Engineering watchkeeping under different conditions and in different areas

Restricted visibility

80. The officer in charge of the engineering watch shall ensure that permanent air or steam pressure is available for sound signals and that at all times bridge orders relating to changes in speed or direction of operation are immediately implemented and, in addition, that auxiliary machinery used for manoeuvring is readily available.

Coastal and congested waters

81. The officer in charge of the engineering watch shall ensure that all machinery involved with the manoeuvring of the ship can immediately be placed in the manual mode of operation when notified that the ship is in congested waters. The officer in charge of the engineering watch shall also ensure that an adequate reserve of power is available for steering and other manoeuvring requirements. Emergency steering and other auxiliary equipment shall be ready for immediate operation.

Ship at anchor

82. At an unsheltered anchorage the chief engineer officer shall consult with the master whether or not to maintain the same engineering watch as when under way.

83. When a ship is at anchor in an open roadstead or any other virtually “at-sea” condition, the engineer officer in charge of the engineering watch shall ensure that:

.1 an efficient engineering watch is kept;
.2 periodic inspection is made of all operating and stand-by machinery;
.3 main and auxiliary machinery is maintained in a state of readiness in accordance with orders from the bridge;
.4 measures are taken to protect the environment from pollution by the ship, and that applicable pollution-prevention regulations are complied with; and
.5 all damage-control and fire-fighting systems are in readiness.