46 CFR §131.340
Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
The following are the recommended format and content of the placard for emergency instructions:
- (a)Rough weather at sea, crossing of hazardous bars, or flooding.
- (1)Close each watertight and weathertight door, hatch, and air-port to prevent taking water aboard or further flooding in the vessel.
- (2)Keep bilges dry to prevent loss of stability from water in bilges. Use power-driven bilge pump, hand pump, and buckets to dewater.
- (3)Align fire pumps to serve as bilge pumps if possible.
- (4)Check, for leakage, each intake and discharge line that penetrates the hull.
- (5)Offshore workers remain seated and evenly distributed.
- (6)Offshore workers don immersion suits (if required aboard) or lifejackets if the going becomes very rough, if the vessel is about to cross a hazardous bar, if flooding begins, or when ordered to by the master.
- (7)Never abandon the vessel unless actually forced to, or ordered to by the master.
- (8)Prepare survival craft—life floats, (inflatable) rafts, (inflatable) buoyant apparatus, and boats—for launching.
- (b)“Man overboard”. (1) Throw a ring buoy into the water as close to the person overboard as possible.
- (2)Post a lookout to keep the person overboard in sight.
- (3)Launch the rescue boat and maneuver it to pick up the person overboard, or maneuver the vessel to pick up the person.
- (4)Have a crew member put on an immersion suit or lifejacket, have a safety line made fast to the crew member, and have the crew member stand by to jump into the water to assist the person overboard if necessary.
- (5)If the person overboard is not immediately located—
- (c)Fire.
- (1)Cut off air to the fire: close hatches, ports, doors, manual ventilators, and the like and shut off the ventilation system.
- (2)De-energize electrical systems supplying the affected compartment.
- (3)Immediately use a portable fire extinguisher aimed at the base of the flames. Never use water on electrical fires.
- (4)If the fire is in machinery spaces, shut off the fuel supply and ventilation system and activate any fixed extinguishing-system.
- (5)Maneuver the vessel to minimize the effect of wind on the fire.
- (6)If unable to control the fire, notify other vessels in the vicinity, and the Coast Guard.
- (7)Move offshore workers away from fire; have them don lifejackets and, if necessary, prepare to abandon the vessel.