1. Emergency

Search and Rescue

(SAR)

• at sea

2. Application

• Shorebased Organisation

• All Ships

3. Situations and Action on Board

Situation	Respon­sibility	Action	Comments
Receipt of distress call	Officer of the watch	Records complete distress call; acknowledges receipt	Radio
Informing Master	Officer of the watch	Informs Master immediately and at any time	Telephone
Direction and distance	Officer of the watch	Establishes own position; establishes distance from and direction of ship in distress; establishes earliest possible time of reaching ship in distress.	GPS Admiralty chart
Informing coastal radio station	Master	Passes on distress signal to coastal radio station; advises own course/speed and earliest possible time of arrival (ETA)	Radio
Informing Engine Department	Master	Informs Chief Engineer/engineer's watch of situation	Telephone
Altering course	Master	Assesses possibility of rendering assistance (distance, bunkers r.o.b., dangerous cargo); stands to ship in distress; orders full speed ahead.
Announcement	Master	Makes announcement via intercom
Co-ordinating rescue	Master	Agrees rescue operations with SAR Centre; if at a great distance from ship in distress and a number of other ships closer to the scene, requests release from SAR Centre.	Radio/Fax

Situation	Respon­sibility	Action	Comments
Position fixing	Officer of the watch	Has paper and pen handy; regularly listens in during silent period; records radio conversations or makes notes; switches on and constantly monitors radar set takes bearing of distressed ship, enters into chart.
Informing headoffice	Master	Informs headoffice of situation, action taken and estimated delay.	Telephone, Fax
Reinforcing watch	Officer of the watch	Reinforces bridge lookout
Weather report	Officer of the watch	Gets current weather report, updates it constantly
Search	Master	Has copy of book 'Search and Rescue' ready, agrees searching scheme with regional SAR co-ordination centre; enters agreed searching scheme into chart and performs allocated task.	"Search and Rescue"“
Searchlight	Officer of the watch	at night, prepares searchlight (should not dazzle bridge)	Searchlight
Sighting	Officer of the watch	Establishes position of distressed ship, enters into chart; reports to other ships and SAR co-ordination centre; informs Master lets distressed ship know it has been located (VHF, visual signal, tyfon)	Radar, optical bearing Radio

Situation	Respon­sibility	Action	Comments
Approach	Master	Orders engine ready for manoeuvring; has rudder manned, changes over to hand rudder; is in charge of approach; establishes radiophone connection with distressed ship.	Channel 16
Announcement	Master	Makes announcement via intercom
General alarm	Master	Raises General alarm for crew; informs crew.
Preparing for salvage	Boat Squads	Boat squad dons immersion suits: get boats ready; take inflatable liferaft to main deck; prepare long lines.	Immersion suits
Preparations to attend to salved persons	Catering staff	Prepare hospital and vacant bunks for injured persons
Rescue	Master	Circles distressed ship; gives a lee; puts own ship up wind of distressed ship, thereby giving lee to rescue boat.
Rescue Operation	Boat Squad	Establishes radio communication with own boat; Launches boat to windward of distressed ship; boat approaches bow or stern of distressed ship to rescue people; depending on wind and drift of distressed ship, boat should keep at windward side thereof; parent ship to give lee to boat on windward side as long as possible; parent ship recovers boat on leeward side of distressed ship.	Walkie-Talkie

Situation	Respon­sibility	Action	Comments
In heavy gale	Boat Squad, Safety Officer	In case gale and sea too heavy for rescue by boat, put ship to windward side of distressed vessel Safety Officer in charge of station on main deck; maintains communication via walkie-talkie; secure liferaft painter to parent ship (through stern hawse pipe) and launch closed raft; open raft by ripping painter and let raft drift towards distressed ship; pay out painter; carefully pull liferaft with rescued persons onboard towards parent ship.	Inflatable liferaft Walkie-talkie Winch
Scrambling Nets	Boat Squad	Brings out scrambling nets (cargo net) through pilot port to take over rescued persons; brings out pilot ladder; secures own people to ship by means of life lines.	Scrambling nets
Treatment		For treatment of rescued persons, refer to NP-003 'Man Overboard'
Information on Rescued Persons	Chief Mate	Records in a list, names, age and nationality of all persons rescued and taken on board; records health condition of each person; if applicable, collects seaman's books, passports, etc. passes on information to SAR co-ordination centre.
Recovery of salvaging equipment	Boat Squad	Takes own rescue boats on board (if necessary, with cargo gear); takes life rafts on board; checks condition of equipment used; reports, through the Master, damage suffered by own equipment, and equipment used, to headoffice.

Situation	Respon­sibility	Action	Comments
Documentation	Master	Makes entries in ship's log; writes report (in case distressed ship flies foreign flag, report to be written in English for court of enquiry); takes possession of sea charts used, scrap log and records of VHF communication.
Release and continuation of voyage	Master	Requests release from SAR co-ordination centre; seeks clarification concerning landing of rescued persons; sets course towards nearest port/port of refuge.
Information of shorebased organisation	Master	Informs shorebased organisation of situation and following measures; lists and reports equipment to be replenished.

4. Training on Board

• Taking down and recording of Radio messages

• Session and discussions on the subject of Search and Rescue

• Exercises, as described under 'Man Overboard'

5. Situations and Action Ashore

Situation	Respon­sibility	Action	Comments
Ship reports SAR incident	Fleet Manager	Warns agent in next port of call, also charterers if any, of likely delay; maintains contact.	Fax
Purchase of equipment	Fleet Manager / Technical Superintendent	Where necessary, arranges repairs of boats and lifesaving equipment; replaces used/sacrificed equipment (e.g., inflatable liferafts, etc.)
Checking bunkers r.o.b.	Fleet Manager / Technical Superintendent	Checks quantities of bunkers and stores on board. If necessary, plans bunkering in port of refuge. if necessary, arranges bunkering at sea; agrees all action/measures with Master.

6. Training ashore

• Monitoring ship's position

• Calculation of bunkers r.o.b. and remaining fuel endurance

• Joint exercises with ship

7. Reference Documents

• Emergency Response Manual

• The book, "Search and Rescue"

• IAMSAR, Vol. III Search and Rescue Manual

• MERSAR Merchant Ship Search and Rescue Manual

• Training Manual

Emergency Response Plan

Schiffahrtskontor tom Wörden GmbH & Co. KG Wilhelm-Schröder-Str. 3 D-21726 Oldendorf

NP-016

Revision 3

18.12.2002

Page 1 of 7

Emergency Response Plan

Reederei Heinz Corleis Kampweg 4a D-21706 Drochtersen

prepared: 28.03.1998	approved:	released:	Revision 0
			Emergency Response Plan No.: NP-016
J.Köster	H.Corleis	H.Corleis	Page 1 of 7

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