Watchkeeping arrangement

A watchkeeping arrangement is the schedule that assigns bridge navigational watches and engine-room watches across the crew so the ship is safely manned at all times, set out under STCW Chapter VIII. The arrangement must keep watchkeepers within the rest-hour minimums of STCW Code Section A-VIII/1 (at least 10 hours of rest in any 24 and 77 in any 7 days, split into no more than two periods, one of at least 6 hours), and match the ranks required by the minimum safe manning document. The master sets the watch system and posts it. A watch arrangement that breaches rest hours or leaves a watch undermanned is a port state control finding.