Polar Water Operations Manual

The Polar Water Operations Manual (PWOM) is the most important and far-reaching piece of documentation on board the vessel. It is essential that all crew members are aware of its contents. It is designed to address every aspect of operation, including procedures and plans. If there is documentation that exists elsewhere and made available to all crew members, it does not have to be replicated in the PWOM, but it must be cross-referenced in the manual.

Most specifically, the manual is designed to cover the following topics:

• Ship-specific capabilities and limitations
• Procedures for normal operations
• Procedures to avoid conditions that exceed the ship's capabilities
• Procedures to follow in the case of an incident
• Procedures to follow in situations where conditions that exceed the ship's capabilities and limitations are encountered
• Procedures to follow when using icebreaker assistance

To meet these requirements, the PWOM needs to contain the methodology used to determine the following:

• Voyage planning to avoid limitations of the ship's design
• Receiving forecast information
• Addressing limitations of information available
• Operation of equipment
• Implementation of special measures to maintain equipment and systems
• Contacting emergency services
• Maintaining life support and ship integrity when entrapped in ice for an extended period of time
• Measures to be taken when encountering conditions that exceed the ships capabilities and limitations
• Monitoring and maintaining safety during operation

To learn more about Polar Code visit our Polar Code Online Training web page.