Part 4 – Guidance on
Watchkeeping at Sea
Part 4-1 – Guidance on keeping a navigational watch
Introduction
2 Particular guidance may be necessary for special
types of ships as well as for ships carrying hazardous, dangerous, toxic or
highly flammable cargoes. The master should provide this operational guidance
as appropriate.
3 It is essential that officers in charge of the
navigational watch appreciate that the efficient performance of their duties is
necessary in the interests of the safety of life, security and property at sea
and of preventing pollution of the marine environment.
Anchor watch
4 The master of every ship at an unsheltered
anchorage, at an open roadstead or any other virtually “at sea” conditions in
accordance with chapter VIII, section A-VIII/2, part 4-1, paragraph 51 of the STCW
Code, should ensure that watchkeeping arrangements are adequate for maintaining
a safe watch at all times. A deck officer should at all times maintain
responsibility for a safe anchor watch.
5 In determining the watchkeeping arrangements,
and commensurate with maintaining the ship’s safety and security and the
protection of the marine environment, the master should take into account all
pertinent circumstances and conditions such as:
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.1 maintaining a continuous state of
vigilance by sight and hearing as well as by all other available
means;
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.2 ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore
communication requirements;
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.3 the prevailing weather, sea, ice and
current conditions;
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.4 the need to continuously monitor the
ship’s position;
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.5 the nature, size and characteristics of
anchorage;
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.6 traffic conditions;
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.7 situations which might affect the
security of the ship;
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.8 loading and discharging operations;
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.9 the designation of stand-by crew members;
and
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.10 the procedure to alert the master and
maintain engine readiness.
Part 4-2 – Guidance on keeping an engineering watch
6 Particular guidance may be necessary for special
types of propulsion systems or ancillary equipment and for ships carrying
hazardous, dangerous, toxic or highly flammable materials or other special
types of cargo. The chief engineer officer should provide this operational
guidance as appropriate.
7 It is essential that officers in charge of the
engineering watch appreciate that the efficient performance of engineering
watchkeeping duties is necessary in the interest of the safety of life and
property at sea and of preventing pollution of the marine environment.
8 The relieving officer, before assuming charge of
the engineering watch, should:
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.1 be familiar with the location and use of
the equipment provided for the safety of life in a hazardous or toxic
environment;
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.2 ascertain that materials for the
administration of emergency medical first aid are readily available,
particularly those required for the treatment of burns and scalds;
and
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.3 when in port, safely anchored or moored,
be aware of:
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.3.1 cargo activities, the status of
maintenance and repair functions and all other operations affecting
the watch, and
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.3.2 the auxiliary machinery in use
for passenger or crew accommodation services, cargo operations,
operational water supplies and exhaust systems.
Part 4-3 – Guidance on keeping a radio watch
General
9 Among other things, the Radio Regulations
require that each ship radio station is licensed, is under the ultimate
authority of the master or other person responsible for the ship and is only
operated under the control of adequately qualified personnel. The Radio
Regulations also require that a distress alert shall only be sent on the
authority of the master or other person responsible for the ship.
10 The master should bear in mind that all
personnel assigned responsibility for sending a distress alert must be
instructed with regard to, be knowledgeable of, and be able to operate properly
all radio equipment on the ship, as required by regulation I/14, paragraph 1.5. This should be recorded
in the deck or radio log-book.
Watchkeeping
11 In addition to the requirements concerning
radio watchkeeping, the master of every seagoing ship should ensure that:
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.1 the ship’s radio station is adequately
manned for the purpose of exchanging general communications – in
particular public correspondence, taking into account the constraints
imposed by the duties of those authorized to operate it; and
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.2 the radio equipment provided on board
and, where fitted, the reserve sources of energy are maintained in an
efficient working condition.
12 Necessary instruction and information on use of
radio equipment and procedures for distress and safety purposes should be given
periodically to all relevant crew members by the person designated in the
muster list to have primary responsibility for radiocommunications during
distress incidents. This should be recorded in the radio log.
13 The master of every ship not subject to the
SOLAS, 1974 should require that radio watchkeeping is adequately maintained as
determined by the Administration, taking into account the Radio
Regulations.
Operational
14 Prior to sailing, the radio operator designated
as having primary responsibility for radiocommunications during distress
incidents should ensure that:
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.1 all distress and safety radio equipment
and the reserve source of energy are in an efficient working condition,
and that this is recorded in the radio log;
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.2 all documents required by international
agreement, notices to ship radio stations and additional documents
required by the Administration are available and are corrected in
accordance with the latest supplements, and that any discrepancy is
reported to the master;
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.3 the radio clock is correctly set against
standard time signals;
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.4 antennae are correctly positioned,
undamaged and properly connected; and
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.5 to the extent practicable, routine
weather and navigational warning messages for the area in which the ship
will be navigating are updated together with those for other areas
requested by the master, and that such messages are passed to the
master.
15 On sailing and opening the station, the radio
operator on watch should:
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.1 listen on the appropriate distress
frequencies for any possible existing distress situation; and
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.2 send a traffic report (name, position and
destination, etc.) to the local coast station and any other appropriate
coast station from which general communications may be expected.
16 While the station is open, the radio operator
on watch should:
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.1 check the radio clock against standard
time signals at least once a day;
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.2 send a traffic report when entering and
on leaving the service area of a coast station from which general
communications might be expected; and
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.3 transmit reports to ship reporting
systems in accordance with the instructions of the master.
17 While at sea, the radio operator designated as
having primary responsibility for radiocommunications during distress incidents
should ensure the proper functioning of:
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.1 the digital selective calling (DSC)
distress and safety radio equipment by means of a test call at least once
each week; and
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.2 the distress and safety radio equipment
by means of a test at least once each day but without radiating any
signal.
The results of these tests should be recorded in the radio
log.
18 The radio operator designated to handle general
communications should ensure that an effective watch is maintained on those
frequencies on which communications are likely to be exchanged, having regard
to the position of the ship in relation to those coast stations and to coast
earth stations from which traffic may be expected. When exchanging traffic,
radio operators should follow the relevant ITU recommendations.
19 When closing the station on arrival at a port,
the radio operator on watch should advise the local coast station and other
coast stations with which contact has been maintained of the ship’s arrival and
of the closing of the station.
20 When closing the radio station, the radio
operator designated as having primary responsibility for radiocommunications
during distress incidents should:
Distress alerts and procedures
21 The distress alert or distress call has
absolute priority over all other transmissions. All stations which receive such
signals are required by the Radio Regulations to immediately cease all
transmissions capable of interfering with distress communications.
22 In the case of a distress affecting own ship,
the radio operator designated as having primary responsibility for
radiocommunications during distress incidents should immediately assume
responsibility for following the procedures of the Radio Regulations and
relevant ITU-R Recommendations.
23 On receiving a distress alert:
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.1 the radio operator on watch should alert
the master and, if appropriate, the radio operator designated as having
primary responsibility for radiocommunications during distress incidents;
and
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.2 the radio operator designated as having
primary responsibility for radiocommunications during distress incidents
should evaluate the situation and immediately assume responsibility for
following the procedures of the Radio Regulations and relevant ITU-R
Recommendations.
Urgency messages
24 In cases of urgency affecting own ship, the
radio operator designated as having responsibility for radiocommunications
during distress incidents should immediately assume responsibility for
following the procedures of the Radio Regulations and relevant ITU-R
Recommendations.
25 In cases of communications relating to medical
advice, the radio operator designated as having primary responsibility for
radiocommunications during distress incidents should follow the procedures of
the Radio Regulations and adhere to the conditions as published in the relevant
international documentation (see paragraph 14.2) or as specified by the
satellite service provider.
26 In cases of communications relating to medical
transports, as defined in the Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of
12 August 1949, and relating to the protection of victims of international
armed conflicts (Protocol I), the radio operator designated as having primary
responsibility for radiocommunication during distress incidents should follow
the procedures of the Radio Regulations.
27 On receiving an urgency message, the radio
operator on watch should alert the master and, if appropriate, the radio
operator designated as having primary responsibility for radiocommunications
during distress incidents.
Safety messages
28 When a safety message is to be transmitted, the
master and the radio operator on watch should follow the procedures of the
Radio Regulations.
29 On receiving a safety message, the radio
operator on watch should note its content and act in accordance with the
master’s instructions.
30 Bridge-to-bridge communications should be
exchanged on VHF channel 13. Bridge-to-bridge communications are described as
“Intership Navigation Safety Communications” in the Radio Regulations.
Radio records
31 Additional entries in the radio log should be
made in accordance with paragraphs 10, 12, 14, 17 and 33.
32 Unauthorized transmissions and incidents of
harmful interference should, if possible, be identified, recorded in the radio
log and brought to the attention of the Administration in compliance with the
Radio Regulations, together with an appropriate extract from the radio log.
Battery maintenance
33 Batteries providing a source of energy for any
part of the radio installation, including those associated with uninterrupted
power supplies, are the responsibility of the radio operator designated as
having primary responsibility for radiocommunications during distress incidents
and should be:
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.1 tested on-load and off-load daily and,
where necessary, brought up to the fully charged condition;
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.2 tested once per week by means of a
hydrometer where practicable, or, where a hydrometer cannot be used, by a
suitable load test; and
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.3 checked once per month for the security
of each battery and its connections and the condition of the batteries
and their compartment or compartments.
The results of these tests should be recorded in the radio
log.