History of Emergency Medical Care for Merchant Marine

In the last few decades, many steps have been taken to reduce the risk to life onboard a ship. Qualified medical officers have been deployed to reduce the level of risk as much as possible. It is to note that none of these officers are doctors, but only certified first aid and emergency medical care providers. Thus, in case of extreme emergency, all that a medical officer will provide is basic emergency care and some type of medication or sedative to ease the patient’s pain until the ship reaches the next port.

Starting in the 1920s, ship’s radios were used to communicate with a physician located onshore to obtain the right kind of medical aid. However, because of the variability of radio propagation, this system often couldn’t be used beyond a certain range. If the ship was within 200 nautical miles, high speed "life boats” and helicopters were a viable option for saving the distressed sailor. However, in bad weather and beyond 200 nautical miles, even this option could not be used. Also, if a person’s life is in serious danger, there was always an option of diverting the ship, but then the decision would be a serious blow to the company from a financial perspective.

With the advent of satellite communication, ways of providing medical aid to patients onboard a ship also changed. A new term, telemedicine, came into being and started providing remote medical aid to seafarers using high technology such as emails and live video footage. Telemedicine has now become the new face of providing medical aid at sea.

 

Answer the questions:

What has been taken to reduce the risk of life onboard a ship?

What certificates do the crewmembers have?

What must medical officer provide in case of emergency?

What can be used if ship is far from shore?

What particles of the first aid kit do you know?

 

Situation: You are Junior Engineer. Chief Engineer asks you to enumerate the boiler mountings fitted to a water tube-boiler.

Grammar Task:

Use proper tense

1. She___________________ (to go) shopping every day.

She______________________ (to go) shopping now.

She______________________ (to go) shopping yesterday.

2. He often______________________ (to repair) the main engine.

He______________________________ (to repair) the main engine now.

He______________________________ (to repair) the main engine two weeks ago.

3. Somebody always___________________ (to wait) for you at the entrance door.

Somebody________________________ (to wait) for you at the entrance door now.

Somebody___________________ (to wait) for you at the entrance door yesterday.

4. This ship often_____________________ (to put) to sea.

This ship______________________________ (to put) to sea now.

This ship______________________________ (to put) to sea last week.

5. He______________________ (to plot) the route on charts every lesson.

He _______________________ (to plot) the route on charts now.

He__________________________ (to plot) the route on charts yesterday.

Examination card № 25

Read the text and answer the questions:

What Do Junior Marine Engineers Really Do?

The junior marine engineer, like all other engineers on the ship, is supposed to work with his own hands. When the ship is sailing, he is supposed to keep a watch in the engine room with either third or second engineer. He mainly assists the engineer in-charge of the watch in daily routine checks and other necessary maintenance work. After a few months of thorough familiarization of the engine room he might be asked to keep an independent watch of the engine room with the assistance of a motorman. If he is not working in shifts, he might be asked to do day work, which is like a normal eight-to-five job, not to mention the emergency hours and extra time that come along with it.

A junior engineer is always on his toes or for that matter forced to be, assisting second, third, and even fourth engineers apart from the regular watch keeping. This means that there are no definite rest hours and the working hours are also extremely flexible. Most of the work is of practical nature, inside the engine room, which requires him to wear a boiler suit all the time. Junior engineers work mainly involves dismantling, assessing, repairing, and reassembling faulty or stand-by machinery.

Answer the questions:

What are junior engineers suppose to do?

What are his duties in the engine room?

When does he start to keep independent watch?

Whom does he assist to?

What is his usual clothes and why?

 

Situation: You are a Chief Engineer. You must describe cylinder lubrication of a Diesel engine.

Grammar task

Choose the proper form:

1) The radio operator is (receiving, received) the weather forecast.

2) All ships have (warned, been warned) on the coming gale.

3) All necessary arrangement have (been made, made) for immediate discharging of your ship.

4) The ship is (maneuvering, been maneuvered) to the harbor by an experienced pilot.

5) This harbor can (enter, be entered) only by the vessels of small draught.

6) Valuable information on the local sailing conditions has (been received, received).

7) The agent has (made, been made) all necessary arrangements.

 

Examination card №26

Read the text and answer the questions:

Grounding

The weather was foggy with rain and visibility of four to five miles. The sea was calm and air

temperature was 6 degrees Centigrade. High tide was predicted to be 16.5 ft at 0720 at Quebec.

 

The voyage proceeded normally without incident. All mechanical, electrical and navigation

systems were operating satisfactorily. However, there were initial overheating problems with

generators number 1 and 3, so number 2 was used in order to inspect 1 and 3. The Jade Star has

one main shaft generator, 3 auxiliary generators numbers 1, 2 and 3, any one of which can propel

the ship, and one emergency generator. If any of the 3 fails one of the other two will

automatically come online after 7 seconds. The main shaft generator was shut down because of

an ongoing dispute with Transport Canada Marine who maintained that only the auxiliary

generators should be used in confined waters.

 

On the bridge at 0638 were the Officer of the Watch, the Pilot and the helmsman. The Jade Star

was off Sainte-Croix on the Saint-Antoine course, travelling at 13 knots and was about to be

overtaken by the bulk carrier BAMIA. So the pilot ordered a reduction in speed to allow the

BAMIA to pass. Just as the OOW was about to call the engine room to relay the speed

reduction a series of loud alarms sounded both on the bridge and in the engine room and all

power and lighting went off. The OOW assumed that there was a complete power failure and

reduced propeller pitch from 90% to zero. The Pilot asked the BAMIA, which was three cables

astern, to keep clear.

 

Answer the questions:

What engine room equipment did engineer have the problems?

Who was on the bridge?

What orders did the pilot give to the engine room?

What did OOW do and why?

What did the pilot ask another vessel to do?

 

Speaking

You are Chief Engineer with new comer in the engine room. You have to explain the operating principle of engine governors

Grammar task

Choose the proper form:

The radio operator is (receiving, received) the weather forecast.

All ships have (warned, been warned) on the coming gale.

All necessary arrangement have (been made, made) for immediate discharging of your ship.

The ship is (maneuvering, been maneuvered) to the harbor by an experienced pilot.

This harbor can (enter, be entered) only by the vessels of small draught.

Valuable information on the local sailing conditions has (been received, received).

The agent has (made, been made) all necessary arrangements.

 

Examination card №27

Read the text and answer the questions:

 

Saint Malo accident

The former master of the Saint-Malo stayed with the vessel as master after the season began on

4th of April. Command was handed over on the 10th of April.

Thus the new master at the time of the accident had had sole command of the vessel for only

seven days prior to the day of the accident.

It is apparent from meteorological records that the weather on the 17th of April was the worst

that the master had encountered when in command of Saint-Malo. He did experience a very rough crossing from Cherbourg to Saint-Malo at a time when he was an observer.

The chief engineer holds a first class chief engineer certificate as well as a first class master

mariner certificate. He was the most experienced of the crew as far as Channiland and Saint-Malo was concerned.

He was fully qualified as both an engineer and a master. He had worked for Channiland for three

years, first as a master of a smaller catamaran, the Brittania, and then as a master of the Saint-

Malo, the two seasons prior to the accident.

The master from his console has a restricted view abaft; he cannot see more than about 30

degrees abaft each beam. This makes him entirely reliant on assistance from a look-out on the

bridge wing to watch for back strike marks.

There is no specific position from which a chief officer could assist with the navigation of the

vessel. In open sea conditions the autopilot on a catamaran is often inoperative due to the

vessel’s poor handling characteristics. The Master must therefore steer the vessel, and under these circumstances it is difficult or impossible to devote much attention to navigation.

On the Saint-Malo, the chief engineer is seated with the engine monitoring controls in the

copilot’s position. His primary role is not navigation, and there is no indication in any

management instructions or manuals that he has a secondary role as navigator.

 

Answer the questions:

To your opinion, was the chief engineer qualified and why?

What can you say about the weather conditions

Could the master pay enough attention to navigation?

Where was the chief engineer at the moment of the accident?

What was his primary role?

Speaking