200929 Communication breakdown

Communication breakdown
MARS Report 200929

Overheard on VHF Channel 16/68 on a coastal passage: vessel makes VHF contact with the marine rescue coordination centre (MRCC) to report a medical emergency. It is established that one crew member is lapsing into a diabetic coma and the master is seeking medical advice on suitable treatments.
MRCC: 'Please let me have your telephone number so we can call you direct.'
Vessel: 'We can't give you the number because only the radio officer knows how to work the satellite telephone and he is the one who is sick.'
Editor's note: The company's safety management system (SMS) must provide written procedures for all possible emergencies and checklists must be arranged in a logical sequence and be complete in all respects. The ship's staff, for their part, must take the initiative in ensuring work stations throughout the vessel have easy access to essential information. The ship's particulars and communication identities must be prominently displayed at these locations. Emergency drills must be conducted realistically, including the enacting and recording of mock communication drills.
As shown in this case, lives may well depend on the level of shipboard organisation and preparedness.