Working language and crew communication
Applicability: All vessel types; apply the conditions stated below.
What is being checked
Crew can understand, give and report back safety instructions in the ship’s working language.
Ready on board
0 / 4 checkedUse the vessel’s actual documents, records and arrangements. Checklist points are drawn from RISQ 3.2.
Practice questions
DeepDraft preparation prompts based on this RISQ entry, not an official inspector interview script.
1How would you demonstrate that the working language is effective?
Explain and report back an applicable safety instruction in the recorded working language; show the logbook entry and required translations.
2Must pilot communications always be in English?
The supplied guidance permits another common language where those directly involved speak it.
Where a finding may arise
Crew unable to communicate effectively in the working language, an unrecorded working language or missing required translations may prevent a satisfactory answer. These are preparation concerns derived from the question and guidance.
Past observations for practice
Anonymised reports, manually reviewed before publication. These are reported experiences, not additional inspection requirements.
No reviewed observations have been added for this entry.
Share an observation for private review
Remove vessel, company and inspector names, report numbers, exact dates and confidential information. Do not paste a complete inspection report.
References and source status
RightShip Inspection Ship Questionnaire, November 2025, version 3.2. Section 2, page 19, reference 2.3.
The explanation, checklist and practice answer derive from the supplied questionnaire. Reported observations are separately contributed and manually reviewed; they are not official RISQ guidance.
Independent DeepDraft preparation guide, based on the supplied RISQ 3.2 questionnaire. Not an official RightShip product or inspection report.