STCW Personal Survival 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How long can an immersion suit typically protect a survivor in cold water (at or near 0°C)?
- 30 minutes
- 1 hour
- At least 6 hours (Correct answer)
- 24 hours without any degradation
Correct answer: At least 6 hours
SOLAS requires an approved immersion suit to maintain the wearer's body temperature for at least 6 hours in water temperatures from 0°C to 2°C.
Question 2: What action should survivors take immediately after boarding an inflatable liferaft?
- Open the emergency pack and inventory all equipment
- Cut the painter line and stream the sea anchor (Correct answer)
- Move to the highest point of the raft for visibility
- Deploy the EPIRB and wait for rescue
Correct answer: Cut the painter line and stream the sea anchor
After boarding, survivors should cut the painter line to prevent the raft being dragged under if the ship sinks, then stream the sea anchor to stabilize the raft.
Question 3: In survival situations, why is drinking seawater dangerous?
- It causes an immediate allergic reaction in most people
- Its high salt content accelerates dehydration by forcing the kidneys to use more water to excrete salt (Correct answer)
- It contains bacteria that cause fatal infections within hours
- It lowers core body temperature dangerously fast
Correct answer: Its high salt content accelerates dehydration by forcing the kidneys to use more water to excrete salt
Seawater has a salt concentration of about 3.5%, far above what kidneys can process efficiently, so consuming it causes net dehydration and can accelerate death.
Question 4: What is the purpose of the hydrostatic release unit (HRU) on a liferaft container?
- To activate the CO2 inflation cylinder manually
- To automatically release and float the liferaft free if the vessel sinks (Correct answer)
- To test the watertight integrity of the raft container
- To trigger the EPIRB when submerged
Correct answer: To automatically release and float the liferaft free if the vessel sinks
The HRU is designed to release the liferaft from its cradle and allow it to float free and inflate automatically when the vessel sinks to a depth of 1.5–4 meters.
Question 5: When using a rocket parachute flare, in which direction should you aim if there is low cloud cover?
- Straight up at 90° for maximum altitude
- At 45° into the wind so the flare drifts back toward observers (Correct answer)
- Horizontally away from the vessel
- At 15° to maximize horizontal travel distance
Correct answer: At 45° into the wind so the flare drifts back toward observers
If cloud base is low, the flare should be fired at about 45° into the wind so it burns below the cloud base and drifts back toward potential rescuers.
Question 6: What is the minimum number of persons an immersion suit must allow a person to don without assistance, according to SOLAS?
- Two people must always assist
- One person must be able to don it alone within 2 minutes (Correct answer)
- Donning time is not regulated, only thermal protection is
- It must be donned by a trained officer in under 1 minute
Correct answer: One person must be able to don it alone within 2 minutes
SOLAS requires that an immersion suit be capable of being donned by one person without assistance in not more than 2 minutes, including any lifejacket worn over it.
Question 7: Which of the following correctly describes 'swimming across a current' as a survival technique?
- Always swim directly against the current to return to the ship
- Swim at an angle to the current to gradually reach shore or a liferaft (Correct answer)
- Stay completely stationary to conserve energy when in a current
- Swim with the current at full speed to exit it quickly
Correct answer: Swim at an angle to the current to gradually reach shore or a liferaft
Swimming at an angle (approximately 45°) to a current allows a survivor to make lateral progress toward safety without exhausting themselves by fighting directly against the current.
STCW Personal Survival 3
How long can an immersion suit typically protect a survivor in cold water (at or near 0°C)?