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—

(i) Notify other vessels in the vicinity, and the Coast Guard; and

(ii) Continue searching until released by the Coast Guard.

(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.