[esailor Team]

Date: 03rd Apr 2025
Exam: Masters Unlimited
Examiner: Capt Tarik Yassin
Duration: 1 hr 50 mins
Result: Pass
Experience: Gas Tankers

Joined the exam 20 minutes early. Since the examiner had not joined even 5mins after the given time, I followed the SOP & sent a mail to online oral exams & stated that the surveyor has not joined. The reply was almost instantaneous and I was told that they will inform the surveyor to join soon.
Examiner logged on 17 minutes later. He introduced himself and checked my id prior to starting the recording for GDPR purposes.
He explained about the code of conduct. Asked me to show him around my room and confirm that there was nobody else in the room. First 10 mins just briefing and general talk. “For the purpose of the exam you’ll be Master on UK registered ship” he said and we started with the Oral.

– Last ship details – All dimensions, tonnage, stating numbers etc
– Trade route and pattern
– What statutory certificates will UK flag vessel carry?
– How a SAFCON survey is done? -meeting, departments, and division of jobs. Hull, engine, electrical and documents. Etc etc
– What is CSR? Parts to it? – 3 parts – CSR, amendments, and index
– What is cargo ship safety certificate? – 3 certificates together
– What to prepare in safety equipment certificate? – Same same
– Certificates issued under ISM? – MLC, DMLC-1 & 2 and SRPS
– What is DMLC 2? Owner prepares basis key points from DMLC 1 from flag
– As a Master of UK registered ship how will you prepare for ism audit? – Meeting, Departments, Certificates, files, SMS, Audits & Inspections, PMS, RA and permits, drills & trainings, safety meeting records etc etc, plenty to say
– Ok now your prepared and the surveyor is onboard. He has some points to share. How will he do that? – Observation, NC & MNC
– Define each of the above- explained with examples
– You get and MNC, what will you do? – RA + CAP. Dispensation from flag. Process of how it’s done.
– What about the company? – Resources, spares, service techs, put NC on them for not having spares
– Which certificates & What will happen to certificates when there is an incident/accident on the ship? – LL, Saftey construction/equipment/ COI/ COC
– What is a dispensation and validity?
– What is an exemption and validity?
– What is Ballast water management? Types? – sediment & organism monitoring of discharged water. D1, D2, D3, D4 standards and explained all this to him.
– What do you understand by MLC? – how it came, applies to whom, titles, 17 key points all explained.
– What about liability insurance? – 2017 amendment and how owner must provide one and what it covers
– What is High risk in PSC? – Cers to thetis to ships risk proile- 2 parts, etc etc explained
– What is unexpected and overriding factors with examples– Text book answer
– What types of surveys are there and how they are classified – Initial, detailed and expanded.
– How to know which survey to undertake?
– Yours is a gas carrier. Say it completes 12 years. What survey will it undergo? -Expanded
– Details? – gave the full expanded survey explaination.
– Define ACS and EAS and what certificates are covered. Few other questions like eligibility, what M notice covers it etc. – MGN 561 and 568
– As a Master of UK registered ship how to prepare a voyage from Southampton to New York? – Meeting with bridge team, CO, Bosun, Chief engineer and cook. Expected job allocation for each.
Capt- Checking certificates, audits and inspection, crew changes, welfare items, procurements etc etc.
CO- Cargo, security, safety, stability, weather, garbage management, PMS, rest hours, stores etc etc
Cook- provisions, galley safety items, galley stores etc… stopped me here
– In your ship (gas carrier) how to take care of the cargo during voyage? – explained procedure of tank pressure control using reliq plant
– What item from ERm and chief eng? – PMS, equipment status, stores and spares, bunkers and verify its vessel compliant fuel, PPE, manning requirements inc any service technicians to assist, discharge criteria etc etc.
– You said something about vessel compliant fuel. How to verify? – Manual and from the vessel owner
– BDN issued to chief engineer, shows 200T less. Chief comes to you. What actions will you take? – Counters and figures from start and end to be used as proof of less figure, sounding from tanks, flow meters etc to be used.
– The barge does not agree, what to do? – Report to the bunker company and service provider.
– Still there is dispute- Take the BDN with protest on the BDN itself and depending on who is paying for the fuel, inform owner or charterer with supporting documents.
– Contents of BDN- Bunker provider, grade, contents etc
– What about sulphur content? – 0.5mm and 0.1mm SOX compliance as per IMO sulphur cap 2020
– During the voyage you get a distress alert. What actions?
– How to cancel a false alert? – Switch off and restart the equipment. Issue cancellation on same frequency to ships and coast station. Procedure for this explained
– At location, you see a fishing boat in broken condition. You look around and find 3 survivors but one of them says there 1 more and is missing. What actions?
– Difference between sector and expanded square search?
– You have successfully saved the survivors and proceed on the voyage. Ship meets with a collision. Actions? – full answer given right from moments before collision action expected from OOW as per standing orders. Action after collision, Lights and signals, Mustering, Primary and back up party duties- critically focussed on closing WT doors, fire party, counter pollution, stability check and sounding tanks etc etc. Masters’ obligation after collision
– Will you get anything from the other ship? – Written statement holding Master and Vessel owner responsible for the collision and inviting for survey
– You have reached a port of refuge for repairs. What you will do? What you expect from company? – Note of protest & arrange for survey.
– Ok you can continue the voyage… you are on a easterly heading for several days. Any equipment affected by that? Retentive error on the magnetic compass
– How you will know and correct – Turning the kelvin ball and flinder bar upside down and checking the retention. Anneling or rolling the ball
– Any other way to correct? Brain freeze. But he guided me into saying alter course occasionally.
Asked me if I was ok and what time it was in INDIA. Long day!!!

– Bouys

Identify- region, light & Pass

Hdg 180deg … Identify bouys, lights & pass

Identify, light & action

ROR-
Identify vessel, lights, shapes, fog signal and action if you are power driven vessel.

Identify vessel, , shapes, fog signal and action if you are power driven vessel.

Gave everything right but guess I was too tired that I
mixed up right & left of the target side itself 😀
Surveyor told me to take some water, and that exam is almost over
so to look alive and concentrate before giving answer.

Shared a radar screen and asked -What action?

Commence systematic plotting

Ok Now?

Continue systematic plotting

Now?

Systematic plotting Complete

Action?
Told him that I need W. But I did not get one. He said I can use plotting sheet to draw if I want and excused himself for 2 mins. On the radar screen only ships course- 000 was given.
After he returned, I repeated there is no W but, in any case, I will slow down here.
Told me to give actions individually for both targets

Asked me how to Orals went. I told him to the end I started getting tired which you had caught yourself.
He smiled and said I understand it has been a long day for you and you look pale but at least you PASSED.
He congratulated me and said the required mail will come in 10mins. I thanked him for the understanding and he said it was a good oral overall and wished me the best.

PS- There were a lot of questions so I have tried to recollect most of the questions and may have missed a few small ones. Only few brief points to the answer I gave is mentioned.

Thank you, GMA and the Feb 2025 batch, for your assistance

[Author]

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