What are actions taken prior to Abandoning Ships ?

Actions prior to abandoning the ship

Avoid abandoning for as long as safely possible: “the ship is the best survival craft”.

When abandonment is necessary there may be little time to formulate a plan, so careful planning beforehand is essential. Here are some things to remember should you ever have to abandon a ship:

• Ensure distress alerts have been sent. If you have emergency location beacons

– including personal beacons – switch them on, and leave them on.

• If possible keep the emergency location beacon with you. Rescue units are most likely to find the emergency location beacon first.
• Put on as many layers of warm clothing as possible, including your feet. Make sure to cover your head, neck, and hands. The outer layer should be as watertight as possible. Fasten clothing to improve insulation and to minimize cold water flushing in and out beneath the clothing.