Deck · Chief Mate · STCW II/2 · Concept refresher

Chapter briefs for Chief Mate.

Eleven topics at management level: what the examiner is testing, the limits you are responsible for, the mistakes that cost marks, and a recall list to run through before you sit.

CertificateChief Mate · STCW II/2
Topics11 chapter briefs
Read time≈ 6 min each
01 Stability & damage 02 Cargo management 03 Passage planning 04 Ship handling 05 BRM 06 Advanced nav 07 Law & ISM 08 Emergency mgmt 09 Medical care 10 Maintenance 11 Orals
01 / 11Management level

Advanced Stability & Damage Control

At management level stability stops being an arithmetic exercise and becomes a limit you are responsible for not exceeding — in intact condition, after damage, and in dock.

What the paper asks

Damage stability by the lost buoyancy method; permeability and floodable length; the probabilistic subdivision index in outline; longitudinal strength and the loading instrument; docking calculations; and approval of a loading condition.

The concepts, in order

Lost buoyancy is the working method. A flooded compartment stops providing buoyancy, so the intact hull must provide more; the ship sinks and trims until it does. Permeability decides how much of the space actually fills — about 0.95 for an empty hold, 0.85 for machinery, 0.60 for stores.

Floodable length sets the bulkheads. It is the greatest length of compartment that can flood without immersing the margin line, and the whole subdivision arrangement follows from it. Modern rules replace this with a probabilistic index: an attained subdivision index A compared against a required index R.

The loading instrument is a limit, not a report. Still water bending moment and shear force limits apply in harbour and at sea, and they are a condition of class. Exceeding them during a cargo sequence is as serious as exceeding them on completion.

Docking removes stability. As the ship takes the blocks an upthrust P acts at the keel, and the virtual loss of GM is P·KM/Δ. Trim drives P, so entering dock upright with minimum trim and no slack tanks is the whole of the precaution.

Where marks are lost

  • Checking the loading instrument only on the final condition. Intermediate stages during loading often govern.
  • Using KG instead of KM in the docking loss. The virtual loss is P·KM/Δ.
  • Applying a single permeability to a whole flooded zone. It varies by the use of the space.
  • Forgetting free surface in the damaged condition. A partly flooded space has a very large free surface.
60-second recall
  1. Lost buoyancy: intact volume must replace what flooded.
  2. Permeability 0.95 hold, 0.85 machinery, 0.60 stores.
  3. SWBM and SF limits apply at every stage, not just the end.
  4. Virtual loss in dock = P·KM/Δ.
  5. Enter dock upright, minimum trim, tanks pressed or dry.
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02 / 11Planning & risk

Cargo Management

The chief mate owns the cargo. That means the plan, the sequence, the securing, the paperwork and the consequences.

What the paper asks

Stowage planning and sequence; tanker operations including inerting and tank cleaning; IMSBC bulk cargoes, liquefaction and TML; container securing under the CSS Code; heavy lift; and the documentation that follows the cargo.

The concepts, in order

A cargo plan is a strength and stability plan. It must satisfy deadweight, stability, trim, hull girder limits at every stage, tank top loading and discharge port rotation — all at once. The sequence matters as much as the final condition.

Bulk cargoes are classified by hazard. Group A can liquefy and must be carried below its transportable moisture limit; Group B has a chemical hazard; Group C has neither. The can test is a shipboard check, not a substitute for a certificate.

Tanker work is about atmosphere control. Inert gas keeps the tank oxygen below 8 % so no flammable mixture can form; the critical dilution line, purging before gas freeing, and never allowing the mixture to pass through the flammable range are the examinable ideas.

Container securing follows the Cargo Securing Manual and the CSS Code. Stack weight limits, lashing patterns and the forces from rolling decide what can go where — and a mis-declared container weight defeats all of it, which is why verified gross mass exists.

Where marks are lost

  • Accepting a Group A cargo without a moisture content certificate.
  • Gas freeing without purging first. The mixture passes through the flammable range.
  • Planning only the final condition. Intermediate stages break more ships than final conditions do.
  • Treating the verified gross mass as the shipper's problem. The stow depends on it.
60-second recall
  1. Check stability, strength and tank top at every stage.
  2. Group A liquefies — TML and moisture content.
  3. Inert below 8 % oxygen; purge before gas freeing.
  4. Securing per the approved Cargo Securing Manual.
  5. Documentation follows the cargo — get it right at loading.
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03 / 11Berth to berth

Passage Planning & Voyage Management

Four stages that are examined by name: appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring. The plan is berth to berth, and it is the master's plan even though the mate writes it.

What the paper asks

The four stages of passage planning; chart and publication appraisal; under-keel clearance policy; no-go areas, abort points and contingency anchorages; ECDIS route planning and checking; and monitoring the plan in execution.

The concepts, in order

Appraisal gathers everything before a line is drawn. Charts and publications corrected to date, routeing guides, weather and climatology, ship's draught and manoeuvring data, and any port or pilotage requirements. Skipping it is how a plan meets a surprise.

Planning is berth to berth — including pilotage waters, not stopping at the pilot station. It marks no-go areas, wheel-over points, abort points and contingency anchorages, and it states under-keel clearance and any tidal windows.

Execution adapts the plan to the conditions on the day, and monitoring checks continuously that the ship is where the plan says. Parallel indexing, visual and radar fixing at a stated interval, and cross-checking position sources are the practical tools.

ECDIS route checking is part of planning, not a formality. The check must be run with the correct safety contour and safety depth, and every alarm it raises has to be resolved rather than silenced.

Where marks are lost

  • Planning only to the pilot station. The plan is berth to berth.
  • Silencing an ECDIS route check alarm. Each one must be examined and resolved.
  • Under-keel clearance quoted as a fixed figure. It depends on squat, sea state, density and survey accuracy.
  • Omitting abort points. The decision to abort must be made before it is needed.
60-second recall
  1. Appraisal, planning, execution, monitoring.
  2. Berth to berth, including pilotage.
  3. No-go areas, wheel-over, abort points, contingency anchorages.
  4. Set the ECDIS safety contour before checking the route.
  5. The master approves the plan.
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04 / 11Close quarters

Ship Handling & Manoeuvring

What the ship does when you ask it to turn, stop or hold position — and what the water does back, especially when there is not much of it under the keel.

What the paper asks

Turning circle terms; stopping distances; squat and shallow water effect; interaction between vessels and with the bank; anchoring practice; tug operations and towing configurations; berthing and unberthing; and handling in heavy weather.

The concepts, in order

The turning circle has named parts. Advance is the distance made good in the original direction, transfer is across it, and tactical diameter is the transfer at 180°. Pivot point sits about a third of the length from the bow going ahead and moves aft — near the stern — going astern, which is why a ship handles so differently in reverse.

Squat is a shallow water effect. The ship sinks bodily and trims as water accelerates under and around the hull. It grows roughly with the square of speed, so halving speed cuts squat by about three quarters — the cheapest safety measure there is.

Interaction is a pressure field problem. Passing close, a ship's bow pushes and its midships sucks; near a bank the stern is drawn in and the bow pushed out. Both effects grow as speed rises and clearance falls.

Tugs must be used deliberately. Girting is the risk in conventional towing — a tug pulled beam-on by the towline capsizing. Escort towing, direct and indirect modes, and the difference between a bollard pull figure and useful steering force are all fair oral questions.

Where marks are lost

  • Assuming the pivot point is fixed. It moves with headway, sternway and thrust.
  • Ignoring squat because the chart shows enough depth. Squat is subtracted after the tide is added.
  • Overtaking close aboard in a channel. Interaction is strongest exactly there.
  • Quoting bollard pull as the tug's useful force. Direction and mode change what it delivers.
60-second recall
  1. Advance, transfer, tactical diameter.
  2. Pivot point forward going ahead, aft going astern.
  3. Squat goes as speed squared — slow down.
  4. Interaction: bow pushes, midships sucks.
  5. Girting is the tug's danger.
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05 / 11People & error

Bridge Resource Management

Most accidents are not caused by missing knowledge. They are caused by information that existed on the bridge and was not acted on.

What the paper asks

Situational awareness and how it is lost; the error chain and how it is broken; communication and closed-loop confirmation; challenge and response; workload and fatigue; the master–pilot exchange; and automation complacency.

The concepts, in order

Situational awareness has three levels — perceiving what is happening, understanding what it means, and projecting what happens next. Accidents usually show a failure at the second or third level rather than the first: the information was seen and misinterpreted.

Error chains have recognisable links. Ambiguity, distraction, fixation, confusion, no one looking out, poor communication, non-compliance with the plan, and the deviation being accepted without question. Naming a link out loud breaks the chain.

Authority gradients kill. If a junior officer will not challenge the master or the pilot, the bridge has one brain rather than three. Closed-loop communication and an explicit challenge and response protocol are the countermeasures.

The master–pilot exchange is a safety device. The pilot advises; the master retains command. The exchange covers the plan, the ship's handling characteristics, tugs and berthing, and any defect — and disagreement must be resolved before proceeding, not during.

Where marks are lost

  • Treating BRM as a soft subject. Examiners use it to test judgement under pressure.
  • Assuming the pilot has command. The master's responsibility is not transferred.
  • Silent monitoring. An unspoken doubt has no safety value.
  • Trusting automation because it has always worked.
60-second recall
  1. Perceive, understand, project.
  2. Name the error chain link out loud.
  3. Closed-loop communication: state, repeat, confirm.
  4. The pilot advises; the master commands.
  5. Anyone may challenge; everyone must respond.
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07 / 11Management level

Maritime Law & Conventions

At management level the question is not what the rule says but how the ship demonstrates it is complying — and what happens when it cannot.

What the paper asks

ISM Code elements and the certificates it produces; ISPS levels and the security plan; MLC titles and inspection; port state control and detention; documentation and record keeping; and the interface with charterers and agents.

The concepts, in order

ISM is a loop, not a folder. Policy, responsibilities, procedures, resources, operation, reporting of non-conformities and accidents, and management review — and the review is the part most often missing. A recurring finding is a system failure, not a crew failure.

Know which certificate belongs to whom. The Document of Compliance belongs to the company, the Safety Management Certificate to the ship. The International Ship Security Certificate follows the approved ship security plan and the ISPS level in force.

MLC is inspected like any other convention. Its five titles cover minimum requirements, employment conditions, accommodation and food, health and welfare, and compliance — with the DMLC Part I stating the flag's requirements and Part II the owner's measures.

Port state control is evidence-driven. Certificates and general impression first; clear grounds justify a detailed inspection; deficiencies are coded and serious ones lead to detention. Contemporaneous, honest records are the defence.

Where marks are lost

  • Confusing the DOC and the SMC. Company and ship respectively.
  • Describing ISPS level 3 as a ship decision. The administration sets it.
  • Answering a management question operationally. The examiner wants the system and the evidence.
  • Backdating a record. It converts a deficiency into a fraud.
60-second recall
  1. DOC company, SMC ship.
  2. DPA has direct access to the highest level of management.
  3. ISPS 1 normal, 2 heightened, 3 exceptional — set by the administration.
  4. Major non-conformity: serious threat, immediate action.
  5. Records are the evidence of compliance.
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08 / 11Contingency

Emergency & Contingency Management

Managing an emergency rather than reacting to one: assessing damage, deciding the priority, and coordinating people who are frightened and busy.

What the paper asks

Damage control and stability after flooding; beaching and refloating decisions; salvage and the Lloyd's Open Form; SAR coordination as an assisting vessel; oil spill response and SOPEP; towing and emergency towing arrangements; and casualty reporting.

The concepts, in order

Damage assessment comes before action. Sound tanks and bilges, establish the extent, calculate the residual stability and strength, and only then decide. A hasty engine movement after grounding can open the damage and lose the ship.

Salvage is a commercial decision with legal consequences. Lloyd's Open Form is no cure, no pay; SCOPIC allows the salvor to be paid for environmental work. The master has authority to sign on behalf of the owner, and should inform the company immediately.

SAR as an assisting vessel has a defined role. Acknowledge, proceed, report your ETA, set a lookout, prepare recovery arrangements and medical facilities, and follow the on-scene coordinator. IAMSAR Volume III is carried for exactly this.

Pollution response starts with stopping the source. Then contain on deck, follow SOPEP, notify the master, the company, the coastal state and the terminal, and record everything. The reporting obligation is not discretionary.

Where marks are lost

  • Refloating before assessing damage stability. The ship may be held up by the ground.
  • Failing to notify the coastal state after a spill. Notification is mandatory.
  • Treating the on-scene coordinator role as optional.
  • Losing the record. The log and the timeline are what an inquiry works from.
60-second recall
  1. Assess before you act — sound, calculate, then decide.
  2. LOF is no cure, no pay; SCOPIC covers environmental work.
  3. SAR: acknowledge, proceed, report ETA, prepare.
  4. Spill: stop, contain, SOPEP, notify, record.
  5. Write the timeline as it happens.
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09 / 11On board

Medical Care on Board

With no doctor and possibly days from a hospital, the officer in charge of medical care is the treatment plan. Structure and radio medical advice are the tools.

What the paper asks

Primary and secondary survey; ABCDE assessment; management of common injuries and illnesses; the ship's medical chest and controlled drugs; telemedical advice; medical evacuation decisions; and record keeping.

The concepts, in order

Assess in a fixed order. Danger, response, airway, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure. The order exists because treating a broken leg while an airway is obstructed kills the patient — and examiners test the order, not the treatment.

Radio medical advice is free and always available. Have the observations ready — pulse, respiration, temperature, blood pressure, level of consciousness, history — before making the call. A telemedical service can only be as good as the information given.

The medical chest is regulated. Contents by flag state requirement, controlled drugs logged and double-locked, and expiry dates checked. An inspection will look at the register before the cupboard.

Evacuation is a risk trade. Helicopter transfer, deviation to port and rendezvous each carry their own risk to the patient and the ship, and the decision is the master's on medical advice.

Where marks are lost

  • Treating the obvious injury first. Follow ABCDE.
  • Calling for advice without observations.
  • Unlogged controlled drugs. A serious inspection finding.
  • Forgetting to record what was given, when and by whom.
60-second recall
  1. Danger, response, ABCDE.
  2. Observations before the radio medical call.
  3. Controlled drugs: double lock, register, witness.
  4. Evacuation is a risk decision, taken on medical advice.
  5. Record everything — dose, time, effect.
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10 / 11Hull & equipment

Deck Maintenance & Surveys

Keeping the ship in the condition its certificates claim, and being able to show it on the day a surveyor comes aboard.

What the paper asks

Hull and coating maintenance; hatch cover testing and maintenance; lifesaving and firefighting appliance servicing intervals; anchoring and mooring equipment; planned maintenance records; dry-dock preparation; and survey readiness.

The concepts, in order

Hatch covers are the commonest cargo claim. Weathertightness depends on the compression bar, the packing, the drainage channels and the cleats working together. Chalk test, hose test and ultrasonic testing each show something different, and ultrasonic testing is the one that quantifies.

Lifesaving and firefighting equipment has fixed intervals. Weekly and monthly inspections on board, annual servicing ashore, and five-yearly load testing for davits and falls. The records are the evidence, and a missing certificate is a deficiency whatever the condition of the equipment.

Coating breakdown is a structural matter. Once the coating fails, corrosion follows, and thickness measurement decides renewal. Ballast tank coating condition is a survey item because it predicts the ship's remaining life.

Dry-dock preparation is a specification. Scope, access, staging, blanking, gas freeing and acceptance criteria written before arrival — anything vague becomes a variation order at the yard's price.

Where marks are lost

  • Chalk test as proof of weathertightness. It shows compression, not tightness.
  • Servicing done but the certificate not aboard. The certificate is what is inspected.
  • Painting over corrosion. Surface preparation is most of the coating's life.
  • Arriving in dock without a written specification.
60-second recall
  1. Hatch covers: compression bar, packing, drains, cleats.
  2. Ultrasonic testing quantifies weathertightness.
  3. LSA and FFA: weekly, monthly, annual, five-yearly.
  4. Coating condition predicts remaining life.
  5. Write the dock specification before you arrive.
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11 / 11Judgement

Chief Mate Orals & Scenarios

The examiner is deciding whether you would run the deck department. Answers need the plan, the people, the paperwork and the reason — in that order of priority, but none of them missing.

What the paper asks

Taking over as chief mate; cargo and stability decisions under pressure; heavy weather; enclosed space entry; a crew injury; a PSC inspection going badly; and how you would satisfy yourself that something is safe before it is used.

The concepts, in order

Answer with a structure. Make it safe, inform the master, account for people, contain, act, then report and record. The examiner is listening for the order more than the technical detail.

Taking over. Cargo condition and plan, stability and strength condition, outstanding defects, LSA and FFA status, certificates and surveys due, mooring and anchoring equipment, the department's competence, and any open permits. Delivering that list calmly is a strong opening.

Say why, not just what. “I would stop cargo” is half an answer. “I would stop cargo because the list is increasing and I do not yet know whether it is a ballast error or a leak” is the whole one.

Enclosed space entry is the highest-risk routine task on the ship. Identify, isolate, ventilate, test at all levels, permit with a time limit, attendant, communications, and rescue equipment ready. Omitting rescue arrangements is the omission examiners penalise hardest.

Where marks are lost

  • Starting with the cargo instead of the people.
  • Entering an enclosed space on a single gas reading.
  • Guessing a regulatory figure. Say you would verify it, and where.
  • Abandoning a correct answer under pressure.
60-second recall
  1. Safe → inform → muster → contain → act → report.
  2. People first, cargo second.
  3. Isolate, ventilate, test at all levels, permit, attend, rescue-ready.
  4. Know your own ship's numbers.
  5. Never invent a figure.
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