Watchkeeping, Ship Manoeuvring and Bridge Resource Management
Watchkeeping
STCW principles: continuous watch, proper look-out, fitness for duty, and the officer of the watch's responsibility for the safe navigation of the ship. Position fixing at planned intervals, radar and visual watch, checklists, a clear handover brief, and the master's standing and night orders. Monitor the passage plan against actual positions, and call the master early rather than late.
Manoeuvring
Turning circle (advance, transfer, tactical diameter), stopping distance and crash stop, pivot point (about one-quarter of the length from the bow when moving ahead, near the stern when going astern), squat, interaction between ships, bank effect, shallow water effect, transverse thrust of a right-handed propeller, anchoring and dredging, tug use and berthing.
Bridge resource management
Closed-loop communication, challenge and response, situational awareness, fatigue and authority gradient. Master-pilot exchange and pilot card, VTS reporting, and the danger of automation complacency with ARPA and ECDIS.
Trap: assuming the pivot point stays forward when going astern, and trusting AIS without a visual or radar cross-check.
Rule of thumb: squat rises roughly with the square of speed and is worst in shallow, narrow water - halve the speed and cut squat to about a quarter.