Boarding Guide

1. Embarkation

• The boarding location, date and time for the passengers will be provided through the document “Boarding Information” by the MarE3 Operations Group Point-of-Contact to the Chief Scientist, so please check that.
• You may be required to show proof of identity in accordance with the Ship Security Regulations. Please carry your passport, employee ID card, student ID card, driving license, or some official identification that includes your photograph.
• Roll call will be made one hour before ship’s departure time to confirm that everyone is on board. Please observe the boarding time. In the case of an international cruise, boarding time will be informed separately by the Cruise Coordinator in order to complete the emigration procedure.

2. Disembarkation

Cleaning

• Clean your cabin and research space in the labs. Use a vacuum cleaner, separate the trash, and bring it to the designated place. Be sure to empty & clean the refrigerator provided in your cabin.
• Before entering port, please clean and organize the laboratory, organize and pack the materials and equipment you brought aboard, and prepare for disembarking. Please be sure to return all items borrowed from the ship.
• Life jacket must be neatly folded and returned to its original position. Failure to do so may prevent the next person on board from using it in an emergency. If you have any questions, please contact the ship's crew.

Settlement of expenses during boarding

• Before disembarking, you will be billed for expenses during boarding (meals, sheets change, telephone use, etc.). Please have cash on hand to settle these bills. Those participants from the Joint-Use Research Program, who are required to pay the bills, will not pay onboard, except telephone bill.
• Passengers from overseas are required to settle all bills in Japanese Yen. The Chief Scientist is requested to notify such persons in advance to bring Japanese Yen. Please contact the MarE3 Fleet Operations Group Point-of-Contact for more details.

3. Port Call

• In the case of international cruise, please follow the instructions of the Chief Electrician or Radio Officer (Observer, aboard Mirai) as there are various procedures (such as customs) for entering and leaving the port. Please note that the ship’s officer will keep your passport, etc. after boarding to prepare for these procedures & documents. If any customs charges are levied on your belongings, you will be responsible for the payment.
• As a crime prevention measure, do not allow any third-party persons to board without the captain's explicit permission.
• When landing in port, lock all areas under your control and enter your name and landing time on the landing list. You must also register the time when you plan to return to the ship (ask the chief officer about the key).
• When landing, carry an ID card that can prove your identity and make a note of the contact information of the ship and of local agent.
• Please adhere to the return time. In the event you are unable to return to the ship by departure time, the ship will depart as scheduled.

4. Health Status

As a general rule, boarding permission will be denied to those who do not meet the following conditions:

• Have had a medical examination recently (within one year).
• At the time of boarding, do not have symptoms of cold or any other illness. In addition, medical treatment period must have ended for the past illness, even if there are no symptoms.
• Currently, do not have, or are not aware of, any illness that requires outpatient treatment (including dental treatment and orthopedic rehabilitation). In addition, if you have been hospitalized or have had surgery, you should have completely recovered by the time you board the ship(except if a doctor diagnoses that there was no problem with boarding).
• Be able to prepare all necessary medications (including sufficient reserves) to fit your needs during the entire embarkation period.
• You should have no issues with hearing or vision in daily life activities.
• In the event of an emergency on board, be able to quickly move to the designated assembly area by yourself, wearing the designated life-saving gears.
• You are not pregnant. (This status is currently under consideration for the Joint-Use Research Program cruises)
• Those with pre-existing medical conditions should consider the risk of recurrence of symptoms/aftereffects during the cruise, and if necessary, take measures such as consulting a doctor in advance.
• Regarding vaccination against new coronavirus and influenza etc., if you become seriously ill due to such disease during the cruise, it may not be possible to disembark immediately to visit a hospital, therefore considering the risk of illness, especially if embarking on an open ocean cruise, it may be wise to get vaccinated well in advance of boarding the ship (Note: JAMSTEC does not cover the cost of vaccination)

5. Safety in General

• Before boarding, please read the "Safety checks on board" carefully and make the necessary preparations and then board the ship. Helmet, life jacket, and safety glasses are available on the ship. Please prepare your own work clothes, gloves (work gloves or leather gloves), safety shoes, winter clothes, etc. The helmet that can be lent onboard fits a head circumference of 55 to 62 cm, so if you need a different size helmet, please prepare your own (safety certified product required).
• While aboard, observe all the following items and follow the "Safety and Health Guidelines" set by JAMSTEC to ensure your safety. 
• While on board, Chief Scientist or his/her representative should reconfirm the "Safety check while on board" with the onboard researchers, technicians, and others at the start of each work shift. Under the supervision of Chief Scientist, make sure your safety while working under rough weather condition.
• After boarding ship, the crew will explain: safety measures on board, how to deal with emergencies, safety training, and details of life on board, so please make sure you understand the instructions. 
• If you have any concerns about the installation or use of safety equipment such as spill kits and eye washers, please ask the bridge (or Chief Officer). 
• Always wear a helmet and safety shoes when working on deck. 
• When working in exposed areas such as the rear deck, be sure to obtain the permission of the Captain (or Chief Officer) and take all possible safety measures, such as wearing life jackets.
• Never go out on the deck alone at night. It is extremely dangerous, especially if you are seasick or have been consuming alcoholic drinks.
• Regarding alcoholic drinks consumption on board, based on the blood alcohol concentration index to objectively grasp the degree of drunkenness, the amount of alcohol consumed per day must be 0.15% or less respective to body weight. In addition, it is prohibited to consume alcoholic drinks from 4 hours before starting your work to the end of work. For details on the amount of alcoholic drinks consumption, please refer to the "Blood alcohol concentration chart" provided in the cabin.
• Close the cabin curtains at sunset. Light leaking to the outside will interfere with navigation.
• In case of an emergency, please contact the Bridge. If a fire breaks out in your room or laboratory, alert the ship by making an announcement via the nearest telephone.
• In principle, smoking is prohibited on board. Please smoke at the places designated by each ship. To prevent fires, it is strictly forbidden to dump the butts in trash cans.
• After boarding, please check your emergency escape routes.
• All restricted areas are clearly marked; please do not enter such areas without explicit permission.
• Depending on the port of call, unpredictable situations such as political instability, poor security, and natural disasters may be encountered. In these cases, please note that the cruise plan and research work may change.
• Assuming that a member of your team is suddenly unable to board the ship due to an illness or injury, or is forced to disembark during the cruise, it is recommended that you consider such situation and prepare in advance for replacement personnel so that research/observation can continue even in such cases.

6. Insurance

• JAMSTEC does not insure the onboard researchers and/or the materials and equipment they bring aboard. In addition, JAMSTEC, the operating company, and the crew of the ship will not be liable for any damage or loss of materials and equipment brought in by the researcher after the ship is loaded and during land transportation before and after the cruise. It is recommended that researchers make all arrangements for required insurance on their own responsibility (travel accident insurance, freight insurance, student insurance, etc.).

7. Communication with Land

• Each ship has provisions for satellite internet access, marine telephones, Inmarsat telephones, fax machines, and email. For details, please see the　detailed guide for each ship.
• If you have any problems connecting to the onboard LAN after boarding, please contact the office of Electronic Observation (Observer, aboard Mirai) or Bridge.

8. Meals

• Meal timings vary by ship and research/operation work, but are usually 7:20-8:00 for breakfast, 11:20-12:30 for lunch, and 17:00-18:00 for dinner. If there are a large number of passengers on board, a two-shift system may be applied, and in that case please have your meal only at your designated time.
• No snacks or alcoholic drinks are provided, so if required, please bring your own.
• Please note that meal charges will not be waived even if you skip a meal during the cruise.
• Please note that fresh water (drinking water) and general use water taps are clearly marked.
• There are soft drinks vending machines on board for general use. Change is not provided. (vending machine is not available on Hakuho Maru and Shinsei Maru)
• If you need hot water, please use the electric hot water pot in the dining room.
• If you have any food allergies or religious restrictions, please inform about it to the MarE3 Fleet Operations Group Point-of-Contact before the start of your cruise.
• If you have any concerns about meals after boarding, please contact the office of Electronic Observation (Observer, aboard Mirai) or Bridge. 

9. Garbage Disposal

• Garbage disposal is expensive and time-consuming; please cooperate in reducing garbage and in sorting it properly.
• Garbage dumping at sea is prohibited. Please separate the garbage and bring it to the designated disposal locations.
• For information about trash sorting, cleaning stuffs and their stock, please ask the Bridge (or Chief Officer). 
• Raw garbage (food scraps, etc.) are crushed with a disposer and discharged outboard through a pump, so never put anything into the raw garbage that could cause mechanical failure (bottle caps, pull ring for cans, toothpicks, disposable chopsticks, and other solids).
• It is the responsibility of the researchers, who bring onboard their own medical equipment (syringe, needle, etc.) for sample analysis, etc., to pack them onboard ship and dispose of properly at their institution.

10. Baths/Toilets

• There is a limit on the amount of freshwater that can be loaded aboard ship, so please do your part to conserve water.
• The bathroom drain is easily clogged, so please make sure you clean any hair in the drain after use.
• Women-only toilets and bathrooms are provided; please be sure to lock the doors when in use.
• Shampoo and body soap are provided in the bathroom, but there are no towels, so please bring your own.
• If you have any questions about the bathroom, such as how to adjust the temperature of the bath, please ask the Bridge (or Chief Officer). 

11. Laundry

• The washing machine and dryer can be used except late at night and early in the morning. Please note that depending on the research being done, they may be temporarily unavailable. Please follow all instructions from the ship.
• Laundry detergent provided on board can be used freely.
• Never use the “水の流し出し” setting while using the washing machine.
• Once the cycle is finished, please remove your laundry from the washing machine or dryer immediately. Others may be waiting to use the machines, so please be considerate.
• If there is a problem with the washing machine, please contact the Bridge (or Chief Officer). 

12. Duty-Free & Luxury Items

• There are no restrictions on bringing in luxury goods other than those that are illegal. Regarding alcohol consumption, there is a limit on the amount consumed per day. Please observe that.
• For open ocean cruises (cruises calling at foreign ports), please contact the MarE3 Fleet Operations Group Point-of-Contact for more details about duty-free goods. (In the case of a Joint-Use Research Program cruise, please contact the person in charge of the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, the University of Tokyo.)

13. Clothing

• Please refrain from wearing loose & open footwear (such as slippers) outside your cabin. Please use the footwear that protect heel.

14. Others

• Research cruises are by their nature, hazardous. Operations at sea can result in lost or damaged equipment, serious bodily harm, and in some cases, death. Please take care of your equipment and personal safety while onboard. It is essential that you obey the commands and directions of the ship’s officers and crew at all times. Neither JAMSTEC nor the crew are responsible for items lost during the cruise.
• To strengthen cyber security management on board, please be sure to update just before boarding the OS and security software of devices that you plan to bring on board and connect to the onboard network.
• Smokers must use only the designated smoking area on the ship.
• You are responsible for your own valuables while on board. 
• Currency exchange or change to smaller units is not available onboard. Please note all bills and charges must be paid for IN CASH.
• Training & Recreation rooms are available to anyone on board. (Training facility varies from ship to ship)
• Please bring your own masks and necessary items for daily use before boarding the ship.
• Before boarding, if you have any questions about air conditioning in the area where you plan to work on the ship, please contact via Chief Scientist, the MarE3 Fleet Operations Group Point-of-Contact.
• If you have any problems with the air conditioning after boarding, please contact the Bridge (or Chief Officer).