[esailor Team]

Chief Mates Unlimited Orals Report

Started off with the general pre-exam chat. Capt. Leggett introduced himself and explained how the exam was going to be conducted. General fire safety actions etc.
He went through my ID, COC, Discharge Book and testimonials. Had a bit of a relaxed chat about previous ships, the renewable energy sector, areas of operation etc.
These are the questions asked to the best of my memory. I will have definitely missed some out!
Questions:
You are joining a ship as Chief Mate. Tell me what you would do?
Started on the quayside (general ship condition, load lines, mooring arrangement etc.), then up the gangway (checking for safe access, security arrangements), onto deck (looking out for general condition of vessel, progress of loading operations, general attitudes to safety etc.) then onto bridge to meet Master, CM and start the handover with outgoing CM running through all of the usual stuff. Talked until he stopped me.
What were the certificates on your last ship?
All the usual stuff. As I was on a self-propelled jack up we also had a MODU certificate. We then had a bit of a discussion as the whether we had a ‘Special Purpose Ship Certificate’. He was convinced we had one, so he had a look on a database online! Confirmed we don’t have one (but just shows you can’t get away with lying)!
Why would you need a ‘Special Purpose Ship Certificate’?
Wasn’t 100% sure for this but just mentioned about ensuring the ship can comply with various environmental and safety aspects due to its unconventional design/operation.
He then went on google to have a look at my ship…
What was the GM on your last ship?
Why was your GM so high?
We had a large beam (and therefore large WPA).
He then asked some Jack-Up specific questions: Do you have a DPO ticket as well? Is the Master an OIM when the vessel is jacked up? How do you position the ship and move away from a turbine after jacking down?
Did you do any floating loading in port? Tell me about some of the dangers?
Went through heavy lift precautions with regards to stability (weights acting at the point of suspension on the crane boom increasing the vessel’s KG, ensuing FSM minimal by pressing up slack tanks, securing loose items on deck, ensuring calculations have been completed, ballast plan being adhered to, ensuring list did not exceed the crane’s limits for operation).
Another jack up specific: How do you know you are on the correct load line when you are jacked up?
Calculate on stability computer but can only check when we get in the water. Gave some more specific information about the jacking system elevated weight limit being far less than the summer load displacement.
More specific questions: How big is the crane? Who drives it? How many crew are onboard? What wind turbine companies do you work for? How many contractors are onboard? What are they classed as? (Seafarers/pax?) And how do you deal with them?
We didn’t class them as crew or passengers just had a separate crew list for them. Stumbled a bit regarding contractors as the rules aren’t the same as for crew. I just went down the route of the standard STCW certificates. He told me to have a more detailed look into this for the future.
More specific stuff: What are your operational limits for jacking? How long do you stay jacked up? What is your survival height? Have you ever had to jack down and go into port in heavy seas?
How would you secure the ship for heavy weather?
Standard stuff. Just went though what I would do on my ship.
So you guys on jack ups can just jack the vessel out of the water rather than going to a dry dock? How would surveyors examine the ships bottom?
In my case we could float barges underneath the ship and inspect the ships bottom, thrusters etc.
What are the requirements for ships with regards to dry dock?
2nd Engineer calls up and says he has seen a fire in the engine room coming from Generator No.1. What are your actions? (I then asked if we were underway and if I was on the bridge?)
Sound general alarm, Call captain, take action to ensure the safety of the ship as the fire could take out the whole main engine room and lead to propulsion and steerage loss, Close WTDs and fire doors, release water mist fixed system in the engine room…
Could you isolate Generator No.1?
Yes, hit the emergency stop in the ECR.
Could you isolate the fuel supply to Generator No.1 only?
I said I think we could but said I wasn’t 100% sure and would have to check up on that one.
Now you are on a Bulk Carrier. How would you go about loading cargo?
Standard stuff. Started off taking about finding the available cargo to load after stores, water, bunkers had been loaded. The onto ensuring suitability of cargo for the ship, and suitability of the ship for the cargo. TMLs, density, SF, and chemical hazards from IMSBC Code. Looking at tank top load limits, SF and BM, available space, max drop height, loading and ballast plans until he stopped me.
What is Port State Control? What do they do?
Then back to my last ship: You must be due a PSC soon. (He had a look online). You had two deficiencies at the last inspection; do you know what they were?
How many lifeboats did your ship have?
What were the capacities?
How often do you have to launch the lifeboats and FRC?
Do you actually manage to get that done onboard?
He was smiling. Said we do sometimes struggled if jacked up for a long time or because we are always SSTQ in port to can have issues launching the Stbd LB and FRC.
What checks and tests would you do on an FRC/Rescue boat?
Ran through them. He stopped me at then end of monthly checks.

ColRegs
Smarty Board Lights: PDV under 50m, underway possibly making way, Stbd aspect on my port bow. What are your actions?
Series of compass bearings and ranges to assess RoC. (He told me RoC exists) – Stand-on with caution.
What vessels must RAM keep clear of?
Smarty Board Lights: Vessel aground. Possibly over 50m. (He didn’t ask for actions).

Radar Plot
Nearly tripped myself up with vectors here…
I asked straight away if we were in relative vectors?
I hope not!
Ok, so we are in true vectors.
What tells you its true vectors?
Own ship has a vector (Didn’t see this initially as the own true vector was on the heading line).
Plot was as below. 4 targets only one with risk of collision (determined by extending relative trail). Said I would do a trial manoeuvre and make a bold alteration to port.

Tell me about safe speed.
Just rattled off rule 6. He stopped me before factors for vessels with operational radar.
Well the exam was a bit unorthodox (due to the jack-up specific content), but you have passed.
Then had a chat about the best road directions to get home!

Captain Leggett was a genuinely nice bloke. The exam felt like more of a chat than a tense exam, but it was difficult to not get too comfortable, lose focus and say something stupid!
I appreciate a lot of what I got asked was ship specific, which was great for me, but one thing for everyone to take from it is to make sure you know your last ship well. Just in case you do get asked a lot of specific questions. It seemed like Captain Leggett wanted to know what you would do in a situation rather than a robot textbook answer.

Hope this is of some help and all the best to the rest of lads yet to go up!

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