A maritime emergency can happen any time and the onboard crew must be prepared to tackle all kinds of crisis situations at a ship. Having a working and efficient alarm system allows the ship operator to issue warnings to all the passengers and crew members at once easily. It is a standard practice for all ships to be installed with emergency alarm systems that are uniform for all vessels, irrespective of the shipping company they belong to. If you are a maritime investor and looking to purchase second-hand cruise ships or ROPAX vessels for sale, make sure you check the alarm systems are working for the vessel. In this blog, we take a look at the different kinds of alarms used in ships.
General alarm
The general alarm on the ship is used for emergencies such as a fire breakout, grounding, collision, or any other situation which requires abandoning the ship. A general alarm is marked by 7 short ringings followed by one long ringing of the warning bell. Instead of the bell ringing, the sound could also be a blasting of the ship’s horn signal. When a warning alarm is activated, passengers are expected to immediately move toward their given muster station.
Fire alarm
The fire alarm on the ship is loud and rings continuously. If anyone from the crew or a passenger detects any fire in any part of the ship, they must immediately press the nearest fire switch they can find and simultaneously shout “FIRE FIRE” to alert other people. The fire alarm can either be a continuous ringing of the electrical bell in the ship or it could be a continuous blasting of the horn signal. As soon as the alarm is sounded, crew members must immediately locate the source of the fire and deal with the situation.
Man overboard alarm
When a crew member or a passenger falls into the sea by mistake, the Man Overboard (MOB) alarm is used. There have been instances when a crew person working on the side of the ship or a passenger standing at the deck accidentally falls into the high seas. When such a thing happens, the internal alarm of the ship is activated for 3 long rinigings to notify the onboard crew. Additionally, the ship’s whistle is rung for 3 long blasts to notify other ships in the nearby vicinity.
Abandon ship alarm
In case of an emergency which cannot be tackled immediately and the ship is no longer safe for the crew and the passengers, then the ship master verbally gives the order of abandoning ship to the crew in charge. The alarm for this can be recognized by 6 short blasts and one long blast on the ship’s whistle. The abandon ship alarm is very closely similar to the general alarm. Once the crew and the passenger reach the emergency muster station, the ship master or the Chief Officer present there will give instruction on the correct route to abandon the ship.
Machinery space alarm
The engine room in a ship is home to different kinds of machinery and equipment, which are under continuous monitoring. Each equipment in this room comes with individual alarms to maintain a safe operation. In case of any machinery failure, the alarm rises automatically and is displayed on the control room panel. The machinery space alarm alerts the crew members to check on the fault and rectify it within time.
Conclusion
These are just a few examples of the important alarms used in a ship. Whether you’re considering buying ROPAX vessels for sale or passenger ferries or cruise ships, remember to ensure that the vessel’s alarms systems are in good working condition. To seek help from professional ship brokers, get in touch with Norwegian Ship Sales.
