Deck Cadet Oral Exam Preparation: Safety, Regulations, and Operations

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering essential deck cadet oral examination topics including LSA, FFA, MARPOL, safety procedures, navigation emergencies, and international maritime conventions.

LSA (Life Saving Appliances)

The equipment used to save lives when crew members must abandon ship; mandated by the SOLAS Convention, inspected regularly (weekly and monthly by officers, and annually by approved servicing companies), and maintained ready for immediate use.

Lifeboat

A rigid survival craft fitted with an engine and steering capability, used for abandoning ship and carrying survival equipment.

Liferaft

A lightweight, compact, inflatable survival craft without an engine that inflates automatically and can be deployed either manually or automatically via release mechanisms.

Hydrostatic Release Unit (HRU)

A device securing a liferaft or EPIRB in its cradle that automatically releases the equipment under water pressure at a depth of about $1.5\text{ to }4\text{ metres}$ if the ship sinks; it carries an expiry date and is typically replaced or serviced every $2\text{ years}$.

FFA (Fire Fighting Appliances)

All equipment used to detect, prevent, and extinguish fires on board a vessel, which must be regularly inspected and kept ready for immediate operation.

Fire Control Plan

An official shipboard plan illustrating the locations of fire stations, extinguishers, fire doors, pumps, escape routes, and fixed extinguishing systems; posted in accommodation spaces, with a duplicate stored in a marked container outside the deckhouse for shore firefighters.

Class A Fire

A fire involving solid combustible materials such as wood, paper, and cloth, typically extinguished using water.

Class B Fire

A fire involving flammable liquids such as oil and petrol, typically extinguished using foam, dry powder, or $CO_2$.

Class C Fire

A fire involving flammable gases, requiring appropriate extinguishing mediums such as dry powder.

Class D Fire

A fire involving combustible metals.

Class F Fire

A fire involving cooking oils and fats.

Boundary Cooling

The practice of using water sprays to cool the decks and bulkheads surrounding a fire compartment to prevent heat transmission and the spread of fire to adjacent spaces.

Muster List

A document posted in cabins and public areas that specifies the assigned emergency duties and designated muster stations for every crew member.

General Emergency Alarm

An emergency signal consisting of seven or more short blasts followed by one long blast sounded on the ship's whistle and alarm bells.

Williamson Turn

A man overboard rescue manoeuvre used to bring a vessel back onto its original reciprocal track by turning the rudder hard over toward the side of the casualty until the heading deviates by $60^\circ$, then reversing the rudder hard over to steady on the opposite heading.

ISPS Code

The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code; adopted under SOLAS after 2001 to govern maritime security, establishing ship security plans, gangway access controls, restricted zones, and mandatory drills.

Ship Security Plan

A confidential, approved document detailing shipboard security procedures, access control, restricted areas, and specific actions required across all security levels.

MARSEC Level 1

The baseline, normal security level under the ISPS Code for which minimum protective security measures are maintained at all times.

MARSEC Level 2

A heightened security level requiring additional protective security measures due to an increased risk of a security incident.

MARSEC Level 3

An exceptional security level requiring specific protective measures maintained for a limited period when a security incident is probable or imminent.

ISM Code

The International Safety Management Code; mandates that operating companies maintain a Safety Management System (SMS) for operational safety and pollution prevention, designate a DPA, and uphold the Master's overriding authority.

Designated Person Ashore (DPA)

The shore-based representative who serves as the direct link between shipboard personnel and the highest levels of company management, accessible to crew members for safety and pollution issues.

Work Permit

A formal written document issued by the Master or Chief Officer authorizing hazardous tasks (such as hot work, enclosed space entry, working aloft, or working overside) only after a risk assessment and safety checklist are completed.

Risk Assessment

A safety process involving identifying hazards before starting a job, assessing the likelihood and severity of potential incidents, and implementing control measures to prevent accidents.

MARPOL

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978, established to eliminate operational and accidental pollution of the marine environment by oil, chemicals, sewage, garbage, and air emissions.

MARPOL Annex I

The section of MARPOL containing regulations for the prevention of pollution by oil.

MARPOL Annex II

The section of MARPOL containing regulations for the control of pollution by noxious liquid substances in bulk.

MARPOL Annex III

The section of MARPOL containing regulations for the prevention of pollution by harmful substances carried by sea in packaged form.

MARPOL Annex IV

The section of MARPOL establishing discharge rules for sewage from ships, requiring holding tanks in ports and permitting untreated sewage discharge only beyond $12\text{ nautical miles}$ while under way.

MARPOL Annex V

The section of MARPOL regulating shipboard garbage disposal, strictly prohibiting the disposal of any plastics into the sea and mandating tracking via the Garbage Record Book.

MARPOL Annex VI

The section of MARPOL containing regulations for the prevention of air pollution from ships.

SOPEP

Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan; a formal plan detailing immediate crew actions for managing an oil spill, reporting procedures to coastal authorities, and the deployment of response materials.

Logbook

An official legal document recording the voyage, positions, weather conditions, operational events, and drills on board; errors must be struck through with a single line and initialled without erasing.

SOLAS

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea; originally adopted in $1914$ following the Titanic disaster (current version SOLAS $1974$), setting international minimum safety standards for vessel construction, navigation, and emergency equipment.

Enclosed Space Entry

A hazardous entry procedure into confined spaces (such as tanks, holds, or void spaces) requiring atmospheric testing for oxygen (target approx. $21\%$) and toxic/flammable gases, continuous ventilation, a work permit, and a dedicated standby person posted outside with communication equipment.