Guidelines for Health and Safety on Board Small Fishing Boats

Floods can occur through;

• A collision
• Structural failure.
• A broken service (cooling) pipe.
• A damaged hull fitting or gland.

Flooding affects the stability of your vessel. You need to watch out for accumulation of water and understand the free surface effect of loose water.

Free Surface Effect
When a compartment (eg: Fish hold) has water in it, that water is free to “slop around”. The surface of the water is called a “free surface”, When this water moves to one side, the weight of it moving will oppose the motion of the vessel and can cause it to heal over.

Action Points

• Raise alarm!
• Start pumps.
• If you are the wheelhouse watch-keeper send a radio message to nearby vessels or ashore. After you have done that you can go to assist. Things may deteriorate quickly once you are assisting and you may not get another chance to get a message off.
• Turn vessel towards shallower water or port. Consider beaching the vessel.
• Attempt to stem the flow of water by shutting valves, or blocking hole.
• If pumps are out of action get-out and close compartment.
• Reduce the free surface effect by placing objects in way of the water’s surface. Erect dummy bulkheads using pound boards or fish-bins tied across the compartment.
• Look for holes leaking into adjoining compartments.
• Consider stability effects of flooded compartment. You may need to transfer fuel or counter flood another compartment to get hole out of water.
• Prepare to abandon ship. Remain on the vessel for as long as it is safe to do so!