From - http://www.bnwas.com/home.html & MSC.

128(75) - IMO BNWAS Performance Standards

BNWAS – WHAT, WHY, HOW? WHEN?
• WHAT? - THE TERM BNWAS IS AN ACRONYM FOR BRIDGE NAVIGATIONAL WATCH ALARM
SYSTEM - A SAFETY SYSTEM MADE MANDATORY BY AMENDMENTS TO SOLAS CH.V REG.19 AND
ADOPTED ON 5TH JUNE 2009 BY RESOLUTION MSC.282(86). MANDATORY FOR ALL AFFECTED
VESSELS BY FIRST SAFETY SURVEY AFTER JULY 2014.
• WHY? - IT’S PURPOSE IS TO MONITOR BRIDGE ACTIVITY AND DETECT OPERATOR DISABILITY
WHICH COULD LEAD TO MARINE ACCIDENTS.
• HOW? - THE SYSTEM MONITORS THE AWARENESS OF THE OFFICER OF THE WATCH (OOW) AND
AUTOMATICALLY ALERTS THE MASTER OR ANOTHER QUALIFIED OOW IF FOR ANY REASON THE
OOW BECOMES INCAPABLE OF PERFORMING HIS DUTIES.
• THIS IS ACHIEVED BY A SERIES OF INDICATIONS AND ALARMS TO ALERT FIRST THE OOW
AND, IF HE IS NOT RESPONDING, THEN TO ALERT THE MASTER OR ANOTHER QUALIFIED
OOW.
• ADDITIONALLY, THE BNWAS MAY PROVIDE THE OOW WITH A MEANS OF CALLING FOR
IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE IF REQUIRED.
• WHEN? - THE BNWAS SHOULD BE OPERATIONAL WHENEVER THE SHIP'S HEADING OR TRACK
CONTROL SYSTEM IS ENGAGED, UNLESS INHIBITED BY THE MASTER.

1
PREP.BY: CAPT.S.F. GOMEZ DATE: 04OCT18 REV: 1 OF 23MAR18 NAVAIDA/BR. EQP/BNWAS
 From - http://www.bnwas.com/home.html & MSC.128(75) - IMO BNWAS Performance Standards

BNWAS – OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENT

THE REQUIREMENT UNDER IMO STANDARDS IS FOR A BNWAS TO HAVE A DORMANT STAGE AND
THREE ALARM STAGES.

STAGE 1: DORMANT STAGE - WHEN HEADING OR TRACK CONTROL IS ENGAGED, THE SYSTEM
REMAINS DORMANT FOR A PERIOD BETWEEN 3 AND 12 MINUTES [ADJUSTABLE ONLY BY MASTER].
AT THE END OF THE DORMANT PERIOD A VISUAL ALARM FLASHES. IF THE STAGE 1 VISUAL ALARM
IS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE OOW WITHIN 15 SECS, AN AUDIBLE ALARM SOUNDS ON THE
BRIDGE. ALARMS MAY BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY PRESSING A RESET BUTTON, DIRECTLY RESETTING
AT THE MASTER BNWAS PANEL OR THROUGH A MOTION SENSOR.

STAGE 2: IF THE STAGE 1 AUDIBLE ALARM IS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED WITHIN 15 SECONDS, THE
STAGE 2 AUDIBLE ALARM SOUNDS IN THE MASTER’S AND BACK-UP OFFICER’S CABINS. ONE OF
THEM MUST THEN GO TO THE BRIDGE AND CANCEL THE ALARM [CANNOT BE CANCELLED
REMOTELY FROM OUTSIDE THE BRIDGE].

STAGE 3: IF NEITHER THE CAPTAIN NOR THE FIRST OFFICER CANCELS THE ALARM WITHIN A
SPECIFIED TIME PERIOD (BETWEEN 90 SECONDS AND 3 MINUTES DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE
VESSEL), AN ALARM WILL SOUND IN OTHER LOCATIONS WHERE OTHER NAVIGATING PERSONNEL
ARE USUALLY AVAILABLE [SMOKEROOM, MESSROM ETC]. IF THE STAGE 2 ALARM SOUNDS IN
OTHER LOCATIONS BESIDES MASTER’S AND BACK-UP OFFICER’S CABINS, THE STAGE 3 ALARM MAY
BE OMITTED [ONLY FOR OTHER THAN PASSENGER VESSELS].
PREP.BY: CAPT.S.F. GOMEZ DATE: 04OCT18 REV: 1-23MAR18 NAVAIDA/BR. EQP/BNWAS 2
 From - http://www.bnwas.com/home.html & MSC.128(75) - IMO BNWAS Performance Standards

BNWAS – OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENT

• THE BNWAS SHOULD HAVE THE FOLLOWING MODES OF OPERATION [SELECTABLE ONLY BY
MASTER] :
• AUTOMATIC [START WHENEVER HEADING OR TRACK CONTROL SYSTEM IS SWITCHED ON
AND STOP WHEN THE SYSTEM IS OFF]. NOT TO BE USED BY VESSELS SUBJECT TO SOLAS
[REF. MSC.1/CIRC.1474].
• MANUAL ON [CONTINUOUS OPERATION].
• MANUAL OFF [DOES NOT OPERATE IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE].
• THE RESET FUNCTION SHOULD BE AVAILABLE ONLY ON THE BRIDGE [INCL. THE WINGS] AND BY
SINGLE PRESS MUST CANCEL THE VISUAL AND ALL AUDIBLE ALARMS AND INITIATE A FRESH
DORMANT PERIOD WHICH RUNS FROM START FOR THE FULL DURATION FROM TIME OF RESET.
• CONTINUOUSLY PRESSING THE RESET BUTTON SHOULD NOT PROLONG THE DORMANT PERIOD
OR SUPPRESS ANY SEQUENTIAL AUDIBLE OR VISUAL ALARMS.
• THE BRIDGE ALARM SHOULD ALERT BUT NOT STARTLE THE OOW. OTHER ALARMS MUST BE
EASILY IDENTIFIABLE AND CAPABLE OF WAKING SLEEPING PERSONNEL [NOT SAME AS
GENERAL, FIRE OR OTHER ALARMS].
• SELECTION OF OPERATIONAL MODE AND SETTING THE DORMANT DURATION MUST BE
PROTECTED [KEY OR PASSWORD].

POWER, ALARMS AND OUTPUT TO OTHER EQUIPMENT :

• POWER – FROM SHIPS MAINS.
• POWER FAILURE AND MALFUNCTION INDICATION/ALARMS AND EMERGENCY CALL FACILITY [IF
PROVIDED] MUST
PREP.BY: OPERATE
CAPT.S.F. GOMEZ FROM AN EMERGENCY
DATE: 04OCT18 BATTERY
REV: 1-23MAR18 SUPPLY.
NAVAIDA/BR. EQP/BNWAS 3
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