Why drills are checked so closely
A drill is the only time the crew use the emergency equipment and the emergency procedures before they need them. Port State Control inspectors often ask for a drill, and when the crew cannot launch the boat or start the emergency fire pump, the deficiency can lead to a detention.
Section 8 of the ISM Code asks the company to prepare for emergencies and to hold drills and exercises. SOLAS and the ISPS Code set the minimum for each type. The drill record is how the ship shows, months later, that it was done.
The drills and their minimum intervals
For a cargo ship on international voyages, the usual minimum is:
| Drill | Minimum | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Abandon ship | Every month | SOLAS III/19 |
| Fire | Every month | SOLAS III/19 |
| Lifeboat launched and manoeuvred in the water | Every 3 months | SOLAS III/19 |
| Rescue boat launched and manoeuvred | Every month where reasonable, at least every 3 months | SOLAS III/19 |
| Enclosed space entry and rescue | Every 2 months | SOLAS III/19 |
| Emergency steering | Every 3 months | SOLAS V/26 |
| Security drill | Every 3 months | ISPS Code, part B |
| Security exercise | Once a calendar year, no more than 18 months apart | ISPS Code, part B |
A summary for planning. Passenger ships, tankers and other types have more drills; the flag, the conventions as amended and the company's own procedures are the reference.
Two rules catch ships out. When more than a quarter of the crew have not taken part in an abandon ship and fire drill on that ship in the previous month, the drills are held within 24 hours of leaving port. And new crew get training in the ship's lifesaving equipment within two weeks of joining.
The company adds its own: oil pollution response, man overboard, collision and grounding, flooding, blackout, medical emergencies. Each one needs an interval too.
A yearly drill plan
Put every drill of the year on one plan for each ship, spread out so no month carries all the work:
- Vary the scenario. A fire in the engine room, the galley, the accommodation, the cargo area. An enclosed space rescue from a ballast tank one time, from a void space the next.
- Combine where it makes sense. An engine room fire that ends in an abandon ship drill trains both, and tests the people the way a real emergency would.
- Fit the plan to the trade. Launching a boat needs calm water and time. Plan it for a port or an anchorage where the ship is known to stop.
- Bring the office in once a year, with a drill that tests the company's emergency response, not only the ship's.
What a drill record should show
- The date, the time and the place on board.
- The type of drill and the scenario.
- Who took part, and who did not and why.
- The equipment used, and whether it worked.
- What went well, what went wrong, and what will be done about it.
- The master's signature, and photos where they help.
| Weak | Better |
|---|---|
| Fire drill carried out. All satisfactory. | Engine room fire at the purifier room, 14:30, at anchor. 21 of 22 crew took part, the cook was on watch in the galley. Emergency fire pump started from the bridge, two jets at the funnel deck in 4 minutes. One fire door did not close on its own; spring replaced the same day. |
| Enclosed space drill done. | Rescue of a casualty from the forward ballast tank. Atmosphere tested, breathing apparatus worn, casualty lifted with the tripod in 12 minutes. The stretcher was stored aft; moved next to the tank entrance. |
A record that says "all satisfactory" every month tells an auditor that nobody looked. A record that finds something, and shows it was fixed, is what the drill is for.
Common mistakes
- The same scenario every month, in the same place, at the same time of day.
- Drills on paper only. The record is complete, but the boat was never lowered and the pump never started.
- Missed drills after a crew change, when the quarter-of-the-crew rule applies and nobody counted.
- Lessons that go nowhere. A defect found in the drill is written down but never turns into a job or a report.
- The plan in the office, the records in the logbook, and nobody compares the two until the audit.
- Intervals set by habit, not checked against the rules for that ship.
Checklist
- Every required drill is on the plan for each ship, with its interval.
- The company's own drills are on the same plan.
- Drills are spread over the year, with varied scenarios.
- Boat launching is planned where the ship can do it.
- After a crew change, the drills due within 24 hours of departure are held.
- New crew have their lifesaving equipment training within two weeks.
- Each record shows the scenario, who took part and what was found.
- Defects found in drills become jobs or reports, and are closed.
Drills in SEA360
In SEA360 each vessel has its own drill list: fire, abandon ship, enclosed space, emergency steering and the other drills and trainings the company sets, each with its interval, last done date, next due date and status.
The crew record each drill on board with its date, remarks and who took part, and attach photos and documents, also without a connection. Near misses, incidents and other safety reports are kept in the same place, and a report can start a root cause analysis and a corrective action.