The ship’s Master is the person in absolute charge of the vessel, and is commonly referred to as ‘Captain’. The term Master is a legal one and this term is referred to under maritime law. It applies whether the ship may be a large passenger liner like the Queen Elizabeth II or a relatively small cargo ship engaged in coastal trade.
The Master’s duties and responsibilities are varied and extensive. He is the owner’s personal representative, and bears the ultimate responsibility for the safe navigation of his vessel and for the efficient loading, stowage and discharge of cargo. Furthermore, he has the power to act as a lawyer, a doctor and may bury the dead. The Master may arrest members of the crew or passengers, if they constitute a nuisance during the voyage. In certain circumstances, particularly if a person is dangerous to other members of the ship, the Master may place the individual under restraint. In the event of any mutiny, any act of the Master is regarded as one entirely of self-defence, and he has the power to call on persons on board to render assistance. Similarly, if the ship is imperilled in any way, the Master may call upon all persons on board to give assistance.
Wide authority is vested in the Master and, under maritime law, acts done within the scope of his authority are binding on his owners. Under very rare circumstances, he is empowered by a ‘bottomry bond’ to pledge the vessel, and by a ‘respondentia bond’ its cargo, so that funds may be secured to permit the voyage to proceed.
Duties and responsibilities of the Master 87
It is therefore readily apparent that the Master’s responsibilities and duties are very diverse. To hold the position of a Master, especially on a large passenger liner, is a much coveted appointment, and is the culmination of years of sea experience. The Master is required to hold a Master’s Certificate of Competency, which is obtained by examination and issued by the maritime authority of the flag state. Furthermore, in common with the deck officers, from which department he is promoted, he must be thoroughly competent in navigation matters including the use of such navigational aids as the gyrocompass, radar, direction finder, echo-sounding device, and position-fixing device, together with other instruments.
Modern tonnage provides automation in the engine room, extensive computerization, and minimum crew complement. These reduce crew costs, especially in engineer and deck departments. A further significant aspect is that the departmental system of deck and engineers has become more integrated and more productive in manpower, especially in deep-sea tonnage. SOLAS 1974 Chapter VIII introduced new measures for watch-keeping personnel to prevent fatigue. Masters are required to establish and enforce rest periods for watch-keeping personnel and to ensure that watch systems are so arranged that the efficiency of watch-keeping personnel is not impaired by fatigue. It is featured in the STCW code (1995) and also the revisions contained in the STCW Manila Amendments (2010).
A further aspect of the mandatory STCW code Part A was the minimum standards of competence required by seagoing personnel in Chapter II of the code regarding standards relating to the Master and deck department, as detailed in Table 5.3. The code featured an additional regulation V/3 in Chapter V, which adopted a mandatory minimum requirement from 1999 for the training and qualification of masters, officers, ratings and other personnel on passenger ships other than ro/ro passenger ships. This covered crowd management training, familiarization training, safety training for personnel providing direct service to passengers in passenger spaces, passenger safety, crisis management and human behaviour training. Another amendment to the STCW code, came into force from January 2003 (under tacit acceptance), was focused on minimum standards of crew competence, in particular relating to cargo securing, loading and unloading on bulk carriers, since these procedures could put undue stresses on a ship’s structure.
An addition to Chapter VII of SOLAS 1974 was regulations regarding alternative certification known as the ‘functional approach’. This process enables crews to gain training and certification in various departments of seafaring rather than their being confined to one branch (such as deck or engine room) for their entire career. At the same time the new Chapter seeks to ensure that safety and the environment are not threatened in any way and that the use of equivalent educational and training arrangements are permitted under article IX. Such a development also reflects the changing approach of entry routes and career progression in the merchant navy. It features marine 88 Manning of vessels
traineeship, marine apprenticeship, officer cadet, undergraduate, graduate and pre-qualified. In 2010 the Manila Amendments for STCW and Flag states must introduce each amendment within a specified deadline. These new regulations include: deck officer training for operating electronic chart display information systems (ECDIS); engineering officer training in high voltage systems; and all seafarers’ refresher training in fire-fighting, survival craft, fast rescue boats and security. There are also leadership and management course requirements for officers, and revalidation requirements for tanker endorsements.
An example of an integrated crew manning system is given below and involves the 14-man complement of a RoRo/LoLo vessel of 8,000 dwt:
Master
Duties and responsibilities of the Master 89 Table 5.3 Specification of minimum standards of competence for Masters and chief
mates of ships of 500 tons gross tonnage or more
Knowledge, Methods for Criteria for understanding demonstrating evaluating Competence and proficiency competence competence
Establish Thorough Examination and Watchkeeping
watchkeeping knowledge of assessment of arrangements and arrangements content, application evidence obtained procedures are and procedures and intent of the from one or more established and
International of the following: maintained in
Regulations for compliance with
Preventing (1) Approved knowledge of the (2) Approved ensure the safety of content, application simulator training, navigation, and intent of the where appropriate protection of the
Principles to be marine environment
observed in Keeping and the safety of the
a Navigational ship and persons on
Watch. Effective board
bridge teamwork procedures
The ship has a total container capacity of 516 TEUs and vehicular deck space of 1,416 m2; heavy lifting gear for loads up to 120 tonnes is also provided.
An integrated crew is especially common with Scandinavian and German-registered tonnage crews.
A brief description of the departments, responsibilities and composition follows, but note that this manning system is becoming much less common now that integration takes place to attain more productive use of the crew.