STCW Watchkeeping Principles and COLREGs Rules of the Road

STCW Watchkeeping Principles

The Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Convention, as updated by the 2010 Manila Amendments, establishes minimum international standards for every person who works a watch aboard a merchant vessel. Chapter VIII of the STCW Code contains the watchkeeping standards that apply directly to your duties as an Able Seaman (AB) or engine-room watchstander.

The central purpose of a watch is to maintain the safety of the vessel, its crew, cargo, and the marine environment at all times. No watch is ever considered routine. Complacency is one of the leading causes of maritime casualties.

Rest Requirements

Fatigue degrades judgment and reaction time, making it a serious safety hazard. STCW sets minimum rest requirements for all watchkeepers. Seafarers must receive a minimum of ten hours of rest in any 24-hour period and at least 77 hours of rest in any seven-day period. Rest must not be divided into more than two periods, one of which must be at least six consecutive hours. These rules are mandatory and must not be waived by the ship operator or the seafarer. Violations can be grounds for certificate suspension or vessel detention.

Lookout Duties

Every vessel underway must maintain a proper lookout at all times by sight and hearing, using all available means appropriate to the prevailing circumstances. This is both an STCW requirement and a COLREGs requirement (Rule 5). As an AB, your primary duty on the bridge watch is often to serve as lookout. A proper lookout means:

• Remaining alert and focused — no personal devices, no unnecessary conversation
• Scanning the horizon systematically, using binoculars when needed
• Reporting all contacts, lights, shapes, sounds, and any change in the vessel's environment to the Officer of the Watch (OOW) immediately
• Never assuming another person has seen what you have seen

Chain of Command on Watch

The Officer of the Watch holds responsibility for the safe navigation of the vessel during their watch. The OOW operates under the authority of the Master (Captain), who may issue standing orders that restrict or expand the OOW's authority. The helmsman (often an AB) steers the vessel on orders from the OOW. The AB on lookout reports to the OOW. No one except the Master may relieve or override the OOW without proper handover. Before relieving a watch, the incoming OOW and AB must receive a full briefing on course, speed, traffic, weather, and any special conditions.

Engine-Room Watchkeeping

Qualified Members of the Engine Department (QMED) stand watches in the engine room under the supervision of the Engineer Officer of the Watch. STCW Chapter VIII applies equally in the engine room. QMED watchstanders must monitor machinery parameters, respond to alarms, and log readings at required intervals. The same rest requirements and anti-fatigue rules apply. Lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures must be followed whenever maintenance is performed on machinery; never work on energized equipment without verifying isolation. Always wear the correct PPE — hearing protection in the engine room, chemical-resistant gloves when handling lubricants or chemicals, and hard hat when working beneath elevated machinery.

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COLREGs: Rules of the Road

The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) are the maritime equivalent of traffic laws. In U.S. waters, the Navigation Rules (COMDTINST M16672.2D) incorporate COLREGs for international waters and include Inland Rules for U.S. inland waters. Every watchkeeper must know these rules.

Rule 5 — Lookout

As discussed above, every vessel must maintain a proper lookout at all times by sight, hearing, and all available means.

Rule 6 — Safe Speed

Every vessel must proceed at a safe speed so that she can take proper and effective action to avoid collision and stop within an appropriate distance. Factors include visibility, traffic density, maneuverability, and proximity to navigational hazards.

Rule 8 — Action to Avoid Collision

Any action taken to avoid collision must be positive, made in ample time, and large enough to be readily apparent to the other vessel. A succession of small alterations is dangerous.

Stand-On and Give-Way Vessels

COLREGs divide vessels into two roles in a collision-avoidance situation:

• Give-way vessel: Must take early and substantial action to keep well clear of the stand-on vessel.
• Stand-on vessel: Must maintain course and speed so the give-way vessel can predict her movement. However, if it becomes clear the give-way vessel is not acting, the stand-on vessel must also take action to avoid collision.

The Three Key Encounter Situations

Head-on (Rule 14): Two power-driven vessels meeting on nearly reciprocal courses. Both vessels are give-way. Both must alter course to starboard so each passes on the port side of the other.

Crossing (Rule 15): Two power-driven vessels crossing so as to involve risk of collision. The vessel that has the other on her starboard side is the give-way vessel. The stand-on vessel is on the give-way vessel's starboard side (the vessel to starboard has right of way). The give-way vessel must avoid crossing ahead of the stand-on vessel.

Overtaking (Rule 13): Any vessel coming up on another from a direction more than 22.5 degrees abaft the beam of the vessel ahead is the overtaking vessel and must keep out of the way. This rule applies regardless of vessel type. The overtaken vessel is stand-on.

Safety on Watch

Never leave your watch station without being properly relieved. Report every unusual observation to the OOW — let the officer decide if it matters. If you believe a hazard exists and the OOW does not respond, you have a duty under STCW and company safety management systems to escalate to the Master. Silence in the face of danger is never acceptable.