tween decks and hatch covers must be avoided; and cargo must be stowed and secured in such way as to avoid damage which can result in possible loss of life or property.
(2) Pre-operation conference with all ship’s personnel to be involved in the cargo operation should be held to discuss such matters as cargo disposition, numbers of gangs and working hours, usual and special safety requirements, ballasting and de-ballasting information, special requirements regarding cargo operation, damage prevention and control, personnel organization, cargo watch etc. The Chief Officer must ensure that all relevant personnel have fully understood the intended cargo and all usual and special safety and operational requirements.
11. What will you do if cargo damage is found or suspected before loading or during loading?
I shall report to the master first and foremost. The master should decide whether to replace the damaged cargo. For the full-set machines and high-valued products I must ask for the replacement in the loading port if damages are found. If the damaged cargoes cannot be replaced, the Chief Mate shall make remarks on the Mate’s Receipt.
If disputers happen on the quantity and quality of the cargoes, I shall, at the discretion of the master, ask the cargo surveyor to do the survey. If necessary, under the endorsement of the ship owner, I shall write a Letter of Protest (based on the format provided by the company) to prove the innocence of the seamen on board.
During the voyage, if a very small amount of cargo is damaged, with the permission of the master, I shall throw it away into the sea to avoid any disputes with any third party.
12. What are the differences between the Bill of Loading and the Mate’s Receipt?
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A Tally Sheet is the basis of the Mate’s Receipt. The Mate’s Receipt is the R/L. The condition of the cargo is clearly shown on the Mate’s Receipt. It is very important to make sure that the cargo condition on the bill of loading is the same as that on the Mate’s Receipt. The Mate’s Receipt is the legal evidence of the cargo received and the B/L is the legal evidence of the cargo ownership. If the consigner wants the master to issue a clean B/L on the basis of unclean Mate’s Receipt, the master firstly must ask for permission from the company. If the company agrees, the consigner must issue reliable Letter of Indemnity or Letter of Guarantee.
13. If the draft survey proves a shortage of cargo after loading is completed, what will you do apart from reporting to the Master? Will you make any remarks on the Mate’s Receipt?
In this case, I shall report the problem to the master first. With the permission of the master, I shall ask the third party surveyor to do the survey. If the survey shows there is shortage or damage of the cargo, I shall write remarks on the Mate’s Receipt showing the loss or damage or shortage.
The third party is to be invited to make the objective report on the real quantity of the volume of the cargo. If the cargo is proved to be in shortage, I shall write remarks on the Mate’s Receipt.
14. What do you know about the ISM code and SMS? How many chapters are there in the ISM Code (as amended)? What are these chapters?
The ISM code is the International Safety Management Code. The purpose of this Code is to provide an international standard for the safe management and operation of ships and for pollution prevention. The objectives of the Code are to ensure safety at sea, prevention of human injury or loss of life, and avoidance of damage to the environment, in particular to the marine environment and to property.
The 16 chapters of ISM Code are: general, safety and environment protection policy, company responsibilities and authority, designated person(s),
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master’s responsibilities and authority, resources and personnel, development of plans for shipboard operation, emergency preparedness,
reports, and analysis of non-conformity, accidents and hazardous occurrences, maintenance of the ship and equipment, documentation, company verification, review and evaluation, certification and verifications and control, certification and periodical verification, verification, verification, interim certification, and forms of certificates. The last four chapters are newly added in the new version of ISM Code.
SMS means safety management system, and this system is mad based on the 16 elements of ISM Code, which is a compulsory part （第九章） SOLAS 74. The shipowner or manager cannot get Document of Compliance (DOC) and SMC without audited Safety Management Certificate (SMC) by Class designated by the flag registry country administration. Every company should develop, implement and maintain a safety management system (SMS).
15. What do Observation, Non-conformity and Major non-conformity mean respectively?
Observation means a statement of fact made during a safety management audit and substantiated by objective evidence. Non-conformity means an observed situation where objective evidence indicates the nonfulfillment of a specified requirement. Major non-conformity means an identifiable deviation that poses a serious threat to the safety of personnel or the ship or a serious risk to the environment that requires immediate corrective action and includes the lack of effective and systematic implementation of a requirement of this Code. (摘自新ISM Code原文)
以上内容不一定要非常准确详细地背诵，但至少要知道大致的内容，尤其要知道，ISM规则是变化的、开放的国际公约，其内容经常进行修改和增加。此外，随着ISM规则的改变，各船东和管理公司对SMS也要进行相应的修改和补充。 16. Have you experienced any on-board internal audit before? The onboard internal audit is carried out at the discretion of the
Designated Person of the owner. When the auditors come on board, the seamen
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should give full support to them. If observation or non-conformity items are found in the audit, these items should be treated with due diligence and rectified on time.
As the Chief Officer, I should be very familiar with the operation and calibration of the gas detector and the loading computer. 17. What is Garbage Management Plan?
The MAPROL73/78 requires that a Garbage Management Plan should be developed in accordance with the IMO guidelines on board almost all ships. The Plan includes the procedures for garbage collection, separation, processing and disposal, as well as the management and requirements of garbage processing equipment, implementation of the Plan and crew responsibilities. All processing work should be recorded in the Garbage Record Book. 18. How do you carry out the deck machinery maintenance?
On board the last vessel, I often ordered my Bosun to organize the deck crew to maintain such equipment as windlass, steering engine, derrick, crane, wires, meters and winch. Chipping and greasing are also among their daily routines as per the PMS (Planned Maintenance System).
All maintenance plans for the machines in the deck department shall be made by the Chief Officer.
19. As the Chief Officer, what precautions do you have to take to prepare for the PSC inspection?
The Chief Officer should arrange for the checks of the following items: LSA and FFE equipment, garbage disposal records, gangway safety, ballasting system, sanitary condition, especially in the accommodation area, the galley, provisions stores, cargo operation safety and documents. Besides, the Chief Officer should follow the Master’s instructions in organizing the emergency drills.
20. What precautions do you have to take before entering an enclosed space?
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