4.1 A co-ordinated decision support system for emergency management should be provided on
the bridge.
4.2 The system should, as a minimum, be based on user friendly paper-based emergency plans.*
Emergency shipboard situations should be identified within, but not limited to, the following main
groups of emergency shipboard situations:
- fire;
- damage to ship;
- pollution;
- acts threatening the safety of the ship and the security of its passengers and crew;;
- personnel accidents;
- cargo-related accidents; and
- emergency assistance to other ships.
4.3 The emergency procedures should also provide decision support for handling any combined
situation.
4.4 Emergency procedure manuals should have a common format and should be easy to use, and
the procedures should cover all likely emergency scenarios. It should be required that damage
control procedures use the actual loading condition as calculated for the ship's voyage stability.
4.5 The Administration may accept the use of a computer-based decision support system which
would comprise all the information in the paper manuals, procedures, checklists, etc. on the
navigation bridge, and would be capable of presenting a list of recommended actions to be carried
out in case of emergencies.
*
Refer to the ISM Code Chapter 8, and to Guidelines for a structure of an integrated system for shipboard emergency
plans (scheduled to be finalized in 1996).