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3 Important Man Overboard Recovery

Methods Used At Sea

By Paromita Mukherjee | In: Marine Safety | Last Updated on April 14, 2017 | 1214 Minutes To Read

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Man overboard is a potentially dangerous situation for a ship at sea. Among the many threats
that could undermine the proper course of the voyage of a vessel, accidents related to man
falling overboard is one of them. Unfortunately, according to a report, a high percentage of all
overboard incidents end in death. It is therefore very important for the ship personnel to act
immediately and execute the correct recovery methods so that the life of the person in water is
not endangered.

Some of the reasons why seafarers go overboard in the sea are:

Accidents such as loosing footing on deck, being swept overboard by waves

Being pulled by mooring ropes
Falling from an accommodation or ladder
Climbing on to or sitting on the ships railings
Being under the inuence of alcohol or drugs
Working in low visibility or in rough sea conditions

In this article, wewould discuss the three most common manoeuvres that can be executed to
turn a vessel back towards a man overboard in order to rescue the later

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 1. The Williamson Turn
2. The Anderson Turn or Single Turn
3. Scharnov Turn

The Williamson Turn:

This is the most commonly used manoeuvre onboard ships in the event of a person overboard.

To execute a Williamson turn:

1. Put the rudder hard over towards the side from which the man went overboard, to reduce the
chances of the vessels propeller striking the MOB

2. After deviation from the original course by 60 degrees, the rudder is put hard over to the
opposite side

In the gures, given below, the original course of the ship is 110 degrees. Man overboard is on
the starboard side and therefore the turn is to starboard. When the course is 170 (110 + 60)
degrees after deviation from the original course which was 110 degrees, rudder is put hard over
to port side.

3. When the heading is 20 degrees short of the reciprocal course, the rudder is brought to
midship position.

The reciprocal course of 110 degrees is 290 degrees. Reciprocal course can be obtained by
simply adding 180 degrees to the original course if original course is less than 180. When the
heading shows 310 degrees ( i.e. 20 degrees short of 290 degrees) rudder is put to midship.

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Williamson turn is ideal method in reduced visibility. If executed properly it positions the ship on
a reciprocal course on its exact original track thereby allowing the search to commence on the
track the victim fell over, not from a parallel track. Speed should be maintained during the turn
as any changes in speed may bring the ship on a reciprocal course in a dierent position than
the line of the initial course. However, this turn takes the ship further away from the scene of
incident.

Anderson Turn/Single Turn:

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This is the fastest recovery method. It is most appropriate turn for ship in clear visibility. In case
of this turn, rudder is put hard over to the side of the casualty. After deviation from the original
course by 250 degrees, rudder is put to midship position. Revolution needs to be modied at the
end of the turn and stopping manoeuvre is initiated.

In the above example, the original course of the ship is 290 degrees. Man overboard is on the
starboard side. Rudder is put hard to starboard until deviation from the original course is 250
degrees i.e
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290 + 250 = 540 degrees (greater than 360)

540 360 = 180 degrees

Therefore when the ships heading is 180 degrees, wheel is brought to midship.

It can be noted that Williamson turn was commenced at 08:10 local time and completed at
08:21 local time. The turn lasted about 11 minutes. Anderson turn commenced at 08:22 local
time and was over by 08:28 local time.

The above manoeuvre demonstrates the superiority of the Anderson turn over the Williamson
turn in the immediate rescue operation. This is due to the simplicity of the 270 degrees turn,
which translates directly into its duration and also eciency. Under favourable daylight
conditions single turn is the best way to get back to a man overboard in a hurry. This turn is
good for ships with tight turning characteristics.

The Scharnov Turn:

The Scharnov turn takes back the ship into her wake. However it cannot be used in an immediate
maneuver. This turn cannot be carried out eectively unless the time elapsed between the
person falling overboard and the commencement of the maneuver is known.

1. The rudder is put hard over on to the side of the casualty to swing stern away from the
man. After deviation from the original course by 240 degrees rudder is put hard over to the
opposite side.
2. When the heading is 20 degrees short of the reciprocal course, wheel is brought to midship
position.

In the illustrations given below, the original course of the vessel is 180 degrees. The wheel is put
hard to starboard to deviate 240 degrees from original course.

180 + 240 = 420 degrees (greater than 360)

420 360 = 060 degrees

Therefore when heading is 060 degrees, the rudder is put hard to port. Reciprocal of original
course is 000 degrees. When the ships heading is 020 degrees, the wheel is put to midship.

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Once ship is brought to reciprocal course, speed should be reduced and preparations should be
taken to launch rescue boat. The emergency boats crew should standby and be ready to launch
the rescue boat. It might not be possible to launch rescue boat during worse sea conditions. In
such case alternative recovery methods including the following can be adopted:

1. Passing lines to the casualty so that they can be pulled alongside the ship. Rescue throw
lines and heaving lines may be used.
2. Buoyant appliances such as life buoys or an inated life raft may be deployed on secure
lines and then pulled back to the ship.
3. If none of these options is feasible, the ship must standby until a helicopter or rescue
vessel arrives.

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Every vessel must be able to carry out man overboard rescue methods eciently. When
someone falls overboard it is invariably unexpected and under dicult conditions. Even the best
swimmers can become disoriented when unexpectedly falling into the water. At such moments
there is no time to think. Decisive action is of primary importance when a person falls overboard.
One begins to act automatically and these actions are based entirely on the knowledge and
training gained previous to the accident. Ships crew cannot cope with such a situation unless
they are fully prepared for this. It is therefore vital that drills are conducted frequently onboard a
vessel.

Safety Measure To Prevent Man Overboard Situation

Minimum safety measures that can be taken onboard ships to avoid man overboard situations:

1. Wearing the correct personal protective equipment-life jackets, safety harness, and
appropriate safety footwear when working at or near the ships side
2. Taking extra precaution when working in heavy weather and when the decks are wet or icy
3. Ensuring that all work at or near the ships side is properly controlled and supervised by a
competent ocer. The bridge must be informed when the work starts and when it ends
4. Ensuring that day to day practices, such as standing on bollards, hatches or other raised
surfaces or using ladders close to the bulwark do not place crew at risk of falling
overboard.
5. It is also important to be aware of the state of other crew members. People are more likely
to be at risk if they drink too much or suer from seasickness

Disclaimer:The authors views expressed in this article do not necessarily reect the views of
Marine Insight.Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available
information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Marine
Insight do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views
constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any
course of action to be followed by the reader.

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 permission of the author and Marine Insight.

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About Paromita Mukherjee

Paromita has completed graduation in Nautical Science and is presently preparing for
2nd mate exams. Besides sailing, she love to read books and to travel. She has also won
many awards in music.

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