🔍 Key Concepts

• Emergency response priorities: protect life, then ship, then environment • Master’s overall responsibility for the safety of the ship • Initial actions in a flooding casualty vs. follow-on actions (containment, communication, alarms)

💭 Think About

• In the very first moments of discovering flooding, what is the most critical thing that must happen so that all other actions can be properly coordinated? • Who is responsible for directing damage control and overall emergency response on a merchant vessel? • Which actions on the list are more likely to be immediate local actions versus command/coordination actions?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which person/role has ultimate command during an emergency on board. • Think about standard casualty control / damage control procedures: what is step 1, and what usually comes after? • Check which options look like specific technical responses (pumping, closing doors, sounding alarms) versus a step that ensures those actions are organized and authorized.