TL;DR — When a person goes overboard, immediately throw a ring buoy, post a dedicated lookout, and maneuver to recover using the Williamson turn (reduced visibility) or Anderson turn (person in sight); the master must ensure monthly drills cover MOB recovery, abandon-ship, and all related contingencies, and emergency instructions must be posted or kept readily available as required by regulation.
What the Rule Says
Emergency Instructions — Posting Requirements
Every commercial vessel must have emergency instructions posted in conspicuous locations accessible to the crew. 46 CFR §28.265 There are two exceptions to the posting requirement: (1) instructions covering rough weather/bar crossing, anchoring, man-overboard, and firefighting procedures may be kept readily available rather than posted; and (2) on any vessel operating with fewer than four individuals on board, all emergency instructions may be kept readily available rather than posted.
For vessels subject to 46 CFR Part 199 (larger inspected vessels), copies of the muster list must be posted in conspicuous places throughout the vessel — specifically including the navigating bridge, the engine room, and crew accommodation spaces — and must be posted before the vessel begins its voyage. 46 CFR §199.80 If any change necessitates an alteration to the muster list, the master must revise the existing list or prepare a new one.
What Emergency Instructions Must Cover
At minimum, emergency instructions must identify: survival craft embarkation stations and individual assignments; fire, emergency, and abandon-ship signals; immersion suit locations and donning instructions (if suits are provided); distress call procedures; and essential actions for each individual in an emergency.
The distress call sequence prescribed by regulation is specific: select VHF Channel 16 (156.8 MHz) or 2182 kHz SSB; transmit the vessel name three times; listen for acknowledgment; then transmit "Mayday" followed by vessel name, position (latitude/longitude or range and bearing from a known point), nature of distress, number of persons aboard and injuries, seaworthiness of the vessel, and a vessel description.
The muster list for larger inspected vessels must additionally specify: instructions for operating the general emergency alarm and public address system; how the order to abandon ship will be given; officers assigned to maintain lifesaving and firefighting appliances; crew duties for closing watertight doors, valves, scuppers, sidescuttles, skylights, and portholes; crew duties for equipping, preparing, and launching survival craft; mustering passengers; using communication equipment; manning the emergency squad; and using firefighting equipment. The muster list must also specify substitutes for key persons if they are disabled.
Man-Overboard Immediate Actions
The regulatory sequence for a person-overboard event is: throw a ring life buoy as close to the individual as possible; post a lookout to keep the individual in the water in sight; launch the rescue boat and maneuver to pick up the individual; have a crewmember don a lifejacket or immersion suit, attach a safety line, and stand by to enter the water to assist recovery if necessary; if the individual is not immediately located, notify the Coast Guard and vessels in the vicinity; and continue searching until released by the Coast Guard.
Ring buoys are kept in brackets at the rail ready for instant use; at least one is rigged with a floating line and at least one is fitted with an automatic light and a self-igniting smoke marker for night marking. USCG Boat Crew Seamanship Manual §5-C
Recovery Maneuvers
The standard MOB recovery turns are: the Williamson turn — rudder hard over, then when approximately 60 degrees past the original heading shift rudder hard the other way and steady on the reciprocal heading, returning the vessel down her own track — preferred at night or in reduced visibility because it brings the vessel back along the original track and up-wind of the person. USCG Boatswain Manual Ch. 7 §7.1 NAVEDTRA 14067 §5-2 The Anderson (single) turn is a fast turn used when the person is kept in sight in clear visibility.
When initiating the turn, putting the rudder hard over toward the side the person fell swings the stern — and the propeller — away from the person in the water. The vessel approaches slowly from downwind and down-current, stopping with the person alongside in the lee, with engines stopped as the vessel closes so the propeller is not turning near the survivor.
Recovery Equipment and Care of Survivors
Recovery equipment includes the boat hook, heaving lines, a rescue sling or basket/litter for lifting an injured or exhausted person, cargo nets, a Jacob's ladder, and rescue swimmer gear. A cold, tired, or injured survivor may be unable to assist in their own recovery and must be lifted. A horizontal lift is preferred for a hypothermic person to reduce the risk of circulatory collapse.
The marking lookout must keep pointing continuously at the person in the water throughout the evolution so the bridge never loses the position. The position should be marked — including using the MOB button on GPS — so the search can be resumed if the person is lost from sight.
Drills and Training Requirements
The master or individual in charge must ensure drills are conducted and instruction is given to each individual on board at least once each month. 46 CFR §28.270 Drills must be conducted as if there were an actual emergency and must include participation by all individuals on board, breaking out and using emergency equipment, testing all alarm and detection systems, donning protective clothing, and donning immersion suits if the vessel is so equipped.
The ten contingencies that instruction must cover are: abandoning the vessel; fighting a fire in different locations; recovering an individual from the water; minimizing the effects of unintentional flooding; launching survival craft and recovering lifeboats and rescue boats; donning immersion suits and other wearable PFDs; donning a fireman's outfit and SCBA if the vessel is so equipped; making a voice radio distress call and using visual distress signals; activating the general alarm; and reporting inoperative alarm and fire detection systems.
Viewing videotapes on these contingencies followed by a discussion satisfies the instruction requirement but does not satisfy the drill requirement and does not satisfy the safety orientation requirement.
A safety orientation must be given to each individual who has not received the required instruction and has not participated in the required drills before the vessel may be operated.
For vessels subject to 46 CFR Part 185, each required rescue boat must be launched with its assigned crew aboard and maneuvered in the water as if during an actual MOB situation once each month if reasonable and practicable, but at least once within a three-month period before the vessel gets underway with passengers. 46 CFR §185.520 Onboard training in the use of davit-launched liferafts must take place at intervals of not more than three months. All abandon-ship and MOB drills must be logged or otherwise documented, with the date and a general description of the drill scenario and training topics.
Why It Matters on the Exam
Exam questions on this topic test three distinct areas that candidates frequently conflate:
Posting vs. readily available. The exam will present scenarios asking whether specific instructions must be posted or may be kept readily available. The general rule is posting; the exceptions are the four categories listed in §28.265(b) (rough weather/bar crossing, anchoring, MOB, and firefighting) and any vessel with fewer than four persons aboard. 46 CFR §28.265 Candidates who memorize only "must be posted" will miss the nuance.
Drill frequency and content. Questions frequently ask the minimum frequency of drills (monthly), what a drill must include (all persons aboard, actual equipment, alarm testing, immersion suit donning), and whether video instruction substitutes for a drill (it does not). 46 CFR §28.270 For Part 185 vessels, the rescue boat launch interval and the three-month davit-liferaft training interval are separately testable. 46 CFR §185.520
MOB maneuver selection. The exam distinguishes between the Williamson turn (reduced visibility / night — returns on reciprocal heading down own track) and the Anderson turn (clear visibility, person in sight). USCG Boatswain Manual Ch. 7 §7.1 Know which turn is appropriate for which condition.
Survivor care. The horizontal lift for a hypothermic survivor is a specific, testable fact. USCG Boat Crew Seamanship Manual §5-C
Common Pitfalls
Pitfall 1 — Confusing "readily available" with "posted." Candidates assume all emergency instructions must be posted. The four categories in §28.265(b) and the sub-four-person vessel exception in §28.265(c) are frequently tested. 46 CFR §28.265
Pitfall 2 — Applying the wrong MOB turn. Selecting the Anderson turn for a reduced-visibility scenario, or the Williamson turn when the person is clearly in sight, is a common error. The Williamson turn is the night/poor-visibility choice; the Anderson (quick-stop) turn is for clear visibility with the person in sight. USCG Boatswain Manual Ch. 7 §7.1
Pitfall 3 — Believing video training satisfies the drill requirement. Video viewing plus discussion satisfies instruction only. It does not satisfy the drill requirement and does not satisfy the safety orientation requirement. 46 CFR §28.270
Pitfall 4 — Forgetting the lookout's sole duty. The dedicated MOB lookout does nothing but point continuously at the person in the water. Assigning that person any other task during the recovery is operationally incorrect. NAVEDTRA 14067 §5-2
Pitfall 5 — Vertical vs. horizontal recovery of a hypothermic survivor. A vertical recovery risks circulatory collapse in a hypothermic person. The horizontal lift is the correct method. USCG Boat Crew Seamanship Manual §5-C
Pitfall 6 — Omitting Coast Guard notification when the person is not immediately located. Regulatory procedure requires notifying the Coast Guard and vessels in the vicinity if the individual overboard is not immediately located, and searching continues until released by the Coast Guard.
Quick Check
Q1 — A vessel operates with three persons aboard. Must emergency instructions be posted?
No. On a vessel operating with fewer than four individuals on board, emergency instructions may be kept readily available as an alternative to posting. 46 CFR §28.265
Q2 — Which MOB recovery maneuver is preferred at night or in reduced visibility, and why?
The Williamson turn. It returns the vessel down her own track on the reciprocal heading, bringing the vessel back up-wind of the person — the correct choice when the person may not be continuously visible. USCG Boatswain Manual Ch. 7 §7.1 NAVEDTRA 14067 §5-2
Q3 — Your crew watched a 45-minute MOB training video and had a discussion afterward. Does this satisfy the monthly drill requirement under 46 CFR §28.270?
No. Video viewing followed by discussion satisfies the instruction requirement only. It does not satisfy the requirement for drills, which must be conducted on board as if there were an actual emergency with participation by all individuals on board. 46 CFR §28.270
Q4 — A survivor recovered from cold water is unresponsive and cannot assist in their own recovery. How should the crew lift the person aboard?
Horizontally. A horizontal lift is preferred for a hypothermic person to reduce the risk of circulatory collapse. USCG Boat Crew Seamanship Manual §5-C
Q5 — Under 46 CFR §185.520, how often must a required rescue boat be launched and maneuvered in the water?
Once each month if reasonable and practicable, but at least once within a three-month period before the vessel gets underway with passengers. 46 CFR §185.520
Q6 — What must the muster list under 46 CFR §199.80 specify regarding personnel who are disabled?
The muster list must specify substitutes for key persons if they are disabled, taking into account that different emergencies require different actions. 46 CFR §199.80
Q7 — A person falls overboard and is not immediately located. What are the next required steps per 46 CFR §28.265?
Notify the Coast Guard and other vessels in the vicinity, and continue searching until released by the Coast Guard.
Q8 — Name four items the muster list under 46 CFR §199.80 must specify regarding crew duties.
Any four of: closing watertight doors, fire doors, valves, scuppers, sidescuttles, skylights, portholes, and other openings; equipping survival craft and other lifesaving appliances; preparing and launching survival craft; preparing other lifesaving appliances; mustering passengers and other persons on board; using communication equipment; manning the emergency squad; and using firef