Our country is rich in water resources, it has many rivers and lakes. Russia has the largest network of inland waterways in the world. Also, our country, having access to the seas, can rightfully be called a sea power. The length of the Russian maritime borders is about forty thousand kilometers.
This means that the country has developed a system of water transport, during the operation of which various emergency situations can occur, leading to accidents in water transport. What can lead to them? How to avoid emergency situations, how to act, if they have already happened, we will describe in this article.
Water transport. Value
Water transport helps to transport passengers or goods along natural waterways (ocean, sea, lake, river), as well as through waterways artificially created by humans (canals and reservoirs). Water transport is carried out using transport, which has the common name "ship". Vessels can be designed to carry passengers, carry goods, and also have a special purpose (for research work, rescue, fire, etc.).
Depending on the water area for which a water vessel is built, they are divided into river and sea. Sea vessels usually have large dimensions in comparison with river ones. During the construction of sea vessels, more intense sea waves, displacement, etc. are taken into account.
The value of water transport is very high. High carrying capacity, allowing the transport of bulky goods, creates a low cost of transporting goods by water. More than 60% of all types of transportations account for the sea transportation of goods in the world . Also, water transport in some cases is the only possible way of communication with some areas.
The speed of water passenger transport is low in comparison with air or ground transport, so it is rarely used for business trips. For tourists and vacationers, water transport is very attractive and in demand.
Classification of ships
It is customary to classify sea vessels according to various criteria. This is their purpose, navigation area, engine type and other characteristics. Let us consider the classification of marine vessels only by their purpose, that is, by the type of service performed. Transport vessels, for example, are divided into:
- Passenger - cruise, voyage, local traffic. Water passenger transport includes liners, yachts, steamboats, motor ships, ferries, boats, boats, etc.
- Dry cargo - general purpose for transporting goods in packaging; specialized vessels (timber carriers, refrigerated vessels, bulk carriers, bulk carriers, rollers, container carriers, lighter carriers; multi-purpose, carrying out transshipment in various ways (dock and crane); universal - carry various cargoes, including dangerous; dual-transport vessels, carry out mass transportation cargo of two different categories (oil tanker or cotton truck), as well as ferries carrying passenger vehicles, bulk carriers - tankers, chemical carriers, guards, gas carriers.
There are still service and auxiliary vessels - these are icebreakers, tugboats, traveling and pilot boats. The technical fleet is represented by excavators, dredging shells, dump trucks, dredgers. Also in this category are special purpose vessels - expeditionary, training, hydrographic, rescue, fire, floating beacons and cranes. Fishing vessels are trawlers, floating depots, seiners, crabbolders, tunzels, etc. Navy ships are also distinguished. The name "ship" can only be a military ship, which includes submarines, large military ships, destroyers, cruisers, aircraft carriers, etc.
Ship security equipment
All modern ships (regardless of their purpose) are equipped with radio communications and satellite navigation. Each vessel in navigation is monitored and radio communication is maintained. Passenger ships always have life-saving equipment for emergency situations. It is important to use them on time and correctly. These are inflatable boats, rafts, life suits and vests. A lot is being done for security. All passengers and crew are provided with seats on life rafts and boats.
There are also internationally accepted international maritime distress signals , emitted by ships in distress, to attract help and attention. If such a signal is received by the captain of a ship nearby, he is obliged to do everything possible to assist people in danger.
The main causes of accidents
Despite the above security measures, in our time several dozen ships and hundreds of people die every year. The main causes of accidents in water transport are:
- impact on the ship of natural forces (storm, abrupt rise or fall in water level, strong squally wind, ice jams, reefs, underwater cliffs, breakthroughs of dams and locks, sudden acceleration of the course and other unforeseen circumstances of natural disasters);
- the result of crew misconduct (non-compliance by the team with safety requirements for shipping and violation of labor discipline, unsuccessful maneuvers in the control of the ship that led to the collision, incorrect assessment of the electrical and radio navigation equipment data, technical malfunctions of the ship’s devices and mechanisms, design flaws, design errors the ship, ignoring the requirements of the safety of navigation by the shipowner and shore workers, etc.);
- unforeseen circumstances (fires or explosions, terrorist attack, etc.).
A ship in distress may be ashore, run aground, or sink.
Protective measures
There are certain rules that ensure the safety of passengers of sea and river vessels, which you need to know and even learn to everyone who is going to board the ship. First of all, any passenger should be introduced to the “Alarm Schedule”. It describes all the actions of the command staff and passengers on certain alarms in the event of an accident in water transport.
Also, a passenger card is attached to each passenger seat. It indicates the values of alarms and alarms, the place of collection on alarm, the number and place where the liferaft or boat is located, instructions for putting on life-saving equipment and their storage location. Therefore, it is very important to study all the safety information contained in this card in the first minutes of the passengers' stay on the ship.
Types of ship alarms and their significance
There are three types of ship alarms in total:
- "General alarm". This is one signal-ringing of a loud battle lasting 20-30 seconds, followed by the announcement "General alarm" on the ship's broadcast. Such an alarm may be declared in the event of an emergency or pre-emergency situation, but it does not mean a call to leave the ship.
- "Man overboard". These are three long beeps of a loud battle, 3-4 times. Behind this signal, an announcement indicating the boat number for launching is transmitted by ship’s broadcast. Such an alarm is intended only for crew members. Exit of other passengers to the open deck due to this alarm is prohibited.
- "Boat alarm." These are 7 short and 1 long signal-ringing of a loud battle, repeating 3-4 times, followed by announcement by voice on the ship’s broadcast. Served only when there is no hope of saving the ship. An announcement is only given by order of the captain. Due to this alarm, each crew member responsible for the safety of passengers takes them to the landing site in a liferaft or boat.
Ship evacuation cases
Evacuation is carried out only by order of the crew. The captain gives an order to leave the ship (ferry and other types of water transport) in the following cases:
- there are signs of imminent loss of the vessel (roll, immersion in the water of the deck, bow, stern);
- water spreading along the vessel, leading to its flooding;
- icing of the vessel or displacement of the cargo, leading to its capsizing;
- ship fire;
- under the influence of wind or current, the ship drifts to reefs, on which it can be overturned, if there is no possibility of changing the control of the ship.
Basic rules of conduct
The rules of conduct in case of an accident in water transport will be described later. The main rule is not to lose your temper and not to panic. It is very important to quickly and clearly follow the commands and instructions of the master and crew members of the vessel. If a distress call sounds, then:
- Wear as much clothing as possible, and a life jacket on top. Wrap your neck with a scarf or towel, as it undergoes faster cooling from all parts of the body. No need to take off your shoes.
- If possible, take a warm blanket, drinking water and some food into the boat.
- Take all of your documents and wrap them in a plastic bag.
- Without haste, but you should quickly go up to the upper deck (always, while staying on the ship, study and remember the way from your cabin to the upper deck) and, upon the command of the crew members, wait your turn, board the rescue vehicle (raft or boat).
- The first to be evacuated from a ship in distress are children, women, the elderly and injured passengers.
After making sure that there is no one else to evacuate on the ship, the captain is the last to leave it. It is recommended to sail from the vessel in a rescue craft by at least a hundred meters.
In the lifeboat
Once on a raft or in a boat, you must continue to remain calm. It may turn out that it will take quite a long time to find and rescue passengers who left the ship. In this regard, it is necessary to more effectively maintain body heat, consume potable water and food economically. Drinking sea water is not recommended.
If there is no shore visibility, it is better for several boats to stay close to each other, not sailing far from the ship’s wreck. It is forbidden to use several smoke bombs or rockets at a time. It is more advisable to use them when there is a real chance that someone will notice the checker. Remember that without water a person can last about ten days, even longer without food.
When leaving the ship with a jump into the water
There are situations (not enough boats, rapid flooding, tilt or severe fire on the ship), when it is not possible to evacuate from the ship to the boats, then you have to decide to leave the ship by jumping overboard. In this case, the crew should instruct how to do it correctly.
It is better to jump to the place where the current will naturally carry the jumper away from the vessel. When descending into the water, you can use the gangway of the vessel, in case of its integrity.
The jump should be made by pressing the chin to the chest, with one hand covering the respiratory organs, and with the other - hold the life jacket. It is necessary to jump with bent legs, connecting the feet and taking a deep breath. After jumping into the water, you need to start to emerge with open eyes, so as not to fall under the bottom of the vessel or to meet any fragment. Being in the water, it is necessary to give signals by a whistle (whistles are on all vests) or raise one arm up.
Despite the fact that the water may seem warm, it is still necessary to keep warm while trying to move less. The task of the hopped passenger is to be conscious and afloat. Grouping will help keep warm. To do this, grab the body with your hands and slightly raise your hips for the least impact of water on the inguinal zone, so the head, neck, armpits and inguinal zone are most quickly cooled. The group will perfectly retain body heat and increase the chances of survival by 30-40%. If the rescue equipment is visible, it is necessary to sail in its direction. If there is no place in the boat, you will be thrown a cable, tied with which, you can follow the boat.
Accident Examples
About two hundred thousand people die every year in the world as a result of marine emergencies and disasters. Of these, about fifty thousand die immediately after a shipwreck in the water, about the same amount die in watercraft without getting out to land, and the rest die along with ships in distress.
Among the many examples of accidents in water transport, there are several. For example, in 2011, 121 passengers who rested aboard the Bulgaria motor ship were tragically cut short in Russia. The crash occurred three kilometers from the shore of the Kuibyshev reservoir.
In 2015, the Far East trawler sank in the Sea of Okhotsk. There were 132 fishermen on board. More than seventy people died, many of whom were saved, but died as a result of hypothermia.
Not only large ships are wrecked. Recently, many migrants around the world are killing trying to cross the sea borders on small and old ships. In 2015, more than four hundred illegal migrants died as a result of the wreck of a ship that was traveling to Italy from Libya. In 2012, ninety out of two hundred people sailing to Australia from Sri Lanka died in the Indian Ocean.
Collisions of ships also occur. In 2001, a tanker collided with a ferry in Bangladesh, nine ferry passengers were killed and at least thirty-five were missing. The rescued passenger claimed that the ferry had more than two hundred people, and the owner of the ferry said that there were no more than fifty of them.