A maritime emergency at sea does not come with an alarm. Still, ship emergency signals and alarms can help us tackle a crisis or avoid an emergency efficiently and effectively. Emergency signals or alarms on a ship are installed throughout the vessel’s various systems and machinery to notify the crew about dangerous situations that can arise from different types of emergencies onboard the ship. Emergency alarms are of the audible and visual type to ensure that a person can listen to the audible alarm when working in an area where seeing a visual alarm is not possible, and vice versa. It is a standard practice in the international maritime industry to have an emergency alarm on the ship for a particular warning that is similar for all seagoing vessels, no matter in which seas they are sailing or to which company they belong. Diagram of Different Alarms on Ship This commonness helps the seafarer know and understand the type of warning/ emergency or ship emergency alarm well, and helps tackle the situation faster. Related Reading: 7 Most Common Types of Accidents On Ship’s Deck 10 Extremely Dangerous Engine Room Accidents Types of Alarms on Ships These are the different types of emergency alarms or signals onboard a ship that are installed to give audio-visual warnings: 1) General Alarm The general emergency alarm on the ship is recognised by 7 short ringings of the bell, followed by a long ring, or using the ship horn signal of 7 short blasts, followed by 1 long blast. The general alarm in a ship is sounded to make the crew aware that an emergency has occurred, such as fire, collision, grounding, or a scenario that can lead to abandoning the ship, etc. The vessel’s general alarm system activation point is located in the navigation bridge. Once the general alarm signal onboard is activated, i.e. seven short one long blasts (7 short 1 long blast), every ship crew must follow the instructions and duties listed in the muster list and proceed to the designated muster station. Action to be taken by the crew once the ship’s general alarm is sounded: Proceed to the designated muster stations Listen to the Public Addressing (PA) system for the type of emergency (usually announced by OOW, Chief Officer or Captain) leading to the general alarm on a ship. Once the nature of the emergency is known, the crew member must re-group as per the Squad and take corrective action to tackle the situation as per the muster plan. Related Reading: Guide to Handle Different Emergency Situations On a Ship Importance of Fire Drills On Ships 2) Fire Alarm on the Ship Whenever there is a fire detected on the vessel by its crew, they should raise the alarm signal onboard the ship by pressing the nearest fire switch or by loudly and continuously shouting “FIRE FIRE FIRE”. The ship’s fire alarm signal is sounded as the continuous ringing of the ship’s electrical bell or the continuous sounding of the ship’s horn. The fire signal must be a continuous blast of the whistle or electrical bell for not less than 10 seconds. However, in most of the vessels, the fire signal is rung continuously on the alarm bell. Once the master decides to dismiss the crew from fire stations, the general alarm will be sounded three times, followed by three short blasts of the ship’s whistle. Action to be taken by the crew once the ship’s fire alarm is sounded: Proceed to the fire station Confirm the location of the fire Perform the duty listed in the muster list as per the team assigned Related R