[esailor Team]

OOW Unlimited Orals Report
Examiner- Steven Davies
Date- 18/12/2024
Result- PASS
1hr 05mins
He was a nice examiner, quite relaxed and would often prompt me if he wanted more of something
or specify if he wanted me to cover something only briefly. At times there was a specific word or
phrase he was looking for as an answer, so he asked extra questions to get there. For most questions
though he cut me off before I had finished and moved on. He would also move on quickly if I paused
much.
He asked if I was happy and ready to start so then we did.
• You are new to a ship; how do you tell if the charts have been updated?
• You mentioned cumulative notices to mariners, what are the other types of NtM?
• What do you also use weekly notices to mariners for?
• Tell me just the names of the stages of passage planning?
• What is your understanding of planning stage?
• What is a compass error?
• What is variation?
• Deep ocean how would take a compass error?
• Why take a compass error? And how often?
• Are there any inputs to the Gyro?
• Okay you are coming up to watch as 3rd officer, during the day, you are going to approach the
dover straits and a lot of traffic, what do you expect in the handover?
• What preparations would you make before entering a high traffic area?
• You mentioned safe speed, why would you adjust speed for traffic density?
• What are the other factors that affect safe speed?
He then shared screen and showed me chart symbols to identify and explain
• Drying heights
• Spot sounding
• Sectored light
• Pilot station
• Reporting point
• Compass rose – he also asked me to explain how I would calculate variation for the year
2022 for it, I explained but he stopped me before I actually finished the sum
• Tidal diamond – also tell me what info is given in the accompanying tidal table
He stopped sharing screen and we moved back to general
• Take me through the checks on steering gear?
• Tell me how you would setup the radar?
• What checks could you perform on the radar? Radar Performance monitor
• How often would you do the performance monitor?
• Primary fixing in coastal navigation?
He then just said okay lets do buoyage and shared screen again
• What are the regions for buoyage?
• Where is region B?
• Gave me a variety of buoys to identify and give their light, signal, and region
• Then gave me a variety of buoys and asked for my actions. Lots of preferred channel to stbd
or port, cardinal marks, safety water, isolated danger.
• Stopped on isolated danger buoy. You see this ahead of you, right in the middle of your
planned passage track. What will you do?
• You mentioned call the master, when else would you call the master?
Stopped sharing screen back into general
• On a container ship, you are loading a dangerous goods container how would you know it’s
coming on board?
• The stevedores are loading some cargo and they aren’t sure how to use straps to do it
correctly. How will you know what to tell them?
• Ok you are down on the deck checking their straps, we are leaving port soon. What else will
you check before you up to the bridge?
• Okay Pilots come onboard you are OOW and have the watch on the bridge. What are you
responsibilities?
COLREGS
Showed me lights on a screen and asked me to identify as much as I could about each one. Then he
would ask follow up questions.
• PDV on stbd side
o what would you do next? Series of range and bearing, determine if risk of collision
exists
o What would the bearing do if ROC? Keep steady
o Is that always the case? No
o When is not the case? Close quarters, engaged in tow, long vessel
o What action would you take?
• PDV on port side crossing
o What action would you take?
o Okay she isn’t taking action what will you do?
o She hasn’t responded to your sound signal, still not taking action, what will you do?
• Towing VSL port side crossing
o What action would take okay? I am stand-on so maintain course and speed with
caution (towing vessel just a PDV for collision avoidance purposes)
o Okay we’ve got a bit closer and now you see this. He clicked the slide on and the
towing vessel now displayed RAM lights. What are your actions?
Under rule 18 now I keep out of the way, I went for bold alteration of course to STBD.
o Could you have gone to Port?
• Trawler
o Action?
o Can you tell if this is definitely making way or possibly making way?
• PDV that is CBD on port side crossing
o What are your actions?
• Dregder RAM port side. Identify and actions?
Restricted Visibility
• Showed me a screen with one blip on it, RM, North up, heading 000
• What rule concerns restricted visibility?
• You are on the bridge on watch, entering restricted visibility what are your actions?
• Can you act now on one blip?
• Gave me a 2nd blip, what about now?
• Gave me 3, what about now? Complete the plot
• What can you tell already just from the blips? Very low/zero CPA
• Explain to me how you would complete the plot?
• We wont complete plot but tell me your actions? Vessel was on or abaft the beam, radar
detection alone, alter course away from target
• And why are you taking that action? Under rule 19 d) (ii)
• New screen just one blip right on the STBD beam. We’ve already got 3 plots and they are all
on top of each other, what is happening here? Vessel with a same course and speed as us.
Any action required? Continue to monitor, maintain course and speed with caution
• Brought up a third radar screen, no targets. You hear a fog signal apparently forward of the
beam you cannot detect anything on radar? What are your actions? Under rule 19 e) reduce
speed to minimum that vessel can be kept on her course.
• Okay you have done that and you still head it forward of the beam, still can’t detect?
Stopped sharing screen, at this point it had been an hour or so and I thought that could be the exam
finished but he dived right back into general knowledge questions.
• Marpol Annex 1 – what’s it about? What certificates or documents from it?
• Marpol Annex 5 – what’s it about?
• An AB come up to you wants to get rid of a load of plastic and rubbish in a bag but your new
to the ship, how will you know what to tell him?
• ISM what is it?
• What things on board do we get from ISM?
• What should an SMS do onboard what does it give you?
• Okay you are going down to the poop deck mooring station, in charge of letting go for the
first time on this ship, you meet all the ABs and crew there, what will you do?
• You mentioned PPE and safety, one of the ABs wants to know more about this? Where you
suggest he look, is there a publication that is required to be onboard he could look at?
I probably have forgotten some questions.
Thanks to all those helped me prepare.
Good luck.

[Author]

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