Hypothermia: Photo by Belchonoc/depositphotos

Man overboard is a situation where in a ship’s crew member falls out at sea from the
ship, no matter where the ship is sailing, in open seas or in still waters in port. A
seafarer has to be very careful while performing his duties onboard vessel as it can
never be taken for granted that a person cannot fall off the ship due to bad weather,
swell in the sea, accidents, and due to negligence during.
A man overboard is an emergency situation and it is very important to locate and

recover the overboard person as soon as possible as due to bad weather or rough sea,
the crew member can drown or else due to temperature of the cold water the person
can get hypothermia.
Photo by belchonoc/depositphotos
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a situation wherein there is an extensive loss of body temperature due

to prolonged contact of body with cold water, and the body’s normal metabolism and
functions get affected.
A person will get unconscious after 15 minutes in water with temperature of 5 ̊ C.

Actions to be Taken during Man Overboard Situation
The initial and early sighting of the fallen crew plays a vital role in increasing the
percentage of saving his/her life. The actions for an MOB mentioned below are
extremely urgent and must be taken without any delay to save the life of the person who
has fallen overboard.
1. Shout ‘Man Overboard on Starboard/Port side’

2. Change over to hand steering from auto and put the wheel hard over to the respective
side (port or starboard)
3. Release MOB marker from the side of the bridge wing to which MOB has occurred. This
marker is buoyant and has a self igniting light as well as a self activating smoke signal
4. Press the MOB button on the GPS to mark the position of the casualty for future reference
5. Sound ‘O’ on the whistle (one prolonged blast). This is to let the Master and the crew
know about the emergency situation. Supplement this with the appropriate ‘O’ flag
6. Post extra lookout as soon as possible
7. Sound the General Alarm on the ship’s whistle to alert everybody to proceed to stations.
This is to ensure that if the crew has not understood the one prolonged blast for MOB,
they are alerted regardless and proceed to muster stations to assist in the recovery of the
person
8. Thereafter, announce the MOB situation on the ship’s PA system
9. Inform the engine room of the situation and let them know that manoeuvring will be
required
10. Execute the Williamsons turn (explained later)
11. Keep a keen eye on the RADAR/ARPA and put the VHF on Channel 16
12. Maintain a record of all the events in the Bell book
13. Carry out Master’s orders
14. The Chief Mate should take-over all decisions based on deck with regard to lowering
survival craft etc
15. The Third Mate ought to assist the Master on Bridge
16. The officer in charge at the moment must send out an “Urgency signal” on all the
communications systems to let ships in the vicinity know about the situation
17. Keep the lifebuoy (MOB marker) in sight
18. The rescue boat should be manned adequately with enough personnel to carry out the
rescue operation
19. A portable handheld VHF must be carried by the officer in the rescue boat
20. Once the person is rescued, the rescue boat must be picked up upon arrival close to the
ship along with the lifebuoy and hoisted back
21. Immediate first aid should be administered if required
22. An ‘Urgency Signal’ must be sent out to cancel the last transmitted MOB alert
23. Appropriate entries must be made in the Ship’s Logbook
24. The Master must carry out an enquiry with respect to the MOB incident and all entries
made in the Ship’s Logbook
The engines are not stopped immediately to keep the person away from the propeller.
The same is the case for wheel hard over to the side of the casualty as it is done to
keep the stern away from the casualty. Screaming about the MOB at the instant that the
mishap is realised is of paramount importance to use all manpower available for
immediate use. The lifebuoy also adds to the life saving process as the smoke signal
leaves a conspicuous mark by the day or night. It is also important to pick up the
lifebuoy to not confuse any other ships passing by about the status of the MOB. They
must not assume that there is a MOB in the vicinity and proceed towards helping the
person when he has already been rescued. Entries in the Ship’s Logbook hold great
legal importance and should be made carefully. Always try to succeed in the first
attempt as even a little delay can cause a human life.
The Williamson Turn
1. Note the position of the ship

2. Put wheel hard over to the side of the casualty
3. After the ship has aletered course by about 60 degrees, put wheel hard over to the other
side
4. When the vessel is 20 degrees short of the reciprocal course, wheel on midship
The Scharnow Turn
1. Put the rudder over hard toward the person

2. After deviating from the original course by about 240 degrees, shift the rudder hard to the
opposite side.
3. When heading about 20 degrees short of the reciprocal course, put the rudder amidships
so that vessel turns onto the reciprocal course.
The Anderson Turn
1. Stop the engines.

2. Put the rudder over toward the person
3. When clear of the person, go all ahead full, still using full rudder.
4. After deviating from the original course by about 240 degrees (about 2/3 of a complete
circle), back the engines 2/3 or full.
5. Stop the engines when the target point is 15 degrees off the bow. Ease the rudder and
back the engines as required.

Hypothermia: Photo by Belchonoc/depositphotos

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Man overboard is a situation where in a ship’s crew member falls out at sea from the

A man overboard is an emergency situation and it is very important to locate and

Hypothermia is a situation wherein there is an extensive loss of body temperature due

A person will get unconscious after 15 minutes in water with temperature of 5 ̊ C.

1. Shout ‘Man Overboard on Starboard/Port side’

The Williamson Turn

1. Note the position of the ship

The Scharnow Turn

1. Put the rudder over hard toward the person

The Anderson Turn

1. Stop the engines.

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