Unless the ship has to undergone long stops in port, the manning of the bridge is organized with continuos

4 hours long shifts called WATCH. Each deck officer has to carry out two watches a day for example 4-8

16-20. who decided this assignment is the captain, that remains the most responsibol for a great part of
the events that can take place during the navigation. During the navigation watch the officer on watch is
the representative of the master and is called OOW officer on watch. The minimum team bridge during the
watch are three person. One is the OOW, another is the helmsman and the one is the the lookout. Often
the lookout or helmsman are ratings without responsabilities , can be able or ordinary seaman. The duties
of the oow are listed in the stcw chapter 8 where you can find the general rules during the watch, taking
in to account every possible condition, like restriction visibility, hour of darkness pilot on board, at anchor
etc. the oow should monitoring constantly the situation with the help of the lookout and by use of all
bridge equipment. The oow should never leave the bridge unattended. The oow have the duty to notify
the master about every change in navigation conditions like traffic , weather etc. The master emits
general indications on minimum safe parameters like UKC CPA TCPA etc. these information should be clear
and well understood by each oow. One of the trickiest moments on board is the taking over the watch the
other officer cant take place during the manouvres or other action on going. When handing over the
watch the oow should communicate to the relieving officer all important data like , master standing
orders , position , course speed weather condition ecc.

COLREGS. The acronym indicates : the convention for preventing collision at sea stand for collision
regulations. Is one of the most important convention of the imo and emits different rules about avoiding
collision and deck watchkeeping like the rules of the road. The COLREGS is divided in to 38 rules with 5
section and 4 annex. The mean subjects of this convention is conduction of the vessels , stearing and
sailing , lights and sound signals , position and technical detyails of lights.

Is divided in to PART A that is important in particular for definition of different conditions of navigation that
correspond to the different levels of prioritry in terms of precendence .

PART B is divided in to section 1, 2, 3. The first section contains requirements on general issues such as
lookout safe speed action to avoid collision and rules for the behavior of the ship inb particular
navigation like channels or TSS.

PARTE B 2/3 section contain essential rules on the behavior of ships when a close –quartes situation ,
when the ship are in sight of one another. Or rules for navigation in restricted visibility.

PART C lists of the lights and daily shape, that’s allow to understand the condition of the ship in vicinity ,
this kind of signals give you all information of the boat like length, aspect , work , or if the ship is underway
or is in anchor.

PART D : is the list of sound signals that must be sounded in specific manoeuvring or in case of rescrited
visibility, this sound reprodoucing the letters of the MORSE CODE with the use of WHISTLE, BELL, GONG.
Whit This instrument you can prodoucing short or long blasts.

IS very important for the shore bases organizations get information from the ship s at sea . on the other
hand the OOW has the duty to provide these information at the costal station. The solas chapter 5
allows the governments to design ship reporting system under the IMO rules. These rules says the when
the ship navigate in determinates area to comunicatethedata of the ship abaout navigation status, the
cargo, voyage planning etc. the commuinications should be very fast and schematics and standars.
 The ship reporting system is used also for search and rescue, pollution prevention, or traffic
managements . Another way to see the mouments of the ships are the LRIT (Long Range Identification
and Tracking). Are usually used for security purpose. Is an instruments to put on board that automatically
transmits the ships data like position and time , flag state and other information of the route and the port
where the ships was.

THE SHIP ROUTEING : the benefits of the ship’s routeing system are recognized under SOLAS chapter 5
and they are system estabilished to regulate the traffic in zone where the traffic is congested or zone
with specific purpose .

The TSS traffic separation scheme are a category that comprends

traffic separation scheme : scheme for separate opposite streams of traffic.

Traffic lane : is where the ship can navigate in tss usually are 2 for divides the traffic in opposite head.

Separation traffic zone or line : is the sea zone in a tss or another restricted channel that divides the two
opposite lane.

Roundabout : are a specific separation point or circular separation that divides the traffic in to the
different lane of tss with her circular shape like road rotunda.