Departure, Arrival and Anchor Watch Procedures

Preparing for Sea: Departure Checks

In short: Read OOW duties and the safe navigational watch and passage planning first: this topic puts them into practice at the start and end of a voyage. Before the ship leaves the berth, the OOW works through a fixed checklist. A few items are critical: if one fails, the ship does not sail until it is fixed.

The critical items — start at the stern and walk forward

A simple memory aid: picture yourself at the stern and walk to the bridge.

1. Engine — main engine tested ahead and astern, engine room ready.
2. Steering — steering gear tested, both pumps, rudder angle indicator agrees.
3. Watertight integrity — doors, hatches and openings closed for sea.
4. Bridge equipment — every item checked, for example the whistle and the echo sounder (see bridge equipment under SOLAS V/19).
5. Passage plan — approved by the Master, berth to berth, and also loaded on ECDIS.
6. LSA — life-saving appliances ready and in place.
7. Compasses — gyro and magnetic compared, compass errors known.
8. Radar — both sets running and checked.
9. Crew — everyone on board and fit for duty, and no stowaways.

Short company checklists often keep only a core “critical” set — engine, steering, passage plan approved by the Master, radar, watertight integrity — and put the rest under “other checks”. Learn the full list; the short set is the bare minimum.

The other departure checks

• GMDSS equipment checked (see GMDSS checks).
• Anchors cleared away and ready to let go — your emergency brake leaving harbour.
• Cranes stowed and tenders secured for sea.
• All crew and passengers on board. In harbour, flag P (“Papa”, the Blue Peter) means: all persons should report on board, the vessel is about to sail (International Code of Signals).
• Ship searched for stowaways.
• Muster lists posted and correct for this crew (see alarms, musters and drills).
• The latest weather forecast obtained (see weather information at sea).
• The bridge made ready: lights, charts, publications, communications, clocks synchronised.
• The gyro compass running 6–12 hours before departure, so it has time to settle on the meridian.
• Departure draughts read and recorded.

On the bridge: “Engine tested ahead and astern, steering tested on both pumps, all watertight doors closed, whistle and echo sounder working, passage plan approved and on ECDIS, radars on, gyro running since 0200 and compared, crew count correct, stowaway search complete. Ready for stand-by, Captain.”

Preparing for Arrival and the Pilot

In short: Arrival is the busiest part of the passage: traffic, shallow water, the pilot and the crew all come together. Prepare early, change to hand steering, and remember that a pilot on board does not take over your responsibility (MGN 315 (M) 4.1).

The arrival checklist

• Hand steering in good time. MGN 315 asks for hand steering in high traffic, restricted visibility and any hazardous situation — all likely on arrival (MGN 315 (M) 4.1).
• Call the Master at the position or time in the night orders (see calling the Master).
• Send the ETA to the pilot station and VTS, and update it if it changes.
• Engine room on stand-by; reduce speed at the planned position — typically about 1 hour before the end-of-passage position, as the engine room needs.
• Rig the pilot ladder in time, on the side the pilot asks for.
• Call the crew to their stand-by stations, forward and aft.
• Anchors cleared away and ready, in case you need them.

Pilot boarding arrangements

Pilot transfers kill pilots every year, so the rules are strict (SOLAS V/23, IMO MSC.1/Circ.1428):

• The pilot ladder is used only for the pilot (and officials boarding or leaving), never as a general gangway.
• Rigging is supervised by a responsible officer who is in contact with the bridge and escorts the pilot to the bridge.
• At the boarding point: a lifebuoy with a self-igniting light and a heaving line ready, and the area well lit at night.
• The pilot climbs not less than 1.5 m and not more than 9 m. If the freeboard is more than 9 m, use a combination arrangement (pilot ladder plus accommodation ladder, slope not more than 45°).

With the pilot on board

• The OOW stays responsible for safe navigation despite the pilot (MGN 315 (M) 4.1, STCW A-VIII/2 Part 4-1).
• The Master and pilot exchange information: the ship’s manoeuvring data, the pilot’s plan, local conditions and traffic.
• The pilot card gives the pilot the ship’s manoeuvring data. MCA recommends a pilot card on all SOLAS ships, and a pilot card, wheelhouse poster and manoeuvring booklet on new ships of 100 m and over and on new chemical and gas carriers (MGN 301 (M+F) Amd 1).
• Keep fixing the position and watching the ship’s movement as if the pilot were not there.
• In any doubt about the pilot’s actions or intentions: ask the pilot first; if the doubt remains, call the Master immediately and take whatever action is needed until the Master arrives (MGN 315 (M) 4.1).

Anchoring: the Anchor Plan and Bringing Up

In short: An anchorage is planned like any other part of the passage. The anchor plan says where, how and with what margin you will anchor; once the ship is brought up, the OOW secures the cable, shows the signals and starts the anchor watch.

What goes into an anchor plan

• The spot: depth, holding ground (nature of the bottom), shelter from the expected wind and sea, and clear of cables, pipelines and fairways.
• Swinging room: a circle clear of dangers and other ships. A common rule of thumb for its radius is ship’s length + length of cable veered.
• The approach: track, speed reductions, wheel-over points and a final heading into the wind or stream.
• Which anchor and how much cable, for the depth and the weather expected.
• Position monitoring: transits, clearing bearings, radar ranges and parallel indexing chosen in advance.
• Escape plan: what you will do, and where you will go, if the anchor drags or the weather turns.

Once brought up

• Chain stopper (guillotine bar) on and brake on, so the windlass is not holding the load.
• Anchor signals shown: ball by day, anchor lights by night.
• Position fixed and plotted; swing circle drawn on the chart or ECDIS.
• Proper anchor watch set.
• Engines kept at the readiness the Master orders.

The Anchor Watch

In short: At anchor the ship is still at sea: the OOW keeps a full watch, proves at frequent intervals that the anchor is holding, and calls the Master at once if it drags. Radar guard zones are no substitute for a look-out (MGN 315 (M) 12.1).

OOW duties at anchor

1. Fix and plot the position on the chart as soon as practicable (MGN 315 (M) 12.1).
2. Check the anchor is holding at frequent intervals, with bearings of fixed marks or shore objects; a good transit shows movement almost at once (MGN 315 (M) 12.1).
3. Keep a proper look-out and make inspection rounds of the ship.
4. Watch the weather, tide and sea.
5. Show the right signals: an all-round white light forward and a lower one aft by night, one ball forward by day; a ship under 50 m may show a single all-round white light; a ship of 100 m or more also lights her decks (COLREG Rule 30; see lights and shapes of special vessels).
6. In fog or poor visibility make the anchor sound signals: bell rung rapidly for about 5 s at intervals of not more than 1 min, plus a gong aft if 100 m or more (COLREG Rule 35(g); see fog signals).
7. In poor visibility also post extra look-outs, start a radar watch and call the Master (see restricted visibility).
8. Keep a good GMDSS radio watch.
9. Keep the second anchor ready to let go.
10. Look after the gangway, and watch all boats coming to and leaving the ship.
11. Keep the engines at the readiness the Master requires (MGN 315 (M) 12.1).
12. Call the Master instantly if the ship is in danger or drags, and take all necessary measures (MGN 315 (M) 12.1).

The Master stays responsible for making the anchor watch fit the conditions (MGN 315 (M) 12.1).

How to detect a dragging anchor

• Anchor position and swing circle: plot where the anchor went down and draw the circle; any fix outside it means trouble.
• Transits and bearings of fixed objects: the fastest check by eye.
• Radar range and bearing (VRM and EBL) on a fixed target, or a parallel index line along the coast (see radar position fixing).
• GPS anchor alarm set on the swing circle.
• SOG and COG: a steady speed and a steady course downwind are a warning; a swinging ship shows changing COG.
• Look at the cable: its lead and tension.
• Feel the cable: a vibrating or jerking chain often means the anchor is bumping along the bottom.

If the anchor drags: call the Master, engines to immediate readiness, prepare the second anchor, warn nearby ships on VHF, and be ready to heave up and re-anchor or put to sea. Do not wait to “be sure” — a few minutes of dragging in a crowded anchorage is enough to hit another ship.

What goes in the logbook at anchor

• Depth at the anchorage.
• Amount of cable veered, and any later change to it.
• Nature of the bottom.
• The anchor bearings or transits used to check the position.
• Boats arriving and leaving.
• The arrival draught.
• Any of the usual sea or port entries that apply (weather, visibility, signals, rounds).

The Port Watch: Alongside a Berth

In short: Alongside, the danger is no longer collision but people, moorings, fire and security. The OOW keeps the ship safe, secure and properly recorded.

OOW duties in port

1. Gangway checked and adjusted as the ship rises and falls with the tide and cargo; safety net rigged.
2. ISPS: access control and the measures for the port’s security level.
3. Moorings attended: tended as the draught and tide change, never too slack, never bar-tight.
4. Deck lights on at night.
5. Watchmen properly relieved.
6. Men working overside or aloft: their gear in a safe condition and a person standing by to watch them. Fly the two-flag signal RY: “proceed at slow speed when passing me” (International Code of Signals), so passing wash does not throw them about.
7. Fire patrols and frequent checks of the fire and smoke detection panel (see fire detection).

What goes in the logbook in port

• Weather conditions.
• Repair work and the number of men on it.
• Cargo: times loaded or discharged, holds in use, number of stevedore gangs, reasons for stoppages, hold ventilation.
• Tank soundings.
• The draught each day.
• Heavy-lift work.
• Names of the gangway watchmen.