IMS4.2.7 Company Standing Orders (To Masters) Procedure

1.0   COMPANY’S STANDING ORDERS (TO MASTERS)

Whilst at sea, all crew answers directly to the ship’s Master. The Master has a duty of care and responsibility for the welfare and safety of all crew, passengers, safe navigation and operation of the vessel.

• Masters will arrive on time, at the start of their shift. (Scheduled start times are to be advised and allocated by the Operation’s Manager)
• On commencement of duty, it is the Master’s responsibility to have a sound understanding of his/her position and duties. He/she will read, acknowledge and accept the “Company Standing Orders” (To Masters) and “Master’s Standing Orders”. By doing this, he/she agrees to carry out these orders with due diligence and in line with good seamanship standards and practises.
• It is the Master’s responsibility to have a sound understanding of the regulatory requirements, codes and maritime industry standards. He/she must at all times make reference to these requirements to maintain the safety of navigation.
• Masters will check the Ship’s Log and “Hand Over” notes on DataWeb, prior to commencing a navigation watch, to be familiarised with the ongoing activity and with any other information the previous Master has reported.
• The Master will ensure that all crew hold the appropriate certificates pertaining to their position on board and that all certificates are current.
• The Master will ensure that all crew are physically and mentally fit prior to signing on duty to carry out their assigned duties on board.
• The master will ensure that all crew have been assigned to their individual emergency muster positions, this position list is allocated in the vessel's official log and the crew must sign against their emergency muster position by signature prior to the commencement of on-board duty.
• The master will ensure that the vessel's “Stability” is calculated prior to departure. Any observations taken that do not reflect the correct draft of the vessel pertaining to its loaded condition at that time must immediately be checked accurately against the statistical information (Intact Stability) within the vessel's stability book. Information obtained must then be recorded in the vessel's “Official Log Book”.
• It must be the Master's responsibility to ensure the vessel's Chart Portfolio” and all official vessel publications are corrected and that corrections are recorded in the DataWeb “Navigation Chart Correction Register”.
• It is the Master's responsibility to ensure all crew have signed onto the vessel's official log at the start of duty and ensure all crew are signed off duty at the end of their rostered shift.
• It is the responsibility of the Master to ensure that all crew are correctly inducted onto the vessel and trained in the operation of the vessel’s Life-Saving Appliances, Fire Fighting Appliances and Safety Systems.
•  He/she will ensure that all crew members on board have a sound understanding of the vessel’s overall operation, machinery and its limitations.
• The Master will ensure that all official vessel documentation is current and available for inspection upon request.
• The Master will ensure that the “Safety Management System” is held in the bridge on board the vessel and is in good condition and available to all crew upon request.
• The Master will ensure that all crew have read and have a sound understanding of the Safety Management System in its entirety.
• The Master will be the person responsible to insert/add and implement revised sections or addendums to the Safety Management System as issued by SeaLink Gladstone.
•  It is the responsibility of the master to ensure that any revised sections or addendums have been recorded to the Safety Management System’s “Crew Familiarisation Form” list and that all crew have acknowledged those changes and signed by individual signature to the “Crew Familiarisation Form”.
• The Master has a responsibility to ensure that all revised official vessel documentation is correctly replaced and inserted into the Safety Management System, and that all record-keeping documents are kept valid in date for inspection and verification.
•  All documentation that has been removed from the vessel's Safety Management System must be destroyed or returned to the SeaLink Gladstone operations offices.
• The Master will ensure that all crew are rested prior to commencing their shift and make sure that all crew take their rostered off-duty hours, in line with the weekly crew roster schedule provided to them by the company. ‘Hours of Employment’ is referenced in the “Curtis Island Services Pty Ltd Enterprise Agreement 2014” section 12, sub-section 12.5.
• All Masters will not leave the vessel's helm/wheelhouse during short voyages while the vessel operates within any port, harbour or on approaches from sea to any port, harbour or anchorage.
• The Master will ensure that the vessel’s safety equipment, lifesaving appliances, firefighting appliances, machinery and all of its ancillary equipment is correctly maintained to meet the National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV). The Master will provide evidence of the vessel’s scheduled maintenance, planned maintenance and preventative maintenance on request.
• Failure to follow any directions or any abuse directed towards the Master could result in instant dismissal. All crew are to act in a professional, courteous and responsible manner towards other crew and passengers at all times to ensure that safety and comfort is kept to the highest standards.

The STCW Convention and Code are amended from time to time, and the current requirements must always be consulted and complied with. To assist seafarers, this AMSA information document advises of the content of Chapter VIII of the STCW Code, including 2010 Manila Amendments, at the time of publication of the information

Paragraph 425(1)(db) of the Navigation Act 1912 makes provision for the safe navigation and operation of ships by giving effect to:

(a) Regulation I/14 of the STCW Convention (Responsibilities of companies); and

(b) Chapter VIII of the STCW Code (Standards regarding watchkeeping).

Under this authority, AMSA Marine Orders Part 28, Operations Standards and Procedures requires that companies, Masters, chief engineers and all persons engaged in watch-keeping duties must observe both the standards and the guidance regarding watch-keeping set out in Chapter VIII of the STCW Code.