Warships and dedicated offshore rescue craft may exercise regularly in locating and recovering people from the water. But for most commercial vessel masters and watchkeepers having a man overboard (MOB) is a nightmare come true. Simultaneously, they have to let go a lifebuoy, try to execute a Williamson turn, find lookouts to keep the person in the water in sight, fix the position, send a mayday and decide whether the conditions justify risking sending away a boat's crew. Even assuming the person in the water can be spotted, it is never easy to pick somebody up from the water from a commercial vessel of any size, and it can be deceptively difficult from even small craft such as a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat). There are systems that can make locating and recovering easier and there seems to be some movement towards making MOB alert systems mandatory on commercial vessels.
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