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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Safety & Emergencies

Man overboard

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

phraseCore term

In maritime & shipping, man overboard means: A person who has fallen from a ship into the sea, and the alarm and emergency procedure that follow. It is shortened to MOB.

In Turkish: denize adam düştü, denize düşen kişi

How it is used

Anyone who sees it shouts 'Man overboard!' and throws a lifebuoy. On the bridge the officer presses the MOB button on the GPS or ECDIS and starts a recovery manoeuvre such as the Williamson turn.

Example sentences

  1. Man overboard on the starboard side! Throw a lifebuoy!

  2. We practised a man overboard recovery with the rescue boat.

Common collocations

  • man overboard alarm
  • man overboard drill
  • MOB button
  • Williamson turn
  • rescue boat
  • life jacketA jacket filled with buoyant material, or inflated with gas, that keeps a person floating face up in the water.
  • muster stationA fixed place on a ship where crew and passengers gather when the alarm sounds, so that everyone can be counted and given instructions.
  • fire drillA practice exercise in which the crew respond to a simulated fire, using the alarm, fire teams, hoses and breathing apparatus as they would in a real emergency.
  • bridgeThe raised, enclosed area from which a ship is steered and navigated. It holds the steering controls, radars, chart displays and radio equipment.

More terms: Safety & Emergencies

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