust filters and ducts on schedule — grease films flash faster than any watchkeeper runs.
- Deep-fat ranges earn auto or manual fixed extinguishing with dual thermostats, power cut-off and galley alarms.
- Keep fire blankets and smothering gear at the door with burners proved off after cooking.
- Permit hot work never in the galley during cooking hours — gas-free proof and screens or no sparks.
Surveyor follow-up: ducts dripping grease with one thermostat bypassed and the blanket missing — cook, clean or close first?
Full theory: Classes of Fire & Portable Fire Extinguishers on Ships -
96 Firel line assembly what is present
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97 Free surfacy effect , what it affect to stability
Answer
Free surface steals stability: slack liquid runs downhill each roll, faking a smaller GM with longer, lazier rolls.
- Heel shifts liquid to the low side, moving G outward so GM and GZ shrink while heel grows.
- Loss follows free-surface dimensions and displacement — wide shallow tanks hurt most, pocketing near 90% full helps.
- Roll period lengthens as virtual GM falls; range and maximum righting shrink with it.
- Cure by pressing tanks full or empty, subdividing wide tanks and working cargo to kill slack before sea.
Surveyor follow-up: GM adequate on paper with three wide tanks slack and a slow heavy roll — stable, tender or lolling?
Full theory: Ship Stability: GM, Righting Levers and Free Surface -
98 Funnel fire, action
Answer
Funnel fires burn soot in the uptake: stop the engine to starve air, cool the casing, watch sparks with hoses charged.
- Soot from prolonged low-load and bad fuel coats economiser and uptake until a spark or hot gas lights it.
- Stop the main engine so oxygen falls below sustenance with boundary cooling on casing and deck.
- Post a funnel-spark fire watch with charged hoses — falling sparks start deck fires while the uptake burns.
- Wash gas sides clean after full cooling with drains proved before return to load.
Surveyor follow-up: outlet temperature climbing with sparks aloft and back pressure rising — stop, slow or wash online?
Full theory: Troubleshooting the Boiler -
99 Galley safety equipment
Answer
Galley gear kills fat fires fast: blankets and wet-chemical at the door, fixed fryer cover overhead, clean ducts always.
- Fire blankets and smothering gear stowed at the entrance with burners proved off after every cooking.
- Deep-fat ranges carry fixed auto or manual extinguishing with dual thermostats, power cut-off and galley alarms.
- Exhaust filters and ducts cleaned on schedule — grease films flash faster than any watchkeeper runs.
- Isolate fuel and power before agent flies; ventilate toxics only after steel cools below re-ignition.
Surveyor follow-up: ducts dripping grease with the blanket missing and one thermostat bypassed — cook, clean or close first?
Full theory: Classes of Fire & Portable Fire Extinguishers on Ships -
100 Gas checks and their value
Answer
Gas checks prove breathable and non-explosive: oxygen near 20.9%, hydrocarbons below 1% LFL, CO below 25 ppm, H₂S below 10 ppm.
- Oxygen at a quarter volume means full air — below it men faint, above it fires rage.
- Hydrocarbons under 1% of lower flammable limit keep the space below ignition with margin.
- Carbon monoxide below 25 ppm and hydrogen sulphide below 10 ppm keep toxics below harm.
- Test at several levels with ventilation running and retest through the job — one hatch reading proves nothing.
Surveyor follow-up: O₂ 20.9% at the hatch with the sump untested and fans stopped — enter, ventilate or retest first?
Full theory: Permits to Work: Enclosed Space Entry Criteria & Precautions -
101 Gases to be checked n their values
Answer
Check four gases together: oxygen for life, hydrocarbons for explosion, CO and H₂S for poison — each inside its limit.
- Oxygen steady near 20.9% through the space with continuous ventilation proved.
- Hydrocarbons under 1% LFL on the combustible-gas indicator before hot work or entry.
- CO under 25 ppm and H₂S under 10 ppm on toxic tubes with frequent retests.
- Calibrated instruments only with attendance logged — uncalibrated meters read confidence, not gas.
Surveyor follow-up: meter in calibration with one toxic tube expired and readings borderline — trust, retest or renew first?
Full theory: Permits to Work: Enclosed Space Entry Criteria & Precautions -
102 Gt, nt , draft, freshwater allowance of my vessel
Answer
Answer with your ship’s figures: gross and net tonnage from the certificate, draughts from the marks, allowance from the hydrometer.
- Gross tonnage is total enclosed volume, net tonnage the earning volume — read both off the tonnage certificate.
- Draughts read forward, aft and amidships with displacement taken from hydrostatic tables for the mean.
- Fresh-water allowance corrects load-line marks for dock-water density against summer displacement.
- Quote the four together with the zone limiting them — numbers without the ship’s name fail the oral.
Surveyor follow-up: summer mark awash in dock water with papers reading winter — load legal by which mark, and what maths proves it?
Full theory: Tonnage Measurement: Gross & Net Tonnage -
103 Handle of chemicals....msds
Answer
Handle chemicals by their data sheet: read hazards first, wear the sheet’s PPE, ventilate, contain and dispose ashore.
- Read the MSDS for hazards, exposure limits, first aid and spill measures before opening the container.
- Don the specified gloves, goggles and respirator with ventilation proved and no naked lights near volatiles.
- Stow by compatibility with bonding, labelling and spill kits to hand — never with paint, rags or steam lines.
- Dispose residues and washings ashore as chemical waste with entries logged — the bilge is never a dustbin.
Surveyor follow-up: chemical decanted unlabelled with the MSDS ashore and gloves missing — use, stop or re-train first?
Full theory: Marine Materials, Metallurgy & Mechanical Testing -
104 Heat sensor regulations and types
Answer
Heat detectors guard where smoke lies: fixed-temperature and rate-of-rise heads with graded response times by height.
- Fixed-temperature heads fire at a set temperature through bimetal or fusible joints near 57–100°C.
- Rate-of-rise heads fire on fast temperature climb, catching flaming fires before the fixed point cooks.
- Grades I–III set response times against ceiling height with coverage near 50 m² per head in accommodation and control spaces.
- Test by heat kit, never by flame — prove alarms, not arson, with dates logged per head.
Surveyor follow-up: rate-of-rise head in the galley tripping on cooking with the fixed head silent — siting, grade or housekeeping first?
Full theory: Ship Fire Detectors: Heat, Smoke & Flame Types -
105 How it detect
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106 How many written papers are pending
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107 How may hand flares
Answer
Count hand flares by station: bridge, lifeboats and liferafts each carry their SOLAS allocation in date and stowed dry.
- Ships, lifeboats and liferafts each hold red hand flares per the LSA Code tables for the ship’s size and service.
- Stow with parachute rockets and buoyant smoke as the full distress outfit — never flares alone.
- Check dates monthly with firing pictorials at the locker; expired signals fail the boat survey outright.
- Muster knowledge decides: the surveyor asks the lookout how and when to fire, not the master.
Surveyor follow-up: flares expired last month with replacements manifested ashore — sail, land or restrict operations?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter III — Life-Saving Appliances & Arrangements -
108 How to decide low expansion and high expansion?
Answer
Choose foam by space: low-expansion blankets open decks and tanks, high-expansion fills enclosed rooms.
- Low-expansion 2:1 to 20:1 throws far onto deck, manifolds and burning oil with monitors at 3 litres per m² per minute.
- Medium 20:1 to 200:1 bridges machinery pockets where throw matters less than creep.
- High-expansion past 200:1 floods holds and machinery spaces with lightweight bubbles that smother by volume.
- Decide by protected volume, throw and drainage — open deck never earns high foam, enclosed never earns monitors alone.
Surveyor follow-up: high-expansion ordered for the open deck with monitors deleted — coverage, throw or survey first to fail?
Full theory: Deck Foam & Inert Gas (IG) Systems on Tankers -
109 How to extinguish economiser fire, how you will come to know about economiser fire?
Answer
Know economiser fire by smell, sparks and back pressure; kill it by stopping the engine and starving air with boundaries cooled.
- Smoke smell from the casing with climbing outlet temperature, funnel sparks and deviating running figures.
- Superheater outlet rising where fitted confirms gas-side choking rather than gauge error.
- Stop to drop oxygen below sustenance with boundary cooling and a funnel-spark deck watch on charged hoses.
- Wash soot sides after full cooling with uptakes and drains proved before raising load again.
Surveyor follow-up: small fire claimed controllable at load with sparks falling on deck cargo — stop, slow or wash online?
Full theory: Troubleshooting the Boiler -
110 How to fight ecnomicer fire
Answer
Fight economiser fire by stopping fuel gas, not by hosing tubes: stop, cool outside, watch sparks, wash after.
- Reduce and stop the engine so gas flow and oxygen fall while jackets and pistons keep cooling.
- Cool the casing boundary from outside with the funnel watched for sparks onto deck and accommodation.
- Never open hot — air through hot soot refires it; inspect only cool with breathing cover ready.
- Prove clean gas paths by washing with drains open, then trend outlet temperatures back onto makers’ curves.
Surveyor follow-up: fire claimed out with outlet temperature still climbing and back pressure high — open, wash or keep stopped?
Full theory: Boiler Safety Devices and Emergency Response -
111 How to find m
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112 How to flood c02 in bulk
Answer
Flood bulk holds with CO₂ sealed and counted: men out, openings shut, pilot bottles first, calculated bottles fast.
- Clear the hold of every soul with ventilators, hatches, soundings and fans sealed gas-tight.
- Open the distribution valve to the burning hold at the manual station before touching cylinders.
- Pull cylinder levers fast in calculated number — never the starting bottle until the bank runs out.
- Hold 35–50% concentration sealed to port arrival with wet tarpaulins and caulking, re-entering only tested and permitted.
Surveyor follow-up: two cylinders short of calculation with one hatch leaking and men unaccounted — release, seal or muster first?
Full theory: CO2 Fixed Fire-Fighting System on Ships -
113 How to know vessel is lolled and how to correct it
Answer
A lolled ship sits heeled either side with negative GM: presume loll first, prove by moments, cure by lowering G.
- Slow heavy roll sitting off upright with equal listing moments port and starboard marks loll, not list.
- Assume loll for safety and calculate tank volumes for slack before moving a tonne.
- Lower G symmetrically by ballasting low or discharging high — never list-correct across with negative GM.
- Filling a tank to cure loll first loses GM to free surface — fill full in one move or choose another tank.
Surveyor follow-up: lolled with slack tanks each side and the high ballast tank offered first — press up, transfer or discharge?
Full theory: Ship Stability: GM, Righting Levers and Free Surface -
114 How to make sure 85 percent discharged in 2 mins
Answer
Prove the 85%-in-2-minutes CO₂ rule by design: right bottles, right pipes, no leaks, timed and weighed on survey.
- Size bottle banks and pipe bores so 85% of the charge reaches the space inside two minutes by calculation.
- Prove by discharge timing trials with pressure traces and weighing before and after.
- Hold tightness with sealed openings — leaking dampers and hatches steal the percentage before the clock does.
- Log the proof with the FSS Code pages flagged; the surveyor reads the trace, not the claim.
Surveyor follow-up: 80% in two minutes with one damper leaking and pipes correct — pass, adjust or fail, and what now?
Full theory: CO2 Fixed Fire-Fighting System on Ships -
115 How was it fitted to hull
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116 How water can come in engine
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117 How will u charge onboard
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118 How will you know if there is leakage during cargo operation
Answer
Leaks show at manifolds, trays and sounding pipes first: rounds, drip-tray watches and sounding trends catch them before scuppers do.
- Walk manifolds, hoses and arms each round with drip trays dry, save-alls drained and scuppers plugged.
- Watch pressure gauges and loading rates for sag without valve movement — hidden leaks bleed pressure.
- Sound adjacent ballast, bunker and void tanks for unexpected rise with vapour sniffed at vents.
- Stop, close and contain on the first sheen with the terminal told — a drip logged beats a spill explained.
Surveyor follow-up: pressure sagging with trays dry and soundings steady — hose, joint or instrument first to blame?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex I — Prevention of Pollution by Oil -
119 How you know there is fire in cargo
Answer
Cargo fires whisper before they roar: smoke, heat, gas and bilge signs together with detectors confirming.
- Smoke and smell at hatches and vents with hold temperatures climbing on the fixed thermometry.
- Gas detectors and sample-extraction smoke heads alarming with bilges hot or discoloured.
- Boundary steel warming through decks and bulkheads with paint blistering near the seat.
- Confirm by two independent signs before flooding — one smoking ventilator never sinks a hold alone.
Surveyor follow-up: one smoke head alarming with holds cool and bilges normal — flood, ventilate or investigate first?
Full theory: Fire Control Plan, Muster List & Flooding Response -
120 How you make sure 85percent is released in first 2min
Answer
Prove the 85%-in-2-minutes CO₂ rule by design plus drill: sized banks and pipes with leaks sealed, timed and weighed.
- Size bottle count and pipe bores by calculation so 85% of the charge reaches the space inside two minutes.
- Allow 60–90 seconds delay after both cabinet valves for escape with the master valve proved open first.
- Seal every opening gas-tight — leaking dampers and hatches steal the percentage before the clock does.
- Prove by timed discharge with pressure traces and before-after weighing logged against the FSS Code.
Surveyor follow-up: 80% in two minutes with one damper leaking and pipes correct — pass, adjust or fail?
Full theory: CO2 Fixed Fire-Fighting System on Ships -
121 Hv system adv
Answer
High voltage earns its danger money: thinner cables, smaller machines, lower losses for bow thrusters, reefers and propulsion.
- Same megawatts at 6.6 kV draw a fraction of 440 V current, so feeders shrink and fault levels drop.
- Motors shrink per kilowatt — thrusters and reefer banks fit where low-voltage giants never would.
- Copper and iron losses fall with current, holding temperature and fuel inside makers’ curves.
- Typical marine levels run 3.3, 6.6 and 11 kV with switching, isolation and insulation testing to procedure.
Surveyor follow-up: 2 MW thruster proposed at 440 V with feeders already hot — voltage, cable or load first to change?
Full theory: Marine High Voltage (HV) Installations — 3.3 kV, 6.6 kV & 11 kV Switchgear and Safety -
122 Hydrogen fire temp
Answer
Hydrogen burns near 2000°C with an almost invisible flame: ventilate battery spaces, kill ignition, cool surroundings.
- Charging batteries vent hydrogen lighter than air — inlets low, corrosion-proof outlets high with non-sparking fans.
- Flame barely visible in daylight, so treat every suspected battery-box hiss as fire until proved otherwise.
- Starve by stopping charge, ventilating free and isolating electrics; cool steel around, never jet water into acid.
- Ban naked lights, smoking, metal jugs and sparking tools in the space with flameproof lighting only.
Surveyor follow-up: battery box hot with the fan dead and lights normal — ventilate, isolate or enter first?
Full theory: Marine Batteries: Lead-Acid vs NiCd, Charging & 440/220 V Distribution -
123 If solid, what will happen
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124 Ig new regulation
Answer
New IG rules hold tanks below combustion: oxygen capped low with hydrocarbons controlled and flammable limits respected.
- Keep cargo-tank oxygen below limits with hydrocarbon gas held outside its flammable band around the 2% region.
- Lower limit starves fuel-lean mixes, upper limit starves air-rich ones — IG keeps tanks outside both.
- Prove by calibrated analysers with alarms, records and deck-isolation discipline on every operation.
- New-build and retrofit dates from the IG standard apply by type and size — quote your ship’s fit, not the headline.
Surveyor follow-up: oxygen in limits with hydrocarbons inside the band and analysers overdue — inerted or explosive?
Full theory: Deck Foam & Inert Gas (IG) Systems on Tankers -
125 International shore connection dimensions and purpose
Answer
The shore connection marries ship to shore hose: 178 mm flange marrying any SOLAS hydrant for mutual fire cover.
- Flange 178 mm outside, 64 mm bore on a 132 mm bolt circle with four 16 mm bolts through 19 mm slots.
- Steel for 10 kg service with flat face one side and the ship’s coupling permanent on the other.
- Kept ready with gasket and bolts for instant use in any port — shore water into ship main or reverse.
- No toxic-medium ban applies here: fire water only, with the connection proved at drills, not at fires.
Surveyor follow-up: connection missing its gasket with bolts mismatched and coupling seized — serviceable or failed?
Full theory: Ship Fire Main & Emergency Fire Pump System -
126 Lb lowering procedure
Answer
Lower boats by drill order: power on, lashings off, crew seated, hatches shut, pins out, brake walks her down.
- Switch hydraulic power on with the lever to lower, freeing gripes, lashings and harbour pins in order.
- Traverse davit arms out with falls hooked both ends, crew seated with belts and grab handles held.
- Shut hatches, pull release safety pins, close bypasses, then pump or brake the boat down steady.
- Confirm visually through the descent with the painter led — a lowering unproved is a drill failed.
Surveyor follow-up: boat cocked with one fall running and the brake smoking — continue, brake harder or hoist back?
Full theory: Lifeboat Davits and Davit Winches — Gravity Lowering and Two Brakes -
127 Lo drums entry in which category ?
Answer
Lube-oil drums are garbage, not cargo residues: Annex V operational waste logged by category in the record book.
- Group as operational waste with oily rags and maintenance discards — plastics separated first, then ground and unground streams.
- Paper, rags, glass, metal and crockery split ground versus unground; e-waste and cooking oil logged apart.
- Empty drums landed ashore to reception with quantities in cubic metres per category, never overboard.
- Prove by placards, segregated bins and dated record-book lines — the surveyor reads bins before books.
Surveyor follow-up: oil drums in the food-waste bin with the record book silent — compliant segregation or not?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex V — Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships -
128 Man ovbd action
Answer
Man overboard means alarm, mark, turn and launch: lifebuoy and smoke out, Williamson back, rescue boat away.
- Shout, throw lifebuoy with light and smoke, sound the alarm and mark the position instantly.
- Turn by Williamson or single-turn with lookouts posted and the rescue boat crew closed up.
- Muster, roll call and launch the rescue boat with EPIRB and SART thinking started early.
- Recover to leeward with sea anchor streamed, treating exposure from the first minute aboard.
Surveyor follow-up: position marked but the turn delayed with lookouts unposted — recoverable, or already failed?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter III — Life-Saving Appliances & Arrangements -
129 Material of membrane
Answer
Answer with your plant’s membrane: RO uses aromatic polyamide or cellulose-acetate spirals and hollow fibres at pressure.
- Hollow-fine-fibre polyamide or cellulose-acetate bundles pass water and hold salts near 25-plus bar on sea water.
- Spiral-wound cellulose-acetate suits brackish feeds; polyamide or polysulphone suits sea water duty.
- State your vessel’s element type, pressure and product ppm — “membrane” alone never satisfies the surveyor.
- Prove by logs of pressure, flow and salinity with cleaning and replacement intervals to maker figures.
Surveyor follow-up: product salinity climbing with pressures steady and cleaning overdue — membrane, seals or instrumentation first?
Full theory: Reverse Osmosis (RO) Desalination Plants — Membranes, High-Pressure Pumping & Water Quality -
130 Mositure content. Why is it important
Answer
Water in oil kills films and steel: test by carbide pressure and crackle, then purify before bearings pay.
- Calcium-carbide test mixes 5 ml oil with reagent — acetylene pressure rise reads water against the oil chart.
- Crackle test fries drops hot — popping and steam prove free water on the spot.
- Water oxidises oil, raises viscosity, pits journals and flashes to steam in hot bearings.
- Prove by test log with purifier throughput cut and settling drained — wet oil Maths never waits for analysis ashore.
Surveyor follow-up: crackle positive with the carbide reading low and the purifier full open — test, throughput or heater first?
Full theory: Cooling, Lubrication and Fuel — Systems and the Tanks Checked Before Starting -
131 Motor room safeties
Answer
Pump and motor rooms sail gas-tight and alarmed: fixed gas detection, non-sparking ventilation, EEBDs and foam to hand.
- Continuous hydrocarbon monitoring with regular calibration plus deck-readable oxygen sampling before entry.
- Non-sparking fans with deck-closable dampers and gratings that never choke airflow.
- Bilge high-level alarms ringing in control, engine room and bridge with manual trips proved.
- Foam extinguishers low, EEBDs accessible, dead-man alarm live and stretcher staged on the bottom platform.
Surveyor follow-up: gas alarm muted with ventilation stopped and EEBDs missing — enter, ventilate or detain first?
Full theory: Centrifugal Cargo Pumps & Stripping Systems — Double-Entry Impellers, Steam Turbines and Vac-Strip -
132 Odme working how it detect oil content
Answer
ODME proves cargo washings clean: oil-content meter with flow, GPS and data logger stopping discharge past limits.
- Oil-content meter reads effluent against flow with GPS position stamping every litre per mile.
- Controller logs rate, total, date, time and position with pressure switches guarding sample flow.
- Slop-tank decants discharge only through the monitor with auto-stop past permitted oil content.
- Prove by function test with the record sheets — the surveyor reads the log, not the lamp.
Surveyor follow-up: meter reading clean with the sample line proved blocked and flow steady — compliant or blind?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex I — Prevention of Pollution by Oil -
133 Omd working and construction
Answer
OMD sniffs crankcase mist with light: sampling pump, measuring cells and comparator tripping the alarm before explosion.
- Sample vapour drawn from each crankcase point through heated lines into measuring cells.
- Light scatter or obscuration across the cell rises with mist density against a clean reference.
- Graviner-type heads compare sample beams with reference beams, alarming well below explosive mix.
- Prove by span gas and obscured-cell test with rotator or selector proving each sampling point in turn.
Surveyor follow-up: OMD pegged high with the crankcase cool and doors shut — mist, sampling fault or detector first?
Full theory: Safety — Crankcase Explosion, Scavenge Fire and Starting Air Line Explosion -
134 Onload ofload release mechanism
Answer
Release gear drops the boat two ways: off-load floating free on the hydrostatic piston, on-load under control with interlocks.
- Off-load releases only waterborne or unloaded — water pressure lifts the piston, lever trips hooks, falls go.
- Safety pins disable off-load where piston failure threatens, allowing on-load release instead.
- On-load releases under full load to 1.1 times boat plus complement with double interlocks against premature trip.
- LSA Code demands both capabilities proved — hooks, pistons, pins and falls logged per drill.
Surveyor follow-up: off-load tripped with the boat a metre above water and pins in — mechanism, drill or seamanship failed?
Full theory: LSA Chapter 5: Lifeboats — Types, Engine, Davit & Drills -
135 Orange red and blue bulb temperatures
Answer
Quartzoid bulbs burst by colour: red near 68°C, yellow near 80°C, green near 93°C — sited to the heat expected.
- Expanding liquid with its gas cushion shatters the bulb at rating, dropping the valve onto the deflector.
- Accommodation heads sit red-rated near 68°C; hotter machinery and galley positions earn higher ratings.
- Hotter siting without re-rating cooks false alarms; cooler siting without rating delays the spray.
- Prove by rating log per head with dates — painted or corroded bulbs read blind and fail the survey.
Surveyor follow-up: red heads in a 60°C engine casing with false alarms weekly — rating, siting or ventilation first?
Full theory: Ship Sprinkler & Hypermist (Water Mist) Systems -
136 Pfe which are banned onboard
Answer
Halon is the banned portable: ozone-killing halogen agents out, CO₂, powder and foam in their place.
- Halon 1301 interrupts combustion chemically but destroys ozone — banned from new supply and refills.
- Ships carry CO₂ for electrics and galley risks, dry powder for oils and gases, foam for deck and machinery.
- Existing halon banks landed ashore under programme with approved substitutes fitted and labelled.
- Answer by naming what guards each space now — the surveyor fails nostalgia for banned bottles.
Surveyor follow-up: halon bottle still racked with pressure proved good — serviceable, land ashore or detain?
Full theory: Classes of Fire & Portable Fire Extinguishers on Ships -
137 Plimsole mark (he want to hear letters on line in central circle
Answer
Read the Plimsoll aloud: disc letters amidships with seasonal ladder and timber marks where assigned.
- Disc 300 mm across with the summer line through centre — TF, F, T, S, W and WNA laddered beside by zone.
- Deck line 300 by 25 mm above marks the freeboard deck with draught marks fore, aft and amidships.
- Timber marks repeat the set 540 mm higher with L-prefix letters where timber is carried.
- Punched into steel and painted contrast — white or yellow on dark, black on light — legible past fading paint.
Surveyor follow-up: timber marks claimed with no L-letters and the disc letters unreadable — marked or unmarked?
Full theory: Load Line: Marks, Letters & Conventions -
138 Pp room safety
Answer
Purifier rooms stay clean, cool and watched: leak trays dry, steam and water proved, fire cover closed up.
- Keep bowl pits drained with leak alarms live and sludge handling closed — oil mist loves a hot purifier flat.
- Prove operating water, control air and heater control before opening the feed, logging bowl speed steady.
- Ventilate continuously with electrics flame-safe and hot surfaces lagged against spray ignition.
- Close up with fixed smothering proved, boundaries cool and the space logged gas-free after maintenance.
Surveyor follow-up: purifier room misty with the leak tray full and ventilation stopped — run, stop or ventilate first?
Full theory: Centrifugal Cargo Pumps & Stripping Systems — Double-Entry Impellers, Steam Turbines and Vac-Strip -
139 Purpose of freeing port
Answer
Freeing ports drain the well deck: bulwark openings near deck level sized by well length that spill green seas overboard.
- Lower edges hard down on the deck so shipped water runs out instead of ponding against the bulwark.
- Area per side follows well-deck length with two-thirds in the half nearest the lowest sheer.
- Hinged shutters swing out to drain and shut against entry, keeping firemain and gangway clear.
- Survey reads area, position and shutters together — freeing ports are Load Line appliances, not scuppers.
Surveyor follow-up: freeing area short with shutters seized shut and pounding damage forward — seaworthy or detained?
Full theory: Decks, Openings and Watertight Closing Appliances -
140 Pyrotechnique and numbers
Answer
Carry the full distress outfit: 12 parachute rockets on the bridge with 4 rockets, 6 hand flares and 2 smoke per boat and raft.
- Bridge holds at least 12 rocket parachutes with line-throwers proved alongside.
- Every lifeboat and liferaft stows 4 parachute rockets, 6 hand flares and 2 buoyant smoke signals.
- Stow dry and in date with pictorial firing orders — expired signals fail the LSA survey outright.
- Muster knowledge decides: the lookout fires, not the master — drill names, colours and arcs by heart.
Surveyor follow-up: rockets in date with hand flares expired and smoke missing on one raft — outfit or offence?
Full theory: LSA Chapter 2: Pyrotechnics, VHF, SART, EPIRB & GMDSS -
141 Pyrotechniques names and quantity
Answer
Name three signals with their counts: parachute rockets for range, hand flares for night, smoke for day — each in its numbers.
- Parachute rockets rain red stars for long-range homing, bridge 12 with boats and rafts 4 each.
- Hand flares burn red at arm’s length for night station-keeping, 6 per boat and raft.
- Buoyant orange smoke marks by day for aircraft, 2 per boat and raft with line-throwers on the bridge.
- Quote carriage with stowage and expiry together — numbers without dates fail the muster.
Surveyor follow-up: smoke in date with rockets short and flares unlisted — complete outfit or partial failure?
Full theory: LSA Chapter 2: Pyrotechnics, VHF, SART, EPIRB & GMDSS -
142 Regulations for same
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143 Safety checks on scaba bottel before using it
Answer
SCBA bottles go on test before lungs: visual, pressure, leak-down, whistle, mask seal — logged, not glanced.
- Visual for dents, corrosion, bulging and loose mounts with harness and straps proved sound.
- Pressure proved near test 250 bar with reducing valve near 5.5 bar and demand valve breathing to rate.
- Leak-down under 20 bar per minute shut, whistle sounding near 50–60 bar, face seal holding positive pressure.
- Log cylinder, date and defects with lifeline 30 m proved — cracked seals and silent whistles fail the set.
Surveyor follow-up: gauge full with the whistle silent and the mask leaking — charged, serviceable or failed?
Full theory: LSA Chapter 3: Line Throwing, EEBD & SCABA -
144 Scvange space fire action
Answer
Starve a scavenge fire without panic: slow her, cut the unit’s fuel, cool and lube on, drains shut, temperatures watched to out.
- Reduce speed and puncture fuel to the burning unit with jackets and pistons held cooling.
- Boost cylinder lubrication and shut scavenge drains so flame cannot run the trunk open.
- Watch scavenge and exhaust temperatures fall over 15–30 minutes with turbocharger surging easing.
- Relight slowly only proved out with re-ignition watches kept — haste refires the trunk.
Surveyor follow-up: temperatures falling with smoke still at the drain and surging alive — relight, wait or inject CO₂ now?
Full theory: Scavenge Fires, Trunk Safety & Relief Devices -
145 Shall expansion plan
Answer
Read the shell expansion as the hull unrolled: strake letters with sheer, bilge, garboard and stealers in place.
- Lettered strakes run sheer strake at the deck edge down through side shell to garboard beside the keel.
- Bilge strakes turn the bilge with stealer plates taking up breadth where lines narrow forward and aft.
- Openings, inserts and thicker sheer and bilge belts read off the plan with their positions framed.
- Answer by pointing: name each strake, its letter and its frame span — the surveyor fails recitation without location.
Surveyor follow-up: stealer claimed amidships with strakes lettered from the keel up — drawing, reading or both wrong?
Full theory: Ship Types, Hull Form and the Parts of a Ship -
146 Shear fwd and aft shear 2x and x
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147 Shel expansion plan
Answer
The shell plan is the plating map: every strake, seam and insert located by frame for survey and steel work.
- Strake letters with sheer, side, bilge and garboard named with thickness and extent per strake.
- Stealers, inserts and doubling plates marked where breadth changes or stress concentrates.
- Openings for sea chests, discharges and thrusters located with their compensation rings.
- Carry the plan to steel renewals — cut by letter and frame, never by eye.
Surveyor follow-up: renewal cut without strake letter or frame number with the plan aboard — acceptable steel work or not?
Full theory: Ship Types, Hull Form and the Parts of a Ship -
148 Sprinklwr system and color coding meaning and values with color
Answer
Sprinkler bulbs burst by colour: red near 68°C, yellow near 80°C, green near 93°C — sited to the heat overhead.
- Quartzoid liquid with its gas cushion shatters at rating, dropping the valve onto the deflector spray.
- Accommodation heads sit red-rated; hotter galley and casing positions earn yellow and green.
- Wrong rating cooks false alarms or delays water — match bulb to compartment maximum plus margin.
- Prove by rating map per head with dates; painted or corroded bulbs read blind.
Surveyor follow-up: red heads above a 60°C casing tripping weekly — rating, siting or ventilation first?
Full theory: Ship Sprinkler & Hypermist (Water Mist) Systems -
149 Statutaroy stearing(don't know
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150 Stp new amendment
Also asked: “STP New ammendment”
Answer
Sewage plants sail certified: treatment, comminuter or holding tank with discharge rules and the certificate naming the fit.
- Plants certified to MEPC effluent standards with type, maker and pipeline compliance on the certificate.
- Comminuted and disinfected sewage goes past 3 miles en route above 4 knots; untreated past 12 miles.
- No floating solids or discoloration in the wake with the record of operations kept for inspection.
- Quote your ship’s fit — treatment, comminuter or holding — with the amendment date behind it.
Surveyor follow-up: treatment plant bypassed with the holding tank full inside 3 miles — hold, treat or discharge?
Full theory: The Sewage Treatment Plant — Aeration, Settling and Chlorination
Source: 123 written papers and surveyor oral banks, 24,613 entries, merged into 17,210 topics. Ticks are stored on this device only.