On board ships, more often than not, emergencies come unannounced. Many emergency situations, such as fire, flooding, collision, grounding, medical emergencies, man overboard, etc., can occur at any time during the day or even night.
With thousands of passengers and crew on board, an emergency situation on a passenger ship can quickly escalate into panic, which can worsen the existing situation very quickly. Therefore, the importance of drills, training and emergency preparedness cannot be over-emphasized.
Regarding crew drills on cargo & passenger ships, SOLAS, according to its regulation III/19, mentions that every crew member shall participate in at least one abandon ship drill and one fire drill every month.
The drills of the crew shall take place within 24 hours of the ship leaving a port if more than 25% of the crew have not participated in abandon ship and fire drills on board that particular ship in the previous month.
For passenger ships, SOLAS, as per regulation III/30, says that such abandon ship & fire drills shall be held weekly. However, the entire crew need not be involved in every drill.
First-response/Emergency teams
Some selected crew members (usually from Deck, Technical and Security departments) are chosen to form emergency response teams on board.
Such teams are usually 3 or 4 in no. as per company policy, and each such team can comprise 15-20 members. These teams are designated, trained and specialise in fire-fighting operations, equipment (donning of fireman’s outfit, SCBA and use of fire hoses, extinguishers, AFFF etc.) and methodology (emergency routes, operation of watertight/weathertight doors, smoke-screen, fire-screen doors, entry procedures in smoke-filled compartments etc.).
Usually, the first emergency team is from the deck department. This team acts as the primary team in case of fire/emergency scenarios outside technical spaces (in passenger areas, public areas, upper decks and open decks).
The second emergency team is from the technical department. This team acts as the primary team in case of fire/emergencies in technical spaces (engine room and other machinery spaces).
A third emergency team comprises members from the security department. They act as assistant/support to the first two teams. A Medical/Stretcher team (comprising of doctors and other medical personnel) is also there, which helps in case of evacuating casualties/ injured/unconscious persons from the scene of emergency and provides them first aid/check for vitals.
Each emergency team has a leader who must take full charge during drills and actual emergencies. The team leaders, in turn, report to the On-scene commanders (usually the Staff Chief Engineer for engine scenarios or the Safety Officer for deck scenarios), who are in constant radio communication with the bridge.
They are also trained in damage-control methods and procedures to mitigate flooding hull-breach scenarios. Some crew members from the emergency teams (usually some engineers & deck officers) are also appointed as in charge of lifeboats, whereby they must know the procedures to launch/lower lifeboats, on-load/off-load release mechanisms, starting lifeboat engines and safely manoeuvring the lifeboat away from the ship with passengers, in case of an abandon ship scenario.
Some of the hotel/entertainment crew/staff can be given first responder duties as stairwell guides (to guide passengers in finding their way to their designated muster stations in an emergency). Such crew members are provided with hats or fluorescent jackets to be easily identifiable.
Drills & Trainings
In order to remain in compliance and for continuous improvement in the emergency response procedures and skills of the crew, the SOLAS regulations mentioned earlier are followed to the letter on board cruise ships.
A full crew drill involving every crew member is usually held once every two weeks/twice a month (minimum one is the requirement as per SOLAS). Such drills usually comprise either a fire drill or a damage control drill (flooding/hull breach scenario), followed by an abandon ship drill.
Apart from this, every alternative week when there is no scheduled full crew drill, a partial drill involving only the emergency teams and first responders is held, which does not involve the entire crew. Such drills are occasionally supplemented by training.
The training sessions involve training in donning the fireman’s outfit, SCBA, usage of VHF radios, communication during emergencies, rigging and securing hoses, usage of FFA, entering a smoke-filled compartment, etc. All such drills and training are pre-planned and scheduled well in advance for the awareness of the crew.
Drill conduct and methodology
Before the commencement of such planned drills, passengers are alerted and informed in advance about their occurrence. This is done to avoid fear and panic amongst the passengers, who can potentially get alarmed by the sudden announcements and movements of the emergency squads.
At the time of the drill, the bridge makes a verbal announcement on the ship’s PA system to draw the attention of and alert the first responders regarding the emergency (fire, flooding, etc.) and its exact location on the ship (deck no., fire zone no., compartment name, forward/midship/aft).
Cruise ships are divided vertically into decks and horizontally into fire zones and watertight compartments in order to contain fire/flooding. This also serves the purpose of easy identification of the location, making it much more specific.
As this is a drill, the announcement must be preceded by “For exercise” to not spread panic.
Please note that all drills are designed to simulate real emergency situations, and all actions taken during the drills should mirror those that would be taken in an actual emergency. The main difference is that real emergencies can occur without warning, and there will be no prior announcement with the phrase “for exercise.”
After receiving such an announcement, first responders and emergency teams must promptly reach their designated emergency stations (such as fire lockers/stations for fire drills or damage control lockers/stations for damage control drills). Once there, they must follow the instructions of their team leaders and carry out their emergency duties accordingly.
In a fire scenario, the deck and engine emergency response teams are split into fire-fighting and hose-handling teams. The engineers form one fire-fighting team, while the deck officers form another. The ratings of each team become the hose-handlers for their respective fire-fighting teams.
The fire-fighters must then don the fireman’s outfit and SCBA, check equipment, and proceed to the emergency scene to tackle the fire under the guidance of their team leader. Hose handlers are responsible for rigging and securing fire hoses.
According to SOLAS regulations, crew members with enclosed space entry or rescue responsibilities must participate in drills every two months. These drills ensure awareness of the dangers of enclosed spaces and correct procedures for rescue operations. Bunker oil spill drills are also conducted every two months.
Lifeboats must be launched with their operating crew aboard and maneuvered in the water every three months during an abandon ship drill. This allows for testing of equipment and maintenance as needed.
New crew members must undergo lifeboat hook release and life raft launch training. Tabletop or touch drills may also be utilized to test theoretical emergency response knowledge.
Passenger drills are essential for ensuring safety on board. Newly embarked passengers must participate in musters before or immediately upon departure, where they are instructed in emergency procedures. Information cards, posters, or videos may supplement the briefing.
Following the Costa Concordia incident, amendments to SOLAS regulations now mandate passenger safety drills be conducted prior to or immediately upon departure. These drills are crucial for familiarizing passengers with safety procedures and ensuring preparedness for emergencies.
In conclusion, drills and training on ships are vital for enhancing safety awareness and emergency preparedness. These measures are crucial for preventing panic and potential disasters on board ships, especially those carrying large numbers of passengers.
Therefore, regular drills and training are of paramount importance in order to test and improve the response time of the crew and passengers alike, as a few moments can be the difference between life and death when the ship is out at sea.
This is the same reason why flag states, port states, esteemed organisations such as the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the United Kingdom Maritime & Coastguard Agency, Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), and classification societies lay a lot of importance to emergency preparedness, crew drills and passenger drills on board passenger ships.
They regularly board passenger ships to test the crew readiness by ordering mock full crew drills by simulating emergency situations and also posing questions to random crew members regarding the emergency procedures and arrangements on board those vessels. Such drills are carried out to the satisfaction of such organisations/administration/authorities calling for them to be performed.
These authorities also have the power to prevent the vessel from sailing in case the performance of the crew in the drills is found to be unsatisfactory as per their discretion and/or if they have reasons to believe that a significant number of crew members are unaware of the safety/emergency arrangements and procedures on board that ship.
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