Real-Life Decision Making
Each day is full of decisions for ship captains. However, says Capt. Ann
Sanborn, your choice is usually pretty straightforward. "Your first concerns
are the safety of the people and the safety of the vessel," she says. When
you let money get in the way of your decisions onboard, trouble
usually results, says Sanborn.
You are a ship captain of a large cargo vessel that travels between port
cities. On this trip, your assignment is to go to San Francisco and pick up
containers that must be delivered to Japan. Your ship didn't originate
in San Francisco, however. You sailed from the port of New York City. As is
sometimes the case, the ship wasn't carrying any cargo from New York
to San Francisco.
When you don't carry any cargo, you must carry saltwater in tanks
that act as a ballast to weigh down the ship, so she floats deep enough in
the sea. This allows the rudder and propeller to get a good bite in the water,
and allows the ship to keep her center of gravity low enough so she doesn't
capsize.
When you arrive in San Francisco to pick up the cargo, you will, of course,
need to pump out the saltwater. Now, with cargo, the ship will be heavy enough
to float without the saltwater ballast.
While you are getting ready to pump out the water and replace it with the
cargo containers, your second officer comes running up to you. He has made
a very important discovery. "Sir, I found that there is a small amount of
bunker oil in the saltwater." Bunker oil is the fuel the engines burn to propel
the ship.
Oh, no. If you continue to pump out the saltwater ballast into the harbor,
you could pollute the environment. If you don't, the ship will be too
heavy to sail.
What do you do?