Survival in cold environments

When a crew abandons a vessel in polar waters, their chances of survival are very low if they are not prepared for the environmental conditions. Without knowledge of how to survive in cold environments, people can very quickly become hypothermic and lose the will to live. In addition, crew finding themselves unprepared in very cold water will perish even faster than those exposed to cold air. The threat to crews increases as more vessels trade in polar areas.

This course aims to inform crew of the physical and mental effects of being exposed to very low temperatures. It outlines what seafarers must do to increase theirs and other crewmembers‘ chances of survival after falling overboard or abandoning a vessel in a very cold area.

Learning objectives:

• Identify actions that help increase the chances of survival when immersed in very cold water
• Identify actions that assist others to survive an ‘abandon ship’ situation in a very cold environment
• Identify actions to take when having to abandon a vessel in a very cold environment
• Recognize how to survive on an ice flow after abandoning a vessel