【Regulation】Key Points on Emergency Steering Preparedness at Port Hedland Port

We would like to inform you that the PORT OF PORT HEDLAND LOCAL MARINE NOTICE 09/25 has been issued regarding the requirements for emergency steering preparedness at Port Hedland.

This notice provides additional information to the previous article regarding Requirement to stand-by crew for emergency steering at Port Hedland

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Key Changes

Expansion of requirements for departing vessels:

The period during which a qualified person must be stationed in the steering gear room has been extended.

Specifically, it is now mandatory to station a qualified standby operator in the steering gear room from the time mooring lines are let go until the vessel passes Beacon C1 and exits the channel.

This is a revision from the previous notice (PH 19/24), and is a measure to enhance emergency response capabilities in light of recent steering-related incidents and a review of tug strategies.

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Summary of the Marine Notice

1. Requirement to Station Qualified Standby Personnel

• Arriving vessels: A qualified standby operator must be stationed in the steering gear room from the time the vessel enters the Port Hedland channel until berthing is complete.
• Departing vessels: A qualified standby operator must be stationed in the steering gear room from the time mooring lines are let go until the vessel passes Beacon C1 and exits the channel.
• Conditions for standby personnel:
  • Must be proficient in emergency steering procedures (e.g., switching to local mode, communication with the bridge, rudder angle adjustments).
  • Must be able to report the actual rudder position (rudder angle) to the bridge.
  • Must remain in the steering gear room until officially released by the pilot.
  • The master is responsible for ensuring that the standby operator does not operate the equipment unless instructed by the bridge.

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2. Emergency Steering Gear Test Requirements

• Applicable to: Departing vessels of Cape size or larger (>120,000 DWT)
• Before departure, while the pilot is onboard, an emergency steering gear test must be conducted to confirm the following:
  • Pilot’s instructions are correctly executed.
  • Clear communication is established between the bridge and the standby operator in the steering gear room.
  • The steering gear room can switch to local control and execute rudder movement commands within 45–60 seconds.
  • The time taken to move the rudder from maximum angle to neutral and to the opposite maximum angle must be recorded and verified.

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3. Recommendations Prior to Arrival

• Vessels arriving at Port Hedland are strongly recommended to conduct an emergency steering test prior to arrival to confirm the following:
  • Control transfer from the bridge to the steering gear room and rudder angle changes can be executed within 45–60 seconds.
  • Clear communication with the bridge is established.
  • The time taken to move the rudder from maximum angle to neutral and to the opposite maximum angle is recorded and verified.

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Contact Information:
Port Hedland Harbour Master
📧 [e-mail]