[esailor Team]

OOW Online Orals Report
October 2020
Time: 1h 35m- Pass

Was ready and waiting to be accepted into the call 15 minutes before the start time. Once in the exam the examiner introduced himself and then went through all the usual stuff, phone switched off, screen share test and the syllabus I would be examined on. He also required me to show the room including my desk, ceiling and under the desk.

I cannot remember all the questions, but this is what I do remember:

• Tell me about your last ship?
• Where was she flagged?
• What LSA did you have on your last ship?
• What FFA did you have on your last ship?
• You’ve just departed at night and the captain asks you to take the pilot to be disembarked, talk me through the process?
• Okay so the pilot is disembarked, and the captain says you’re expecting heavy weather and to secure the foc’sle. How would you do that?
• How do you secure the anchor for heavy weather?
• Do you know what a cement pudding is? What is it for? Did you use it on your last ship?
• Asked how I would secure the bosuns store whilst I was up forward.
• Now you’re back on the bridge and you need to take the watch from the captain tell me how you would do this?
• I mentioned SMS Checklist so was asked about SMS and ISM
• On an Atlantic crossing and expecting heavy weather. Where can you get weather info from?
• Asked if my last ship had a weather facsimile receiver? – Turns out this is a fax of a synoptic chart
• Then shared his screen and brought up a synoptic chart with Atlantic crossing plotted on it. Asked for wind speed and directions on 3 different positions
• Had to identify Warm, Cold and occluded front on the chart
• Moved on to 8-12 morning watch and bosun calls up to report man overboard stbd side. Actions?
• Where can you find search pattern information?
• Plan a passage from Miami to Tilbury- Stopped after Appraisal stage
• How do you put this on ECDIS?
• What is a safety corridor?
• What is a composite great circle?
• On passage in the middle of Atlantic approx. 300nm from nearest land you receive VHF DSC distress. Actions?
• Asked if I had sailed with paper charts or if I was familiar with them.
• Asked to identify: Pilot Station, Sector lights and 2-way reporting symbols on a chart.
• Shows me compass rose and asks to calculate variation for current year (Was 2.5 degrees West)
• If deviation from Deviation curves is 1-degree East, what is compass error?
• Helmsman says magnetic course is 220C, what is true Course?
• Then brought up a picture of magnetic compass binnacle asked what is was and what to check on it.
• Brought up pictures or SCBA and a HRU asked what they are and how they are checked/Maintained.

Moved onto colregs had slides for day and night. Wanted day shape, lights and fog signals.

By day:
• NUC on STBD bow
• Fishing vessel with outlying gear on Port bow
By night:
• Trawler hauling nets- underway but not making way
• PDV probably greater than 50m underway probably making way on STBD bow
• CBD STBD Bow following lane of TSS when we are crossing- Actions?

Then moved onto restricted Vis:

• Brought up a radar screen with 3 plots and asked how I would plot OAW triangle as he did it on his PowerPoint. Asked what OA lines gives and asked for approx. CPA.
• Then gave me 4 or 5 completed radar plots and asked for actions under rule 19. Wanted to know whether radar was true or relative/true motions and vectors and if it was North up or head up.
• Asked for my actions if I hear a fog signal forward of beam and can’t see it on my radar

Buoyage: Wanted to identify light and action to take

• Asked difference in region A and B
• Preferred channel to STBD region A
• North Cardinal
• Isolated danger
• East cardinal
• STBD Lateral region B

Then placed me on a Container ship as I had no cargo ship experience:

• Loading dangerous goods what do you need to consult?
• What is IMDG Code?
• What annex of MARPOL is IMDG part of?
• Chef calls up to bridge and wants to throw food waste and cooking oil overboard in middle of Atlantic, can he?
• What is Annex V of MARPOL?

That was it for the exam. He then asked me how I thought I had done and told me that I had passed.

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