1.1 On the general emergency alarm signal, each crew member must immediately assemble at his or her emergency station, unless the master orders the crew member to continue with his or her immediate duties.
1.2 Emergency parties must be trained and practised in the emergency duties assigned to them by the master.
1.3 When the master is satisfied with the emergency drill, he or she may give the prepare to abandon ship signal.
1.4 When the prepare to abandon ship signal is given, each crew member must muster at the survival craft to which he or she is allocated.
1.5 The person in charge of each survival craft must do the following:
(a) call the roll of persons assigned to the survival craft;
(b) be satisfied that each person assigned to the craft understands the duties given to him or her for launching and boarding the craft;
(c) be satisfied that each person assigned to the craft is correctly wearing a lifejacket;
(d) instruct and examine each person assigned to the craft in accordance with the Survival at Sea Manual published by AMSA;
(e) report to the master the total number of persons, including the person in charge, at the survival craft;
(f) report to the master when the drill is complete.
1.6 For a passenger ship, each member of the crew allocated duties in connection with marshalling and mustering passengers must take his or her assigned place in:
(a) a stairway; or
(b) a passageway; or
(c) a muster station.
1.7 For a passenger ship, a person in charge of, or assisting at, muster stations must:
(a) instruct and assist each passenger to correctly put on a lifejacket; and
(b) advise passengers on the procedures for abandoning ship, including telling them that:
(i) the ship is the safest refuge unless it is sinking; and
(ii) conditions may occur when it is necessary to evacuate every passenger from the ship; and
(iii) the crew will be with the passengers in their survival craft to take appropriate action and assist the passengers to board rescue ships; and
(iv) report to the master the number of passengers mustered at the muster station.
1.8 After the muster, the abandon ship practice must be carried out with launching of survival craft as appropriate.
2 Liferaft and marine escape system drills
2.1 A drill is to be carried out in accordance with the ship’s safety management system.
2.2 When a fire-protected boat is lowered into the water, the water spray system on the boat is to be tested.
2.3 If a lifeboat drill is held at sea and weather prevents the swinging out and the part lowering of a boat, the boat is to be swung out and partly lowered at the next suitable opportunity.
3 Liferaft and marine escape system drills
3.1 At least 1 liferaft is to be prepared for launching by releasing all securing lashings.
3.2 If a cradle or other device is used to ensure that the liferaft when launched will enter the water clear of the ship, the device is to be tested during or immediately after the drill.
3.3 If a liferaft will be davit launched, the davit is to be tested by hooking on to a liferaft, if practicable without disturbing the waterproofing of the liferaft container.
3.4 After unhooking the container, the davit must be swung out and secured in the lowering position.
3.5 A small weight may be attached to the fall to check the lowering and braking capability of the davit and winch.
3.6 If a ship has more than 1 davit, all davits are to be tested at least every 3 months.
3.7 A liferaft is to be inflated and the crew given instruction in the use of the equipment and the maintenance of the liferaft at least every 6 months at a suitable place, including:
(a) on board the ship; or
(b) on the wharf adjacent to the ship; or
(c) at the liferaft service station; or
(d) at a training establishment; or
(e) at a swimming pool if the instruction is to be combined with practical training in righting and boarding the raft.
3.8 The liferaft may be:
(a) a spare raft; or
(b) a demonstration raft supplied by a liferaft service station or training establishment.
3.9 If a ship is fitted with a marine evacuation system, drills must include:
(a) carrying out the procedures required for deployment of the system; and
(b) regular instruction using on board training aids.
3.10 Each member of a party assigned to a marine evacuation system must participate in training on board the ship or on shore, of the full deployment of the marine evacuation system into water, at least once every 3 years.
4 Testing of power supplies
4.1 The main and emergency lighting at the following places on the ship must be tested:
(a) all muster and survival craft stations;
(b) alleyways, stairways, emergency exits;
(c) accesses to all muster and survival craft stations.
4.2 The emergency power supply to the following equipment on the ship must be tested:
(a) the ship’s whistle or siren;
(b) general alarm bell system;
(c) public address system, if fitted.
5 Fire drill
A fire drill must be carried out as follows:
(a) the officer in charge of the drill must order an attack on a mock fire on the ship;
(b) on the fire signal or warning in the engine room, the fire pumps must be prepared by the engineers on the muster list;
(c) each member of the crew forming the fire party must go to the location of the mock fire;
(d) at the mock fire:
(i) fire hoses must be laid out; and
(ii) at least 2 fire hoses must be connected to the hydrants and tested at full pressure, with water being supplied from the main fire pumps; and
(iii) the fire extinguishers must be unshipped; and
(iv) any isolating valves fitted in the fire main must be shut and opened to test the valves operation; and
(v) for a cargo ship — at every second fire drill, the water is to be supplied from the emergency fire pump;
(e) at least once in each consecutive 3 months — a practical demonstration of the use of the portable fire extinguishers must be given by expending the charge of at least 1 extinguisher;
(f) the crew must practise closing openings on the ship to reduce the supply of air to the mock fire, including the following:
(i) doors;
(ii) windows;
(iii) ports;
(iv) ventilators;
(v) ventilating shafts;
(vi) stairways;
(vii) lift shafts;
(g) the crew must practice:
(i) using breathing apparatus and safety lamps; and
(ii) rescuing casualties and using stretchers, hoists or other apparatus for the rescue; and
(iii) other emergency drill considered necessary to combat the assumed fire;
(h) the members of the crew forming the fire party must be instructed in the use of all fire‑fighting appliances on the ship;
(i) the master should carry out fire drills for fires in the engine room, including:
(i) shutting down ventilation systems to the engine room (although it may be necessary to keep some air inlets open during the drill to supply air to machinery that cannot be shut down at the time of the practice); and
(ii) operating remote shut off arrangements for fuel valves for tanks and fuel pumps, operating different remote shut-offs in rotation so that all, if possible, are operated between crew changes; and
(iii) if a fire on the other side of the bulkhead may hazard the engine — using hoses in the engine room for cooling bulkheads, tanks and other equipment; and
(iv) instructing persons to shut off any electrical machinery before operating fire-hoses; and
(v) the rescue of persons endangered by smoke or gas; and
(vi) moving around the engine room in blackout conditions caused by smoke.
6 Damage control drill
A damage control drill must be conducted in accordance with the ship’s safety management system and as follows:
(a) on the emergency signal being given, the officer in charge of the drill must indicate a section of the ship where the mock emergency is happening;
(b) assigned crew members must immediately close the bulkhead doors for the section and report the closure of the doors to the master or to the officer in charge of the drill;
(c) doors that were already closed at the commencement of the drill must be opened and then closed, other than any watertight door or other fitting that is required by sections 57 and 67 to be kept closed;
(d) cross-flooding arrangements must be checked, if it is practical and safe to do so;
(e) members of the crew assigned to sounding duty must immediately sound tanks and bilges in the section of the ship indicated for the drill;
(f) a messenger from the sounding party must communicate with the officer in charge of the drill;
(g) as many pumps as possible that are related to damage control and operated from the engine room must be connected to the section of the ship indicated for the drill;
(h) a report must be made to the command point by messenger or other means when the pumps are ready for action;
(i) if open in port, ship’s side doors, sidescuttles, valves and similar fittings must be closed as directed on the muster list;
(j) a report must be made to the bridge by messenger or other means when the side doors, sidescuttles, valves and similar fittings have been closed.
7 Recovery of lifeboats used as rescue boats
For a lifeboat that is approved for use as a rescue boat, the owner must ensure that:
(a) it is capable of being recovered safely after use as a rescue boat; and
(b) training is carried out at each statutory launching of the lifeboat; and
(c) the instructions are compatible with the particular arrangements on each ship, and documented in the ship’s safety management system.
8 Helicopter drills
8.1 Drills should be carried out on ships that transfer persons by helicopter, whether or not the helicopter lands on the ship, as necessary to ensure the crew are trained in:
(a) normal procedures relating to the transfer of persons; and
(b) emergency procedures for a helicopter crash or fire.
8.2 The training procedures should be in accordance with the ship’s safety management system and Marine Orders, Part 57 (Helicopter operations).