(Continuation from the last article “A new approach is needed in marine safety and survival education and training” )

To establish realistic and proper base for man overboard safety and rescue standard that we all wish to see in the near future, we need to do the following:

1. To require every vessel operator and skipper to write in common language, a man overboard safety and rescue policy document, which every member of staff that works at sea and near water understands, describing:
1a) What the crew has to do during voyage and when guests arrive, stay and leave the vessel, to prevent them from falling overboard.
1b) What the crew has to do to decrease a need for in-water rescue operation.
1c) What the crew has to do to enable safe and effective in-water rescue operation.

These man overboard safety and rescue policy documents must also include what requirements of knowledge and training (courses) are required for professional sea going staff to enable them to operate a safe MOB deck rescue and what is required from professional sea going officers to enable a safe and effective in-water rescue from the vessel itself. The description of the means to recover a person from the water and how they should be used should form a part of this document.

2. To require every vessel operator and skipper to write a MOB safety and rescue insurance policy document based on the MOB safety and rescue policy and require that this insurance policy document forms a part of the standard required insurance of the staff.

3. To form three new courses to encourage man overboard safety training and understanding:

3a) 12 hours course / workshop for STCW instructors teaching and training man overboard safety and rescue.

3b) 4 hours basic course in MOB rescue from deck and deck support for in-water MOB rescue operation to be part of standard STCW marine safety and survival courses and to be offered specially for those who need to get updated on the STCW courses which they have already concluded. This course should also serve needs of those who need to be able to provide backup security on ships which use MOB rescue-boats and transport boats.

3c) 4 hours course / workshop in in-water MOB rescue procedure intended for those who instructors can recommend to be accepted as in-water MOB rescuers, captains and sea going officers.

4. To reduce need for in-water rescue operations (panic situations), the insurance companies and marine safety and survival training operators must find acceptable agreement to enable training in seawater from a vessel or a quay and acceptable agreement to enable such training operators to offer those who wish to test their float working suit in seawater and find out how it is to jump in seawater from 3 metre height under supervision from trained instructors.

For those vessel operators, skippers and marine safety and survival training providers who wish to apply these ideas to their operations we can offer models for the documents mentioned here above, courses and assistance. The courses can be provided on board vessels to minimise the cost and the equipment needed for the course are the Markusnet if that is not already on board, drysuit for training purposes, (can be one of the immersion suits on board) and buoyancy aid. The best result is when we can train all crew members together or two crews (8 to 15 persons together).