General Order #9 requires you to call the officer of the deck in which scenarios?

• A. In any case not covered by instructions.
• B. Only during ship's departure.
• C. Only if there is a medical emergency.
• D. Only if there is a security threat.

Answer: (A)

General Order #9 is about what to do when there isn’t a written procedure to follow. The Officer of the Deck is the on-scene authority responsible for safety and operations on deck, so any situation that isn’t explicitly covered by existing instructions should be escalated to them. That’s why the best practice is to call the Officer of the Deck in any case not covered by instructions.

This ensures decisions are made by someone with the overall responsibility for the ship’s status, keeps the chain of command clear, and prevents taking actions that aren’t approved. In contrast, limiting the call to only during departure, only for medical emergencies, or only for security threats wouldn’t cover the wide range of unforeseen scenarios you might encounter.