MBS-089: Sea Survival Technique 

Course title: MBS 089     Sea Survival Technique                                   

Campus:   FSM FMI

Initiator:   Alvin E. Sinem

Date: 5/6/16

Course description
This course is mandatory for new entrants into the seafaring profession and those who want to become seafarers, and it is intended to provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary to respond effectively as a crew member in the event of an abandonment from a merchant or small commercial vessel.

Lecture

        3 

x

6

=

18

=

Practicum

        3

x

6

=

18

=

Lecture/Prac

x

=

36

=

Workshop

x

=

=

 
Total  Semester Credits

                             Program

[  ]

1. Effective oral communication: capacity to deliver prepared, purposeful presentations designed to increase knowledge, to foster understanding, or to promote change in the listeners’ attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.

[    ]

2. Effective written communication: development and expression of ideas in writing through work in many genres and styles, utilizing different writing technologies, and mixing texts, data, and images through iterative experiences across the curriculum.

[    ]

3. Critical thinking: a habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion.

[X ]

4. Problem solving: capacity to design, evaluate, and implement a strategy to answer an open-ended question or achieve a desired goal.

[    ]

5. Intercultural knowledge and competence: a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.

[X ]

6. Information literacy: the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively and responsibly use and share that information for the problem at hand.

[X ]

7. Foundations and skills for life-long learning: purposeful learning activity, undertaken on an ongoing basis with the aim of improving knowledge, skills, and competence.

[    ]

8. Quantitative Reasoning: ability to reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of authentic contexts and everyday life situations; comprehends and can create sophisticated arguments supported by quantitative evidence and can clearly communicate those arguments in a variety of formats.

CSLO (General) 1:
Describe threats to survival, and personal preparation for abandonment.

Student Learning Outcome (specific)

ISLO

PSLO

Assessment Strategies

1.1 List and describe types of shipboard emergencies at sea.

4,6, 7

4

On a written test, students will list and describe 5 or more emergencies that occur aboard a ship at sea and in port.

1.2 Describe actions required on joining a new ship.

Using written assessment, the students will describe at least 4 actions required on joining a new ship. 

1.3 Describe the information listed on a muster list.

On a written test, the students will describe 5 elements on a muster list. 

1.4 Identify emergency and abandon ship signals.

On a written test, the students will identify/describe the 2 emergency and abandon ship signals. 

1.5 Describe and demonstrate appropriate responses to emergency signals.

Written test and demonstration assessments will be used to assess student’s competence in describing and demonstrating the 2 prescribed actions to be taken for emergency signal.

A checklist will be used for the demonstration assessment.

1.6 Describe the manner in which a person should dress for an abandonment.

On a written test, the students will describe the proper way of dressing for an abandonment.

1.7 List items of shipboard equipment that should be placed into survival craft prior to abandonment, if time permits.

4,6, 7

4,6, 7

4

4

On a written test, students will list the 5 types of shipboard equipment that should be place in a survival craft prior to abandonment. 

1.8 State meaning of IMO emergency symbols.

On a written test, students will state meaning of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) emergency symbols (the mandatory signs and the recommended signs.)

1.9 Describe and demonstrate the actions to be taken in a crash abandonment.

Using written and demonstration assessments, students will describe and demonstrate proper donning of lifejacket in a crash abandonment on board vessel or floating in water.

A checklist will be used for the demonstration assessment.

1.10 Describe the threats to survival and demonstrate proper responses imposed by the following:

• cold water shock
• hypothermia
• psychological response to disaster
• loss of will to live
• sea sickness
• dehydration
• injuries
• starvation

Students will describe the threats to survival imposed by the following, including signs and symptoms and demonstrate proper responses/treatment for each:

• cold water shock
• hypothermia
• psychological response to disaster
• loss of will to live
• sea sickness
• Dehydration
• Injuries
• starvation

Written assessment will be used, and a check list will be used for the demonstration assessment.

1.12 Describe and explain strategies that may be used to counter threats to survival.

On a written test, the students will describe and explain strategies to be used to counter 5 threats to survival.

CSLO (General) 2.  Outline the manner in which survival craft will be deployed during abandonment

Student Learning Outcome (specific)

ISLO

PSLO

Assessment Strategies

•  Describe and demonstrate the methods of launching an inflatable life raft.

4,6, 7

4

The students will describe and demonstrate three methods of launching an inflatable life raft.

Written test and a checklist for demonstration assessment will be used. 

• Describe methods of launching a lifeboat.

On a written test, the students will describe 3 methods of launching a lifeboat. 

• Describe the actions to be taken by a non-launching crewmember of a survival craft.

On a written test, the students will describe the 4 responsibilities that a non-launch team crew member has during an abandonment.

CSLO (General) 3: Describe the likely locations, amount and correct operations of lifesaving appliances, including personal safety equipment, onboard ships and fishing vessels.

Student Learning Outcome (specific)

ISLO

PSLO

Assessment Strategies

•  List lifesaving appliances carried on board vessels.

4,6, 7

4

On a written test, students will list 10 lifesaving appliances carried on board vessels.

• State the locations of lifesaving appliances onboard vessels.

On a written test, students will state the usual location of the following lifesaving appliances:
a) lifejackets
b)  lifebuoys
c)  Man Over Board (MOB) smoke floats
d)  ship’s pyrotechnics
e)  satellite Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)
f)  Search and Rescue Transponder (SART).

3.3 Correctly don a life jacket and operate a life jacket light.

The students will demonstrate within 1 minute according to Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS, Chapter 3) the following:

• donning of life jacket and operate a life jacket light,

• Correctly don a thermal protective aid.  

• donning of a thermal protective aid, and

A checklist will be used for the demonstration assessment.

• Describe correctly donning an immersion suit.   

On a written test, the students will describe donning of immersion suit according to manufacturer’s instructions.

• Describe and demonstrate the operation of lifebuoys, lifebuoy lights and lines. 

4,6, 7

4

Students will describe in a written test and demonstrate the operation of lifebuoys, lights and lines according to manufacturer’s instructions and SOLAS requirements.

A checklist will be used for demonstration assessment.

• Describe the method of deployment of a MOB combination light and orange smoke float.

On a written test, students will describe the correct steps to take in deploying a man over board (MOB) smoke/light combination float, according to manufacturer’s instruction.

• Describe the operation of a rocket line throwing appliance.

On a written test, the students will describe the proper operation of a rocket line-throwing appliance.

• Identify the shelf life of pyrotechnics and demonstrate the operations of hand held flares.

On a written test, students will list and identify the 4 types of pyrotechnics and their shelf-life.
Students will also demonstrate the proper operations of hand held flares.

A checklist will be used to assess the student’s competency in the demonstration.

CSLO (General) 4:  Describe initial actions for survival on abandonment from a ship.

Student Learning Outcome (specific)

ISLO

PSLO

Assessment Strategies

4.1 Describe and demonstrate the initial actions for survival management.

4,6, 7

4

Written and practical  assessments will be used to assess students’ competency in carrying out the following:

• describe and demonstrate 3 initial actions for survival management, such as:
• Don lifejacket
• Take seasick tablet if needed
• Take as much water as can
• correctly don a lifejacket and jump into the water from a height of 3 meters;
• correctly demonstrate the following in-water survival techniques: group huddle, heat escape lessening posture, swimming in a lifejacket, towing with a lifejacket, remaining afloat without a lifejacket, donning a lifejacket while in the water;
• correctly demonstrate boarding a life-raft unassisted, while wearing a lifejacket;
• correctly demonstrate assisting an unconscious or injured person pulled into a life raft;
• describe the importance of launching all survival craft during an abandonment; and
• describe proper way for taking of a life-raft undertow from a lifeboat or rescue boat.

A checklist will be used to assess students’ competency during demonstration.

4.2 Demonstrate jumping from a height of 3 metres wearing a lifejacket.

4.3 Demonstrate in-water survival techniques including: group huddle, heat escape lessening posture, swimming in a lifejacket, towing with a lifejacket, remaining afloat without a lifejacket, donning a lifejacket while in the water.

• Demonstrate boarding a life-raft unassisted, while wearing a lifejacket 

4.5 Demonstrate how to assist an unconscious or injured person pulled into a life raft.

4.6 Describe the importance of launching all survival craft during an abandonment.

4.7 Describe taking of a life raft undertow from a lifeboat or rescue boat.

CSLO (General) 5: Describe the methods of alerting search agencies, ships and aircraft from a survival craft.

Student Learning Outcome (specific)

ISLO

PSLO

Assessment Strategies

• List, describe and demonstrate the alerting and detection aiding equipment provided on ships and survival craft.

4, 6, 7

4

Written and practical  assessments will be used to assess students’ competency in carrying out the following:

• list, describe, and demonstrate correct use of pyrotechnics, VHF, and SART and their normal location on board ship and survival craft;
• describe how to activate EPIRB;
• describe the capabilities of the following:

•     121.1/243 Mhz EPIRB
•     406/121.5 Mhz EPIRB
•     'L' Band EPIRB;

• describe the capabilities of SART; and
•  describe the capability of a GMDSS survival craft portable VHF radio transceiver.

5.2 Describe the normal location of alerting and detection equipment on board vessels.

5.3 Describe how to activate an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB).

5.4 Describe the capabilities of the following:

• 121.1/243 Mhz EPIRB
• 406/121.5 Mhz EPIRB
• 'L' Band EPIRB

• Describe the capabilities of a search and rescue transponder (SART)

5.6 Describe the capability of a Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) survival craft portable VHF radio transceiver.

CSLO (General) 6: Outline normal measures used in maritime search and rescue by maritime rescue co-ordination centers.

Student Learning Outcome (specific)

ISLO

PSLO

Assessment Strategies

6.1 Describe the resources available to a typical Maritime Rescue Coordinating Center (MRCC).

4,6, 7

4

On a written test, the students will:

• describe at least 6 resources that are available to a typical MRCC for use during a marine search and rescue action;
• describe 2 search methods used by a typical MRCC;
• describe 2 methods for recognizing and responding to an aircraft searching at night;
• describe 7 methods used and precautions required for rescue by helicopter;
• describe the correct donning of a single helicopter strop; and
• describe how marine supply containers are deployed.

6.2 Describe search methods used by a typical MRCC.
.

• Describe methods for recognizing and responding to an aircraft searching at night.

• Describe the methods used and precautions required for rescue by helicopter.

6.5 Describe how a single helicopter strop is donned.

6.6 Describe how marine supply containers are deployed.