Maintaining a look-out
In compliance with the COLREGS, a proper look-out must be maintained at all times to serve the purposes of:
· maintaining a continuous state of vigilance by sight and hearing as well as by all other available means, with regard to any significant change in the operating environment;
· fully appraising the situation and the risk of collision, stranding and other dangers to navigation;
· detecting ships or aircraft in distress, shipwrecked persons, wrecks, debris and other hazards to safe navigation.
Full attention to look-out duties must be given by the bridge team on watch. A helmsman while steering, except in small ships with an unobstructed allround view at the steering position, should not be considered to be the look-out.
On ships with fully enclosed bridges, sound reception equipment will need to be in operation continuously and correctly adjusted to ensure that all audible sounds on the open deck can be clearly heard on the bridge.
Sole look-out
Under the STCW Code, the OOW may be the sole look-out in daylight provided that on each such occasion:
· the situation has been carefully assessed and it has been established without doubt that it is safe to operate with a sole look-out;
· full account has been taken of all relevant factors, including, but not limited to:
· state of weather
· visibility
· traffic density
· proximity of dangers to navigation
· the attention necessary when navigating in or near traffic separation schemes;
· assistance is immediately available to be summoned to the bridge when any change in the situation so requires.
If sole look-out watch keeping practices are to be followed, clear guidance on how they should operate will need to be given in the shipboard operational procedures manual.
General surveillance
The OOW needs to maintain a high level of general awareness about the ship and its day-to-day operations.
This may include maintaining a general watch over the ship's decks to monitor, where possible, people working on deck, and any cargo or cargo handling equipment. Special watchkeeping arrangements may be appropriate in waters where there is thought to be a risk of piracy or armed attack.
Whenever work is being carried out on deck in the vicinity of radar antenna, radio aerials and sound signalling apparatus, the OOW should be particularly observant and should post appropriate warning notices on the equipment controls.
Watchkeeping and the COLREGS
lights, shapes and sound signals
The OOW must always comply with the COLREGS. Compliance not only concerns the conduct of vessels under the steering and sailing rules, but displaying the correct lights and shapes and making the correct sound and light signals.
A vessel drifting off a port with her engines deliberately shut down is not, for example, a 'vessel not under command' as defined by rule 3(f) of the COLREGS.
Caution should always be observed when approaching other vessels. Vessels may not be displaying their correct light or shape signals, or their signals could be obscured.
