Heavy Weather Precautions

Procedure to ensure adequate precautions are taken in case of heavy weather

Upon receipt of a heavy weather warning or forecast, the OOW shall liaise with the Chief Officer and Bosun to ensure the following steps are taken in advance:

- Check manhole covers to chain lockers are properly secured.

- Test high level alarm and eductors for forward stores area.

- Secure all loose gear in the forward stores area to ensure bilge suctions do not become block if flooding occurs.

- Check all sounding caps are properly secured.

- Ensure the emergency towing chains forward are properly secured.

- Confirm the forward store booby hatch is properly secured, all dogs tight.

- Stop the forward stores ventilation fan and shut down (all three) vent dampers/flaps tightly.

- Confirm that the manifold drip tray gratings are properly secured and cannot be washed away. Open the drip tray drains.

- Ensure any loose items on deck are secured or taken inside store-rooms.

- Remove lifebuoys from their racks forward and stow them inside. Also the lifejackets for the forward liferaft.

- Consider removing the forward liferaft itself to safe stowage, and also the boarding ladder.

- Ensure all anchor lashings are properly set and as tight as possible. Ensure spurling pipe covers are in place and properly sealed.

- Ensure the accommodation ladders are properly secured, all lashings tight.

- Ensure the booby hatches serving area aft are properly secured, all dogs tight.

- Consider stopping and securing all other ventilation fans/flaps/dampers at upper deck level at least.

- Remove the plugs from upper deck breather save-all drip-trays.

- Close all the watertight doors, with all dogs fully applied. Affix padlocks to all store-room and pump-room doors. They will stay closed if the dogs are sprung.

- Hold Tight!

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This Bridge Memo is developed through more than 15 years by some very experienced ship's masters.It is mainly based on Capt. Inn Davis's rules from Expedo Ship Management (Canada) Ltd.I collect them only for my personally study reason; and for easy reference purpose.
Here, I, as an officer under some instruction of  Capt Davis, give my full respects and thankful to Capt. Davis.

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2nd Officer
Ever-student from Dalian Maritime University
Be proud of DMU