Basic Crowd Management
Guidebookfor the Crew of Passenger Ships

The Maritime Human Resource Institute Japan

Foreword
Passenger ships are set apart from cargo-carrying commercial ships by thelarge number of passengers that they carry. This means that, should an accident
such as collision or running aground occur, securing the safety of those passengers
is the top priority.
In recent years numerous large ships have sunk, leading to the tragic loss oflarge numbers of passengers’lives. One common problem considered to be
responsible for the scale of these accidents is that the captain and crew of theships in question were unable to satisfactorily evacuate the ships of theirpassengers after the accident occurred.
In order to prevent a repeat of such tragedies, needless to say, securing safe
sailing in order to prevent such accidents from ever occurring is the best possible
measure. At the same time, however, in the worst-case scenario in which such an
accident does occur, there is also a requirement to conduct suitable crew training
so that they understand the best way to protect the lives of those onboard.
In particular, as passenger ships carry a large number of people, it is even more
important to have an understanding of how to handle all of the passengers
together as a crowd (group), rather than just as individuals.
The importance of this issue has again been recognized internationally, and the
STCW Convention, which designates such things as required crew training andqualiﬁcations, has now added that new training on crowd control for passenger
vessels be suitably implemented.
Against such a background, this guidebook takes into account the content as
determined by the STCW Convention and presents in an easy to understand format
the basics of how a crew should handle passengers as a crowd in order to bestprotect their lives when an emergency occurs due to a major accident.
It is our hope that, with reference to this guidebook, companies operating
passenger ships will conduct evacuation and other drills in preparation for any
accidents that may occur, and that ship captains and other crew members will beready to provide suitable guidance for passengers in the unfortunate case of an
accident occurring, and that this guidebook may ultimately help protect the lives ofpassengers.
This guidebook will also prove more than worthy as reference in relation tocargo ships, too, and it is our hope that the crew of cargo ships also ﬁnd it useful.
1Basic Crowd Management Guidebook
for the Crew of Passenger Ships

Contents

Section 1 Basic Crowd Control Knowledge
1-1 Emergencies …………………………………………………………………………4
1-2 Psychology and Actions of People in an Emergency ………………………7
1-3 The Dangers of Mass Panic in an Emergency ………………………………9

Section 2 Basic Approaches to Crowd Control
2-1 Awareness of Locations in which an Emergency may Occur ………11

2-2 Response Procedures in an Emergency ……………………………………12
2-3 Maximize Eﬀective Use of Personnel During an Emergency …………122-4 First Response to an Emergency ……………………………………………12
2-5 Leadership Skills in an Emergency ……………………………………………13
2-6 Stress Management in an Emergency ………………………………………13
2-7 Points to Remember concerning Peoples’Reponses to an Emergency …14
2-8 Establishment and Maintenance of Eﬀective Communication During an Emergency …15

Section 3 Knowledge and Skills Required by Crew for Crowd Control
3-1 Basic Knowledge …………………………………………………………………17
3-2 Speciﬁc Skills ………………………………………………………………………18

Section 4 Response to Mass Panic
4-1 Response in Order to Prevent Mass Panic from Occurring ………………20
4-2 Response when Mass Panic Does Occur ……………………………………21
A Final Word ………………………………………………………………………………22

Reference Materials
Basic Steps to Take in Order to Survive the Sinking of a Large Passenger Ship (Extract)
Japan Disaster Education and Training Center
Representative Director Sunny Kamiya

2Section 1

Basic Crowd Control Knowledge

When a passenger ship faces an emergency, in order to protect the
lives of all aboard via their appropriate evacuation of the ship, the crewneeds to conduct accurate crowd management of the passengers.
Conducting such precise crowd management is very diﬃcult.
Regardless of diﬃculty, however, it remains an absolute requirement.
How, then, can precise crowd management be achieved?
The ﬁrst step is to obtain an understanding of basic knowledge
pertaining to such situations, such as the psychology and actions ofpeople in an emergency.
Without this understanding, it will be impossible to respond accurately
when an emergency occurs, thereby placing the lives of passengers at
risk.
Therefore, we will begin with an explanation of the psychology andactions of people when faced with an emergency.

3

Section 1 ｜ Basic Crowd Control Knowledge

1- 1Emergencies“Emergencies”as deﬁned for this guidebook refer to those situations
in which a passenger ship faces a situation that places the lives of thoseaboard in danger.
Now consider for a moment what kind of emergency may occur.
Emergencies, in principle, occur due to some kind of accident that
occurs either while the ship is at sea or while it is at anchor.
There are many possible such accidents, large and small, but the
explanations in this booklet focus on major accidents, such as thoseshown below, which potentially place the lives of all passengers aboard
in danger.
Running aground

Collision

Fire

Sinking4Section 1 ｜ Basic Crowd Control Knowledge

When such an emergency does occur, the crew and passengers will
potentially face the following conditions. The conditions presented here
are the worst possible cases for an emergency, and will prevent crew

Crew Conditions

Unable to obtain accurate
information.
Lines of communication
become confused.
Unable to make appropriate
decisions.
Chain of command becomes
confused.
As a result, the crew become unable toprovide passengers with accurate instructions in order to evacuate the ship.
5Section 1 ｜ Basic Crowd Control Knowledge

from protecting the lives of the passengers, so they must be avoided at
all costs.

Passenger Conditions

!

Panic

!
Panic

Individuals start to panic.
This ultimately leads to mass panic.
To the situation goes out of control.

6Section 1 ｜ Basic Crowd Control Knowledge

1- 2

Psychology and Actions of People in an Emergency

When an emergency occurs, what is the psychology of the average person,
and what kind of actions do they take? While there is a relationship between
the individual and the crowd, there are also diﬀerences in terms of behaviour.

➊ In the Case of Individuals
Characteristics of Individual Psychology
Fear occurs

Feelings of risk to life and fear occur.

Instinct for
self-preservation occurs

Feelings of“just wanting to save oneself”
arise.

Flight or hide response

Impulse to“escape from this place as quickly
as possible”or“hide in a safe place”arises.

Confusion

Not knowing what to do, confusion arises.

Characteristics of Individual Actions
Unplanned

People take actions such as“milling aboutin confusion”or“moving around blindly”.

UnilateralInstinct for self-preservation leads to people trying
to escape or trying to hide without thinking of others.

Self-righteous

People take selﬁsh actions based on self-centred
decisions (often the wrong decisions).

Passive

People blindly follows the actions of others.
7Section 1 ｜ Basic Crowd Control Knowledge➋ In the Case of Crowds
Characteristics of Crowd Psychology
In a crowd, even if the information is correct
Transmission & spreadto start with, there is a high potential that itof inaccurate information
will lose its accuracy as it is transmitted.
Transmission & spreadof negative information

Rather than good, positive information, such as“thisis what you can do to survive”, the worst or mostdespairing information, such as“we can’t be saved!”
tends to be transmitted and spread more easily.

Immobilizationof psychology

Once thinking in a crowd becomes ﬁxed, it isa lot harder to change than it is in individuals.

Characteristics of Crowd Actions
Lacking in uniﬁcation

Unable to act in a uniﬁed manner in accordancewith instructions, people’s actions are scatteredand directionless. In some cases, a number ofsmall groups may form that all act independently.

Impossible
to communicate

Agitation, shouts, screams and other factors create asituation in which instructions, aid, etc. from the outside
cannot be received, and accurate discussion orcommunication within the crowd also becomes impossible.

Loss of control
due to panic

A single trigger can cause the crowd tosuddenly all move in a single, bad direction,and stopping this can be very diﬃcult.

➌ Diﬀerences Between Individuals and Crowds
Individuals: Comparatively easy to control.
Crowds: Diﬃcult to control; know-how is needed toexercise control.
8Section 1 ｜ Basic Crowd Control Knowledge

1- 3

The Dangers of Mass Panic During an Emergency

The worst possible case for crowd psychology and crowd actions is mass
panic. If mass panic does occur, the situation becomes almost impossible
to control or resolve, meaning that crowd control has completely failed.
Of course, if mass panic does occur, there are still steps that can betaken, as detailed later in this guidebook. It goes without saying,
however, that every step should be taken to prevent such panic fromoccurring in the ﬁrst place.
Therefore, the primary objective of crowd control is,“how best to
stop mass panic from occurring”, and all crew members should be clearly
aware of this objective.

➊ The Causes of Mass Panic
Mass panic basically arises out of the fear of individuals. A typicalexample of mass panic would be the fear from each individual in thecrowd being transmitted among them, unifying them behind the idea that
“We are going to die if we don’t do something; we have to escape fromthis place!”, and once that idea becomes too large, a form of grouphysteria is triggered, causing people to act blindly (go out of control).
Typical examples would be “an earthquake in a theatre, causing
patrons to rush towards an exit, blocking it and preventing anyone fromgettingout,” or “anaccident

involving

explosives

ataﬁreworks

demonstration, causing the crowd to all run together in an attempt toescape, and leading to people getting caught up in that and falling over,and then more people falling like dominoes, leading to multiple fatalities.”9Section 1 ｜ Basic Crowd Control Knowledge➋ Characteristics of Mass Panic
Mass panic is characterised by a group lacking the general good sensethat is normally held by individuals (making informed decisions, respecting
rules, considering others, etc.), and the eﬀects of this cannot be understated.
In the case of a single individual panicking, they will generally have little
inﬂuence and so little will happen, but as in the examples stated above, when
the considerable power of a crowd loses all semblance of order and control,
the situation becomes very dangerous.
Furthermore, in the case of mass panic, it is very hard to predict how one
action will transition to the next. In other words, because the crowd acts
without reason and without order, it is diﬃcult to make predictions based inlogic concerning what they will do next. “The way they acted was so
unexpected, there was nothing we could do.”I’m sure we’ve all heard that
before.
In addition to this, mass
panic is easily transmitted. In
other words, when a large unit
such as a crowd causes a panic,
smaller groups or individuals
around them are highly likely
to be fuelled by that and start
to panic themselves.
The

most

prominentcharacteristic of mass panic,
however, is that once it occurs
it is extremely diﬃcult to stop.
10Section 2

Basic Approaches to Crowd Control

In Section 2, we are going to build on understanding of the basic
points from Section 1 in order to lay out the basic approach to eﬀective
crowd control, including points of commonality and key factors not justwith ship-based emergencies but emergencies in a variety of situations.

2- 1

Awareness of Locations in whichan Emergency may Occur

The ﬁrst point is perhaps the most obvious; it is impossible to provide
accurate crowd control without a prior understanding of the state of aplace (square, building, train, aircraft, ship, etc.) in which an emergency
can occur. For each possible place, the crew need to be aware of at least
the following information.

• Evacuation routes and escape routes.
• The locations of potential obstructions to evacuation or escape.
• Types of dangerous materials present, and the locations
where they are stored, etc.
11

Section 2 ｜ Basic Approaches to Crowd Control

2- 2

Response Procedures in an Emergency

In order to prepare for an emergency, procedures for such things asgathering passengers and guiding them during evacuation will need to beestablished and fully understood by the entire crew. In order to achievethis, at least the following should be performed.
• Organizationally and systematically create documents detailing
response procedures for an emergency, such as guiding passengers
during an evacuation.
• These response procedures should be reviewed, studied and trained
for, ensuring that the entire crew has a good understanding of them.

2- 3Maximize Eﬀective Use of Personnel During an Emergency

During an emergency, the capacity to fully utilise all crew members isneeded. In order to achieve this, at least the following points should betaken into account.
• During an emergency, it is possible that the available options will
be limited.
• As needed, it will be necessary to immediately make full use of all
personnel and devices as quickly as possible.

2- 4First Response to an Emergency

When an emergency occurs, the ﬁrst response is vital. Therefore, atleast the following abilities are required.
• In regard to the occurrence of an emergency, the capacity to makean appropriate initial decision and then plan for an eﬀective
response is required.
12

Section 2 ｜ Basic Approaches to Crowd Control

2- 5

Leadership Skills in an Emergency

During an emergency, crew need to be able to take the lead and give
instructions to passengers (and crew). In other words, leadership skills
are needed. At least the following abilities are required.

• To set an example for others during an emergency.
• Be able to focus on decisions that are required, in order toallow for quick actions to be taken during the emergency.
• To provide passengers (and crew) with motivation (heighten
their feelings and guide them), courage (encouragement),
and aid.

2- 6

Stress Management in an Emergency

During an emergency, it is only natural for stress to arise. While theextent will diﬀer depending on the individual, stress can have a majoreﬀect on the actions that people will take. Accordingly, it is necessary tounderstand the following points.

• To be able to identify signs of extreme stress among people
and the crew guiding them, and the intensity of it.
• An understanding that the stress caused by an emergency
may have an eﬀect on the performance of individuals, theirability to act upon instructions, and their ability to adhere
to procedures.
13Section 2 ｜ Basic Approaches to Crowd Control

2- 7

Points to Remember concerning
Peoples’Reponses to An Emergency

In regard to an emergency, crew need to be fully aware of thepsychology, actions and responses of people, and have the capability torespond accordingly to the passengers. In order to achieve this, knowledge of at least the following general responses that can be expectedfrom the passengers is required.

• It can generally take a certain amount of time before people
are able to accept the fact that an emergency is taking
place.
• Some people may not be able to act with a normal level ofrationality, and may descend into panic.
• Their powers of understanding (perception) may be compromised,
and they may not respond to instructions in the same waythat they would in a non-emergency.
• If the ship is listing, passengers generally have a tendency tomove to the higher part.
• There is the potential for passengers to panic if they areseparated from other family members.

14

Section 2 ｜ Basic Approaches to Crowd Control

2- 8

Establishment and Maintenance of Eﬀective
Communication During an Emergency

During an emergency, the crew need to be able to establish andmaintain communications. In order to achieve this, they need to at least
know the following information.

• It is vital that instructions and reports are given clearly andconcisely.
• It is necessary to promote exchange of information withpassengers and other crew members and obtain feedback
from them.
• During an emergency, the ability to impart information topassengers and other crew members is required, such as
letting them know about waves hitting the deck.
• The languages spoken by the passengers and other crew
members need to be known, or an appropriate language
needs to be known.
• When verbal communication is not possible, it may benecessary to communicate for the period of the emergency
using various other means, including demonstrations, handsignals, and directions to places were written instructions
are kept, gathering locations, lifesaving methods andevacuation routes.
• Language will be required during the emergency for
emergency broadcasts, giving instructions and saving
passengers.

15Section 3

Knowledge and Skills Requiredby Crew for Crowd Control
In section 2, the basic, general approaches for accurate crowd
control were introduced.
In section 3, based on these approaches, we are going to outline theknowledge that the crew should be fully aware of and the skills that theyshould be proﬁcient with in order to accurately perform crowd control ona ship, especially a passenger ship, during an emergency.
Crowd control drills, including such aspects as the evacuation ofpassengers from a passenger ship, should be regularly planned andimplemented, with the intention of honing the following knowledge andskills and protecting the lives of all passengers.

16Section 3 ｜ Knowledge and Skills Required by Crew for Crowd Control

3 -1

Basic Knowledge

The following basic knowledge is required in order to precisely
respond to an emergency.

• To know the movements of thepassengers, where they are, andwhen, etc.
• To know that if the ship is listing,passengers generally have atendency to move to the higher
part.
• To know the plan, procedures andinstructions to be given whenleading an evacuation.
• To know the equipment that canbe used when leading anevacuation and the equipment thatis useful.
• To have immediate access to thepassenger list in order to check
gatherings of passengers, and toknow emergency instructions forgathering passengers.

17Section 3 ｜ Knowledge and Skills Required by Crew for Crowd Control

3 -2

Speciﬁc Skills

Furthermore, the following skills are required.

• To be able to give instructions clearly while imparting a sense ofreassurance.
• To be able to lead passengers down corridors, ﬂights of stairs andpassenger corridors.
• During an escape or evacuation, to know the locations of everythingthat may impede that progress, and clear them in order to ensure
successful escape or evacuation.
• To have a complete understanding of places in which passengers
may be, including passenger rooms and common spaces, and to beable to search them eﬀectively.
• To pay special attention to disabled passengers or others who
require special assistance, and enable them to get oﬀ the ship or be
evacuated safely.
• To be able to perform the following in regard to gathering ofpassengers.
1. Give continuous instructions.
2. Use procedures to reduce or avoid panic.
3. Appropriately conﬁrm the numbers being evacuated.
4. As far as possible, wear clothing suited to leading the evacuationof passengers.
5. Be able to check whether the passengers are correctly wearing
their life jackets.

18Section 4

Response to Mass Panic

Finally, we will provide some details on mass panic, a state that cancommonly occur during an emergency. This information is oﬀeredbecause the occurrence of this kind of panic can lead to the worst-casescenario, true tragedy, which needs to be prevented at all costs. In orderto achieve this, acting accurately based in understanding and practise of
the information already provided will aid in preventing the occurrence ofmass panic, and the basic knowledge required to prevent it fromoccurring is detailed below.
Furthermore, while preventing mass panic from occurring should
always be the primary goal, there is also a requirement to know what to
do if it actually does occur.
Therefore, that informationis also provided.

19

Section 4 ｜ Response to Mass Panic

4- 1

Response in Order to Prevent Mass
Panic from Occurring

When an emergency occurs, initially the most important thing is theﬁrst message made to the passengers by the captain. It is no
exaggeration to say that if this can be performed correctly then thecrowd can be kept calm, and the occurrence of mass panic can bealmost completely avoided.
This message should take the following points into consideration.
The three main elements required are:be concise, be clear, and impart a sense of reassurance.
Concrete examples are as shown below.

• Concisely explain the situation.
• Clearly explain that following instructions will keep the passengers
safe, imparting a sense of reassurance.
• Give clear instructions.
Of course, subsequent provision of accurate instructions andguidance to the passengers is also vital, but if this ﬁrst message isaccurately conveyed then the passengers will more easily follow theindividual instructions that come next, and this will ultimately prevent
panic from occurring.

20

Section 4 ｜ Response to Mass Panic

4- 2

Response when Mass Panic Does Occur

What to do, then, when mass panic does occur? In reality, stopping
this is exceptionally hard. If left unchecked, however, it will only spreadand lead to the worst possible situation, so something obviously has tobe done. At the least, the following points should be performed, and all
eﬀorts made to contain the mass panic. The following responses can beconsidered eﬀective under such circumstances.

• Gather as many of the crew as possible, and use loudspeakers, etc.
to repeatedly provide slow, clear instructions, etc.
(Caution: Using threats, intimidation, or heavy-handed instructions will increase
the stress among the crew, and only worsen the state of panic felt by thepassengers).

• Depending on circumstances, it may be necessary to make a loudnoise in order to catch the attention of the crowd and then use that
opportunity to quell the panic.
While the above methods can be considered, once panic occurs it isextremely diﬃcult to contain it again. Therefore, as much as possible, thecrew should use the other information presented here in order to prevent
mass panic from occurring in the ﬁrst place.

21

A Final Word
As laid out above, in this“Basic Crowd Management Guidebook”, wehave collected together the things that a crew need to know in order tobe prepared for an emergency when at sea on a passenger ship. In
regard to ship navigation, it goes without saying that the best approachis to secure safe navigation so that an emergency never occurs. However,
if an emergency does occur, and in particular if an emergency occurs ona passenger ship, protecting the lives of the passengers becomes themost important responsibility of the crew.
This guidebook has compiled approaches, knowledge and skills
required by crew members in order to perform crowd management,
including the psychology of humans during an emergency and the kind ofactions they will take, from the perspective of allowing the crew toeﬀectively complete this responsibility.
We hope that this guidebook will aid the crews of passenger ships in
implementing such things as passenger ship evacuation training.
Furthermore, this guidebook should also be of use to crews of cargoships, and we hope that all crews, whether they be on passenger ships
or cargo ships, will read it.

22Reference Materials

Steps to Take in Order to Survive｜ Basic
the Sinking of a Large Passenger Ship (Extract)●Reference Materials

Basic Steps to Take in Order to Survive the Sinking ofa Large Passenger Ship (Extract)
Japan Disaster Education and Training Center
Representative Director Sunny Kamiya

The following is an extract from a piece written by Sunny Kamiya,
Representative Director of Japan Disaster Education and Training Center.
While the content is aimed not at crew but at passengers, it is usefulfor crew to be aware of this for crowd control, hence it is included below
with the consent of the author.
Furthermore, this content is entirely as provided by Sunny Kamiya. It
may not be totally pertinent or applicable in all cases, however, it isintroduced here purely for reference purposes.
(Homepage for the Japan Disaster Education and Training Center: http://irescue.jp)

Proﬁle of Sunny Kamiya (Partial)• Former Fukuoka City Fire Department Rescue Platoon Leader• Former State of New York Emergency Personnel• Saved four lives in a Korean cargo ship accident during a typhoon in
Hakata Bay, for which he was awarded the Prime Minister's Award.
Has rescued more than 1,500 people in his career.

Prior to Departure●Whatever kind of ship you will be taking, make sure you conﬁrm thelocation of the personal lifesaving equipment.
Even when taking a short trip, a daytrip, or when on a cruise,checking the location of lifesaving equipment is an important step that
may save your life.
When on a cruise, as part of your standard safety training for a large
passenger ship, ﬁrst conﬁrm that there is a lifejacket in your room. If
23

Reference Materials

Steps to Take in Order to Survive｜ Basic
the Sinking of a Large Passenger Ship (Extract)

required, conﬁrm that there are also lifejackets for infants and children. Ifthey aren’t provided, inform the crew at once. Furthermore, also check
whether there is a lifeboat close to your room. When doing so, check
whether the route to the boat would be clearly lit even in the case ofpoor visibility. Generally, emergency exits are indicated with lights, like inan aircraft.
Read the instructions for how to put on and use the personal
lifesaving equipment, and ask the crew concerning any points you areunclear on.
If you are taking a ship with a crew who do not speak your native
language, ﬁnd a person who will be able to directly give you instructionsin the case of an emergency. It is most reassuring to make these points
clear prior to travelling on a large passenger ship.

In the case of a ship sinking●Listen for evacuation signals.
The standard signal is seven short warning sounds, following by one
long warning sound. (Note that this kind of signal is not always used).
Furthermore, the captain and other crew will likely use the internal
broadcasting system to talk to all passengers and crew.
●Use a life jacket.
If you have time, please put on your life jacket prior to escaping froma large ship. If there is other lifesaving equipment on hand, such as
ﬂoatation devices, please use them as well.
However, do not put your own life or the lives of others in danger bytaking time to obtain this lifesaving equipment. When putting yourlifejacket on, ﬁrst put your own lifejacket on, and then help infants,
children or pets put theirs on.
24

Reference Materials

Steps to Take in Order to Survive｜ Basic
the Sinking of a Large Passenger Ship (Extract)●Obey instructions.
This is the most important procedure. If you don’t know what to doin order to stay safe, the captain or other crew members will give you
instructions.
The crew of a large passenger ship have received extensive rescue
training and know what you need to do in order to remain safe. If you
have no one to give you correct instructions, attempt to escape foryourself.
A large passenger ship should have set gathering places, and theevacuation will begin once everyone has gathered there. If you have been
trained to go to a gathering place, then if something does happen please
act in accordance with that training.
If you cannot hear the instructions or are unable to understand them
(they are not in your language, etc.), keep one thing in mind at all times:
if you can reach the higher parts of the ship, you can escape. It isn’t wiseto be in the centre or interior of the ship and being there can lead topanic.
If the captain gives you a task to perform, and if you think you will be
unable to do it, please clearly convey that to the captain. Otherwise, doyour best to complete the task assigned to you.
●Stay calm. Do not panic.
Although this seems like obvious advice, the more you panic, thelonger it will take for you to reach the lifeboats. Certain research
indicates that only 15% of people will not succumb to panic, with 70%
losing the ability to think logically, and the remaining 15% completely
losing all capacity to reason.
Staying calm is vital in order to help you respond to other passengers,
and to think about what you need to do in order to survive. If the people
around you are panicking, please try to remain as calm as possible.
Remaining panicked will delay action being taken and potentially prevent
25Reference Materials

Steps to Take in Order to Survive｜ Basic
the Sinking of a Large Passenger Ship (Extract)

successful evacuation altogether.
Regrettably, panic onboard a ship will cause trouble for many
people, and people pushing each other may lead to injuries before theycan even escape from the ship.
You should also be aware that the opposite of panic is a dazed statein which the person does not respond to anything.
If someone is unable to move due to fear, shout directly at them. The
cabin crew on aircraft are trained to use this approach when helping
passengers escape from a burning aircraft, and so it can also be used on
ships. You should also work to keep your breathing regular. If you know
breathing techniques used for relaxation, such as yoga or Pilates, usethem to calm yourself down.
Also, if you have to go into the water in order to survive, use thatsame breathing technique.
●Consider escape using not the shortest route, but the fastest.
Escaping quickly is more important than escaping using the shortest
but most dangerous route. If the ship starts to list, hold onto something,and continue to hold onto things that allow you to stand upright andproceed to your destination. Handrails, pipes, hooks and light ﬁttings aregood examples of things to hold onto.
Do not use elevators. Just as when ﬂeeing from a ﬁre, elevators
should not be used, and anything that operates using electricity should
be avoided.
If you are on the deck area of a large passenger ship, be careful notto get thrown overboard and hit by any ﬂoating debris. Getting hit by alarge object may cause you to lose consciousness and even die.
●Once you make it onto the deck, head to the emergency gathering
place or the closest lifeboat.

Many of the large passenger ship cruisers today conduct safety26

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Steps to Take in Order to Survive｜ Basic
the Sinking of a Large Passenger Ship (Extract)

training and an explanation of procedures prior to leaving port, so thatpassengers know where to go in an emergency. If you have not been
given such training or explanation, head toward a place where it looks
like the crew will be able to evacuate you from the ship.
The duty of the crew is, for the sake of safety, to ﬁrst get thepassengers oﬀ the ship, and so normally the crew will be the ﬁnal ones toescape from a large passenger ship.
If there are still crew on the ship, don’t try to become a hero bystaying behind yourself. Do what you have to do in order to provide thebest chance to survive to yourself and those you love. An emergency likethis is not like the ones you see in the movies.
●Search for a lifeboat.
The best situation is to get aboard a lifeboat without getting wet. If
you do get wet, the risks of contracting hypothermia and low temperatureshock (see below) are greatly increased. If the lifeboats have alreadybeen deployed, obey the instructions from the crew, and get into or jump
into the best possible position.
If there are no lifeboats, search for a ﬂoatation device or othercomparable equipment and throw it into the water. If you have to go into
the water then your chances of survival will be greatly reduced, but
having something providing ﬂoatation is better than having nothing at all.
Circumstances should also be considered in which you may have tojump from the boat, or when the boat is listing and you simply have to go
down into the water. If there are lifeboats nearby, swim to them, wave
your arms and shout to attract attention.
If you have to jump into the water, please look carefully at the spot
to which you will jump. There could potentially be people, objects,
propellers, or ﬁre on the water’s surface. Also check that there is nothing
below the water that you may get hit by.
In the ideal situation, you will climb directly into a lifeboat. If you
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Steps to Take in Order to Survive｜ Basic
the Sinking of a Large Passenger Ship (Extract)

can’t do that, jump into the water as close to a lifeboat as you can and
get into the lifeboat as quickly as possible.
●Once you get into a lifeboat, obey instructions, stay calm, and wait for
rescue.
Completely at odds with being aboard a comfortable large passenger
ship, waiting for rescue out on the sea, potentially alone, is going to feelvery threatening. Have patience. Rescue will come.
Aboard the lifeboat, allocate your resources carefully. Do not use
smoke candles without good reason; only use them when you are surethat rescuers will be able to conﬁrm your boat as a result. Stay close
together in order to maintain warmth. Deploy lookouts. Save rainwater,and do not drink seawater or urine. If you or someone else is injured,care for them as best you can.
Keep your wits about you. According to people who have survived atsea, the people who are ultimately rescued and survive are the ones who
wait for rescue even amidst the harshest conditions, and who keep theirheads regardless of circumstances.
If you can’t see any lifeboats, search for something you can use
instead. Examples would include a rubber lifeboat and ﬂoating thingsfrom the boat (ﬂoating wreckage, garbage).

Importance of Helping Each Other• In order to survive you will need to help each other.
Alone, you may be unable to survive.
• Stay around other people.
This will allow you to maintain morale and help each other.

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Reference Materials

Steps to Take in Order to Survive｜ Basic
the Sinking of a Large Passenger Ship (Extract)

Q&A
Q

What’
s the best way to jump from a high place, such as the deckof a large ship, into the water?

A

Do not jump into the water from a high place. Even if you think it would beeasy to jump in from a certain location, look for a place that is closer to thewater. If you jump into the water from a height of 20 meters or higher you will
hit the water at a speed of 80 km/h, making the water feel like you are hitting
concrete and causing severe injury or death.

Q

What should I do if there are no lifeboats?

A

Hold on to anything that will ﬂoat, like a piece of wood. If the water is not too
cold, put on a lifejacket and jump into the water.

Q

If I am surrounded by water and trapped inside a large passenger
ship, what should I do?

A

Find a way to escape before the place you are currently in ﬁlls with water. If
there are any windows, break them to escape.

Q

What should I do if there are sea creatures, such as sharks, in thewater? Should I still get into a lifeboat?

A
QA

If you’re only other choice is to sink with the ship, you have a better chancein a lifeboat. It is very rare for sharks to attack people who are in lifeboats.
Extending your life by getting into the boat is the best option.

If I have to get into the water, is it better to swim toward
something that ﬂoats right away, or to remain on the boat for as
long as possible?
You are better advised to move to something ﬂoating such as a lifeboat. If thesinking boat is creating whirlpools, you need to get away from it.

29

Reference Materials

Steps to Take in Order to Survive｜ Basic
the Sinking of a Large Passenger Ship (Extract)

Q

If I have to jump into the water from a sinking ship, where is thebest place to jump in from?

A

Jump in somewhere close to the water, in order to avoid any danger. If
possible, injuries are best avoided by gently entering the water.

Q

If the ship’s lifeboats appear to be moving toward the propeller ofa large passenger ship, what should I do? What should I do if there
are sharks?

A

Transfer to a diﬀerent boat.

Q

When a large passenger vessel sinks, it creates whirlpools. Is it betterto be in a lifeboat, or to try and swim away from it as far as possible?

A

Stay in the lifeboat. If it seems you are being pulled into a whirlpool, just holdonto something.

Q

What things should I prepare before taking a trip on a large
passenger ship?

A

Vacuum or waterproof packed emergency rations, plastic bottles of water, abasic ﬁrst aid kit, and warm and suitable clothing.

Q

What should I do if the large passenger ship I am on capsizes?

A

After being exposed to the air, the ship will sink into the water. It will create avortex of water when it sinks, so escape from the ship and stay away from it.

Q

If I have infants or children with me, what should I do?

AFirst, put your own lifejacket on. Then put lifejackets onto your children. If
possible, when getting onto a lifeboat or when escaping, tell them to form aline and all hold hands.

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Created March 2018

Edited By: The Specialist Committee for Research & Development into
Crew Member Training to Meet with International Treaties
Cooperating Bodies: Japan Maritime Center
Provision of Materials: Japan Disaster Education and Training Center
Representative Director: Sunny Kamiya
Published By:

The Maritime Human Resource Institute Japan
http://mhrij.org/

5F, Japan Maritime Center, 4-5 Koji-machi,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083 JAPAN