Department of English at Ecole Navale – French Naval Academy

119 Pages·2015·13.19 MB·English

Department of English at Ecole Navale – French Naval Academy
Document version (06-2015)

Edited by Alcino FERREIRA

Licence: CC-BY-NC-ND
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Although I am the editor of this booklet, this is a collective work, and I am by no means its sole
contributor. The work, research, and contributions of the following people are hereby gratefully
acknowledged:
- Guillaume Baranger, Adjunct Professor, Ecole Navale
- Anne Bellas-Viars, Adjunct Professor, Ecole Navale
- Senior Chief Petty Officer Olivier Bichon, French Navy
- Lt. Bryan G. Cable, United States Navy
- Lt. Victoria Carrington, Royal Navy
- LCDR Armando Castellanos, United States Navy
- Jean-François Jaouen, Adjunct Professor, Ecole Navale
- Frank Marion, Adjunct Professor, Ecole Navale
- Ens. Virginie Merlin, French Navy
- Caroline Moncomble, Adjunct Professor, Ecole Navale
- Dr. Ivane Pautler, Adjunct Professor, Ecole Navale
- Sylvie Police, Adjunct Professor, Ecole Navale
- Pascale Sammartano, Adjunct Professor, Ecole Navale
- Fiona Simoneau-Byrne, Adjunct Professor, Ecole Navale
- Philippe Tanguy, Adjunct Professor, Ecole Navale
- Peter C. Van Kluijven, Lecturer at Rotterdam Mainport University of Applied Sciences
- Nicole Vincent, Adjunct Professor, Ecole Navale
- Lt. Sarah White, Royal Navy
Together, we have sought to craft a progressive and comprehensive intermediate-level course for
junior watch-keeping personnel. By doing the exercises herein and treasuring this booklet as a
reference work, you will undoubtedly improve the quality of your maritime English, so as to
accomplish your mission to the best of your possibilities.
Picture and image sources have been given where appropriate, and possible. In some cases, we have
lost track of the original source. If you feel we are infringing your rights to copyright, please let us
know, and we will remove the infringing content. We hope everyone understands this was done for
educational purposes only.
Fair winds and following seas…
Alcino FERREIRA
21st June 2015
Adjunct Professor of Naval English

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE

This document is published under the Creative Commons license CC-BY-NC-ND. This means that:
CC: You are free to make this available online, reprint, and photocopy it, provided you do not modify it
or remove any part. You must abide by the following restrictions and always include the license.
BY: The author(s) must always be cited.
ND: you may not do any derivative work. You may not include any portion of this document in your
documents (except for short excerpts, with proper credit).
NC: No commercial profit of any kind is allowed by anyone else than the authors. This includes making
this document available within a course that is not free.

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FOREWORD
a) Description of the course
This document was designed as a handbook for the Maritime English Basics course taught at Ecole
Navale, the French Naval Academy. This is a foundation-level course for French Navy Officers of the
Watch. The goal of the course is to teach junior personnel the basics of maritime language in general,
in particular to allow learners to master Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP), published
by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
This document attempts to abide by STCW 78 as amended (in 1995 and 2010). Learners should
nonetheless keep in mind that this is a language course, and thus, this booklet should not be viewed as
a substitute for a seamanship manual, a GMDSS course, a meteorology handbook, or a navigation
manual.
Completion of this course requires about 30-40 hours of work. This will consist of:
- Online video lectures, available on the accompanying website
- In-class book-based training
- Computer-based training
- Practice, primarily through VHF role-plays both in class and on a bridge simulator

b) Learning objectives
By the end of this first volume, learners will master all the basic vocabulary required to conduct SMCP-
compliant ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore VHF conversations.
c) CALL
Students are advised to make the best of computer-assisted language training tools such as:
- MarEng
- MarEng +
- N.E.P.T.U.N.E

d) About the TEST YOURSELF section, at the end of chapters
The test section is not intended to be done immediately after completing a chapter, but at least one
week later. It is meant as a revision tool. Moreover, not all answers appear in this booklet. Some are
only in the corresponding videos.
e) Assessment
Assessment of the course generally consists of:
- An online quiz (50 questions, randomly selected from a database; 45 minutes)
- A one-hour, in-class listening comprehension test
- An oral test, comprising two exercises (one formatted message, one VHF conversation)
We hope you enjoy the course.
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CONTENTS

Chapter 1: ABC, 123 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 8
1. Alphabet ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
2. Numbers ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 2: Sailors and Mariners ............................................................................................................................................ 12
1. On a merchant vessel ......................................................................................................................................................................... 12
2. On a military vessel............................................................................................................................................................................. 14
3. Test yourself .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Chapter 3: In Port ........................................................................................................................................................................ 19
1. On a port visit / in a port of call .................................................................................................................................................... 19
2. Mooring, docking, anchoring or berthing? ............................................................................................................................... 21
3. Test yourself: ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Chapter 4: Ships ........................................................................................................................................................................... 29
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 29
2. Warships .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 31
3. Civilian ships .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 34
4. Test Yourself .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Chapter 5: Onboard .................................................................................................................................................................... 41
1. Ship parts ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 41
2. Inboard: Inside a ship ........................................................................................................................................................................ 47
3. Measurements and dimensions .................................................................................................................................................... 49
4. Cargo on board ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 50
5. Test yourself .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Chapter 6: On a Sea Chart ........................................................................................................................................................ 56
1. Tides .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 56
2. Charts ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 58
3. Buoys ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59
4. Traffic separation schemes ............................................................................................................................................................. 62
Chapter 7: Movement, Positions ........................................................................................................................................... 67
1. Standard position indicators .......................................................................................................................................................... 67
2. Position Fixing ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 70
3. Distance, Course and Speed ............................................................................................................................................................ 76
4. Movements of the ship on water .................................................................................................................................................. 77
5. Restricted movement: day shapes and night lights.............................................................................................................. 80
6. Test yourself .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 81
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Chapter 8: Pilot on board ......................................................................................................................................................... 85
1. The pilot card ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 85
2. Helm orders ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 86
3. Engine orders ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 90
Chapter 9: The Weather ........................................................................................................................................................... 93
1. Sea areas .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 93
2. Structure of a shipping forecast .................................................................................................................................................... 94
3. The wind .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 94
4. The sea state .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 96
5. Visibility ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 97
6. The pressure .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 97
7. Describing the general weather (general synopsis) ............................................................................................................ 98
Chapter 10: Health matters! .................................................................................................................................................102
1. The Human Body .............................................................................................................................................................................. 102
2. Trauma and diseases ...................................................................................................................................................................... 103
Chapter 11: VHF Basics ...........................................................................................................................................................108
1. Message markers .............................................................................................................................................................................. 108
2. Address and identify ....................................................................................................................................................................... 109
3. PROWORDS (Procedure words) ................................................................................................................................................ 110
Chapter 12: VHF- Routine Conversations .......................................................................................................................120
1. Introduction to routine VHF conversations .......................................................................................................................... 120
2. Entering/leaving port ..................................................................................................................................................................... 122
3. Give-way / stand on? ...................................................................................................................................................................... 127
4. Routine interrogation of a vessel............................................................................................................................................... 128
Chapter 13: VHF – Priority messages ...............................................................................................................................132
1. Introduction to priority messages ............................................................................................................................................ 132
2. MAYDAY (Distress) .......................................................................................................................................................................... 133
3. PAN-PAN (Urgency) ........................................................................................................................................................................ 135
4. SECURITE (Safety) ........................................................................................................................................................................... 137
5. Practice .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 140
Appendix .......................................................................................................................................................................................146
1. Day shapes ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 146
2. Acronyms and abbreviations ...................................................................................................................................................... 147
3. MAREP/POSREP ............................................................................................................................................................................... 148
4. Distances and Units ......................................................................................................................................................................... 148
5. Replenishment at Sea...................................................................................................................................................................... 149
6. Tonnage ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 152
7. Classification Of Dangerous Goods ........................................................................................................................................... 153

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CHAPTER 1: ABC, 123

1. ALPHABET
Names and numeric data are of vital importance at sea. Therefore, an international alphabet ensures
that a common standard is used to transmit this important information. Words and names are to be
spelt using the international alphabet below:
A Alpha K Kilo U Uniform
B Bravo L Lima V Victor
C Charlie M Mike W Whiskey
D Delta N November X X-Ray
E Echo O Oscar Y Yankee
F Foxtrot P Papa Z Zulu
G Golf Q Quebec
H Hotel R Romeo Tack / break = espace
I India S Sierra
J Juliet T Tango
Say “tack” or “break” to indicate a space, a hyphen, or a dash.
Exercise 1. Transmit the following ship names, like in the example :
Ex: This is GLORIEUSE, I spell Golf-Lima-Oscar-Romeo-India-Echo-Uniform-Sierra-Echo

CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI TONNERRE GEORGE H. W. BUSH
FARFADET ARLEIGH BURKE OHIO
LATOUCHE TREVILLE MISTRAL CHARLES DE GAULLE

2. NUMBERS
2.1. Cardinals and ordinals
Cardinal Ordinal Cardinal Ordinal
1 one 1st first 16 sixteen 16th sixteenth
2 two 2nd second 17 seventeen 17th seventeenth
3 three 3rd third 18 eighteen 18th eighteenth
4 four 4th fourth 19 nineteen 19th nineteenth
5 five 5th fifth 20 twenty 20th twentieth
6 six 6th sixth 21 twenty-one 21st twenty-first
7 seven 7th seventh 22 twenty-two 22nd twenty-second
8 eight 8th eighth 30 thirty 30th thirtieth
9 nine 9th ninth 40 forty 40th fortieth
10 ten 10th tenth 50 fifty 50th fiftieth
11 eleven 11th eleventh 60 sixty 60th sixtieth
12 twelve 12th twelfth 70 seventy 70th seventieth
13 thirteen 13th thirteenth 80 eighty 80th eightieth
14 fourteen 14th fourteenth 90 ninety 90th ninetieth
15 fifteen 15th fifteenth 100 a hundred 100th hundredth
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As monosyllables can be difficult to understand, some of those figures are pronounced differently in
maritime communications.
Exercise 2. (cid:1) Listen to the following list and note the figures with a modified pronunciation:
Number Spelling Pronunciation
0 Zero
1 One
(numbers.mp3)
2 Two
3 Three
4 Four
5 Five
6 Six
7 Seven
8 Eight

9 Nine
00 Hundred
000 Thousand

- “0” is always pronounced “zero”
- Preliminary zeros MUST be transmitted (especially in positions: 026° = zero two six degrees)
- 00 may be pronounced as “zero zero” or as “hundred”. 000 may be pronounced as “zero zero
zero” or as “Touzand”(sic).
- the decimal in a number is said “decimal”
e.g: 8.5m (cid:1) eight decimal five meters

2.2. Time

(cid:2) Use the 24-hour clock: 11:00 p.m. ⇒⇒⇒⇒ 23:00
(cid:2) Pronounce each figure separately: 10:25 ⇒⇒⇒⇒ one zero two five
(cid:2) If the time you are giving contains only hours and no minutes, you can replace the last two
zeros by the word “hundred”: 19:00 ⇒⇒⇒⇒ nineteen hundred or one nine hundred (hours)
(cid:2) Make your time zone clear by adding “local time”, “UTC” (coordinated universal time) or the
letter of your time zone: 14:20 A ⇒⇒⇒⇒ one four two zero alpha.
(cid:2) Going east from the prime meridian at Greenwich, letters Alpha through Mike (skipping "J", see
below) are used for the 12 time zones with positive UTC offsets until reaching the International
Date Line.
(cid:2) Going west from Greenwich, letters November through Yankee are used for zones with
negative time offsets.
(cid:2) The letter J ("Juliet"), originally skipped, is now used to indicate the speaker’s local time.
(cid:2) The letter Z ("Zulu") indicates Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Coordinated Universal Time
(see UTC±00:00, in the table below).

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 GOING WEST GOING EAST (cid:1)(cid:1)(cid:1)(cid:1)
Time Zone UTC offset Time Zone UTC offset
N – NOVEMBER UTC-01:00 A – ALPHA UTC+01:00
O – OSCAR UTC-02:00 B – BRAVO UTC+02:00
P – PAPA UTC-03:00 C – CHARLIE UTC+03:00
Q – QUEBEC UTC-04:00 D – DELTA UTC+04:00
R – ROMEO UTC-05:00 E – ECHO UTC+05:00
S – SIERRA UTC-06:00 F – FOXTROT UTC+06:00
T – TANGO UTC-07:00 G – GOLF UTC+07:00
U – UNIFORM UTC-08:00 H – HOTEL UTC+08:00
V – VICTOR UTC-09:00 I – INDIA UTC+09:00
W – WHISKEY UTC-10:00 K – KILO UTC+10:00
X – X-RAY UTC-11:00 L – LIMA UTC+11:00
Y – YANKEE UTC-12:00 M - MIKE UTC+12:00

Z – ZULU = GMT / UTC / UTC±00:00 J – JULIET = Observer’s local time

2.3. Date time group
Sometimes (particularly in SECURITE messages, as we will see later), a date and a time are transmitted
together. This is called a date time group or day time group. At sea, this is often in the form of 6
digits. The first two will indicate the date in the current month or following month, and the last four
will indicate the time.

e.g.: “My ETA to Brest is 182030Z” (cid:1) on the 18th at 08:30 pm GMT, which means 09:30 pm local (in
winter).

Exercise 3. Transmit the following VHF call signs, MMSI numbers, IMO numbers, or times :
Call signs (“My international call sign is…”)
2GWL9 / BZVI / 3EFU4 / ASDM / VRCJ9 / POGY / JKUX / QNBK / LORE

MMSI numbers (“My MMSI number is…”)
235 101 092 / 355 031 000 / 309 168 000 / 477 607 900 / 636 016 238

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