Watchkeeping

Watchkeeping is governed by STCW Chapter VIII and Code Section A-VIII/2, which set the principles for the navigational and engine-room watch: composition, handover, lookout, and the minimum rest hours that guard against fatigue. The rest-hour rule requires a minimum of 10 hours in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any 7-day period, dividable into no more than two periods. Watchkeeping discipline ties together the bridge resource management, lookout, and fitness-for-duty requirements that underpin safe operation.