Peril at Sea and Salvage: A Guide for Masters. Sixth Edition

Published: October 2020

Author: OCIMF

The shipping industry has made great progress in the last twenty years in its goal to eliminate accidents, but the sea remains a challenging place to operate. When an emergency happens, the ship’s Master takes responsibility for dealing with the situation, acting decisively to protect lives and prevent or minimise damage to the ship, environment and cargo.

Peril at Sea and Salvage: A Guide for Masters outlines the actions a Master should take when confronted with an emergency: from the initial assessment and immediate actions, through to towage or salvage arrangements, as may be necessary. It also explains the importance of prompt notification to relevant parties, particularly coastal States and the company. A section is included with recommendations for a company’s shore-based personnel.

Peril at Sea and Salvage has been the standard reference for Masters to prepare for emergency situations for 40 years. Much has changed in the shipping industry in the 20 years since the last edition was Published:. Regulatory changes and improvements in technology, communication and processes mean that the Master can now expect more shore-based support throughout the emergency using various communications channels.

Rising standards and fewer incidents also mean that many seafarers may never have experienced a major emergency on board. This Guide provides clear guidance on best practices for the Master, but should also be read by anyone who might be involved in managing emergency situations on a ship, including shore-based personnel, emergency assistance service providers and training institutions.

This sixth edition supersedes the ICS/OCIMF joint publication Peril at Sea and Salvage: A Guide to Masters, Fifth Edition (1998), which is now withdrawn from sale.

Content

Foreword 
Definitions 
Abbreviations 
Chapter 1 Introduction 
1.1 What is a shipping emergency? 
1.2 The Master’s authority and responsibility 
1.3 The company’s responsibility 
Chapter 2 Initial response 
2.1 Initial assessment 
External assistance 
Actions 
The risk of oil or other spills 
2.2 Initial alerts and notifications 
Format 
Chapter 3 Implementing the emergency response plan 
3.1 General 
3.2 Safety of personnel 
3.3 Assess the damage 
Assess a hull breach 
Assess a fire 
Respond to the potential for flammable vapour emissions 
3.4 Action to take when the ship is disabled but still afloat 
Control accidental flooding 
Assess the ship’s manoeuvring capability 
Understand the drift characteristics of a disabled ship 
3.5 Action to take when the ship is aground 
Immediate actions to take on running aground 
Assess the situation 
Assess the damage 
Take additional soundings 
Identify the options before attempting to refloat 
Consider stress and stability 
Jettisoning cargo or bunkers 
Chapter 4 Updates and follow-up actions 
4.1 Update the company and authorities 
4.2 Keep records 
4.3 Managing the media 
4.4 Responding to government intervention 
4.5 Formal inquiries and fair treatment of seafarers 
Chapter 5 Towage and salvage 
5.1 General 
5.2 Emergency towage 
Regulatory requirements 
Plan for emergency towage 
5.3 Planned or ocean towage 
Prepare for towage 
If using a dedicated towage vessel 
Connecting the tow 
Starting the tow 
5.4 Salvage 
Chapter 6 Preparing for an emergency – companies 
6.1 Introduction 
6.2 Establish an effective emergency response plan 
6.3 Set up an emergency response centre 
6.4 Establish resources, competence and skills 
6.5 Set up training, exercises and drills 
6.6 National incident command systems 
6.7 Places of refuge 
6.8 Contracts 
Contracts for salvage assistance 
Lloyd’s Standard Form of Salvage Agreement (Lloyd’s Open Form) and the SCOPIC Clause 
6.9 General average 
6.10 Government intervention 
6.11 Formal inquiries and fair treatment of seafarers 
Appendices 
A Lloyd’s Standard Form of Salvage Agreement 
  (Lloyd’s Open Form - LOF) 
 B SCOPIC Clause 
 C Examples of other standard forms of salvage agreement 
  Turkish standard form 
  Japanese standard form 
 D Examples of commercial salvage and towage agreements 
 E Examples of flag State incident reporting forms 
  Example incident reporting form – Singapore 
  Example incident reporting form – Marshall Islands 
 F Useful publications and websites