As Chief Officer of a vessel underway, it comes to your attention that the vessel is, in some manner, unseaworthy. Under such circumstances the Master is required to take action upon receiving __________.
• Master’s legal responsibility to correct unseaworthy conditions once made aware • Meaning of duty to report vs. requirement for multiple witnesses or officers • Whether the law requires one report or more than one person to notify the Master before action is required
• Ask yourself: As soon as the Master is made aware of unseaworthiness, does the duty to act depend on how many people report it, or simply that the Master has credible information? • Consider whether the regulation is written to avoid delay in correcting an unsafe condition, or to wait for confirmation from multiple officers. • Think about which choice would make the vessel safest in the shortest time and is most consistent with the Master’s ultimate responsibility for the ship’s seaworthiness.
• Identify which options require more than one person to notify the Master and which require only one report. • Check which wording best reflects that the Master’s duty begins once he has reliable information about unseaworthiness, not necessarily a committee decision. • Eliminate any option that would unreasonably delay the Master’s response by requiring extra confirmations before he is obligated to act.
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