Watchkeeping Engineering
This domain tests the practical discipline of an engineering watch: handover, rounds, alarms, rest hours and the record keeping that proves compliance.
Principles
STCW requires a continuous watch, a proper handover briefing, and rounds that genuinely check parameters rather than tick boxes. Minimum rest is 10 hours in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any 7-day period, in no more than two periods, one of which must be at least 6 hours. The STCW alcohol limit is 0.05% blood alcohol or 0.25 mg/l breath.
At sea
In a UMS engine room the alarm system must be able to call the duty engineer, and the watchkeeper must not leave the control room for extended periods without transferring the alarms. Log exhaust temperatures, scavenge air pressure, fuel and lube oil pressures, temperatures and turbocharger speed.
In port
A bunkering watch is continuous supervision: agreed signals with the supplier, scuppers plugged, soundings taken, overflow tank checked, emergency stop agreed before starting.
Worked example
A duty engineer works 04:00-08:00 and 16:00-20:00, eight hours, and is called out for two alarms of one hour each. Rest is 24 - 8 - 2 = 14 hours, which looks compliant. But if the call-outs split that rest into three separate periods, the record is non-compliant, because a maximum of two rest periods is allowed.
Traps
Recording rest hours as work hours; leaving a UMS engine room without transferring alarms; assuming the bridge will notice machinery alarms; back-dating the logbook.