Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Watch Officer

🎯 Role Definition

The Watch Officer (Officer of the Watch / OOW) is the primary on-duty bridge or control-room officer responsible for safe navigation, ship control, collision avoidance, crew coordination, and immediate incident response during assigned watches. The role ensures compliance with SOLAS, COLREG, ISM and company procedures, operates and monitors navigation and communication systems (ECDIS, Radar/ARPA, AIS, GMDSS), supervises deck operations during the watch and handovers, and maintains accurate logs and reports. This position demands high situational awareness, decisiveness under pressure, impeccable record-keeping and coordinated communication with the Master, engineering, shoreside teams and external authorities.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Deck Cadet or Trainee Officer
Able Seafarer / Able Bodied Seaman with certifications
Third Officer or Junior Watchkeeper

Advancement To:

Chief Mate / Chief Officer
Master (Captain) / Ship Manager
Fleet Operations Manager or Marine Superintendent

Lateral Moves:

Marine/Bridge Systems Trainer or Simulator Instructor
Port Operations or Terminal Duty Officer
Safety & Compliance Officer (ISM/ISPS roles)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Maintain safe navigation and conduct the vessel during assigned watches, including steering, speed management and continuous monitoring of position using ECDIS, radar, GPS, paper charts and visual bearings to ensure passage plan compliance and collision avoidance.
Execute comprehensive passage planning and pre-watch briefings: verify waypoints, crossing plans, shallow water restrictions, traffic separation schemes, pilot boarding areas and contingency routing in accordance with SOLAS, COLREG and company procedures.
Monitor and interpret all bridge and navigation equipment — ECDIS, ARPA/radar, AIS, gyro and magnetic compasses, speed logs and echo sounder — and promptly act on alarms, anomalies and degradation of system performance.
Apply COLREG rules, maintain lookouts, assess collision risk, take timely and effective action and document decisions and maneuvers in the deck log and OOW handover notes.
Conduct bridge resource management (BRM): coordinate with second OOW, helmsman, lookout, and bridge team to ensure clear roles, effective communication and safe task allocation during routine and emergency scenarios.
Maintain continuous, effective VHF/HF, GMDSS and ship-to-shore communications with port control, pilots, tugs, coastal authorities and company operations; record all inbound/outbound communications and instructions.
Lead and coordinate emergency response on the bridge for situations such as man overboard, fire, flooding, collision, grounding or security incidents; implement immediate corrective actions and notify the Master and emergency teams.
Supervise mooring, unmooring and navigational maneuvers during berthing and departure; prepare and verify tug/pilot orders, engine/steering readiness and deck team positioning to minimize risk during confined water operations.
Execute safe pilot transfer and pilot on-board procedures, brief pilots on current vessel status, passage plan deviations and local navigational challenges; maintain watch during pilotage as required.
Conduct regular checks and functional tests of life-saving and firefighting systems relevant to bridge operations, ensure emergency equipment stowage and that crew are briefed on watchkeeper responsibilities for drills and incidents.
Perform thorough watch handovers: provide concise, documented briefings covering position, course, planned maneuvers, equipment status, ongoing tasks, safety concerns and outstanding defects to the relieving officer.
Maintain accurate and legible deck and navigation logs, incident reports, ARPA track logs and electronic logbook entries to satisfy ISM, class and port state control requirements.
Implement ballast and trim instructions in coordination with the Master and Chief Engineer to maintain safe stability during passage, loading/discharging and maneuvering.
Enforce and document safety, security (ISPS) and environmental protection procedures during the watch, including garbage/oil record book entries, emissions monitoring and compliance with MARPOL reporting requirements.
Conduct routine inspections of navigational lights, signals, bridge windows, watch alarms and safety signage; report and follow up on defects with technical teams or shoreside support.
Supervise watchkeeping deck crew during cargo operations (where applicable), coordinate with cargo officers and chief mate about hatch/ro-ro/chemical handling procedures to ensure safety and compliance.
Manage watchkeeper training and mentorship: provide on-watch instruction to junior officers and cadets, oversee simulator practice and validate competency in navigation, BRM and emergency procedures.
Liaise with shoreside operations, SMMC or charterers for voyage updates, emergencies, routing advisories and regulatory notifications; prepare timely situation reports and voyage completion reports.
Conduct risk assessments and dynamic passage risk evaluations for heavy traffic, narrow channels, poor weather, ice, shoals and pilotage zones; apply mitigation controls and escalate to Master as required.
Oversee bridge watch alarm systems, fatigue management and rest period compliance for the crew; monitor workload distribution and report non-conformities to the Master or HSQE department.
Initiate and manage onboard incident investigations for navigation-related occurrences: gather witness statements, secure radar/ECDIS data, create corrective action plans and contribute to safety meetings and near-miss reviews.
Ensure proper use of nautical publications, charts (electronic and paper), Notices to Mariners and up-to-date voyage-related navigational warnings; update ECDIS and chart corrections as required.
Maintain awareness and readiness for cyber security protocols that affect bridge systems; follow company procedures for software updates, access control and reporting of suspicious digital activity.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist with routine safety, quality and ISM audits by providing documentation and clarifications on bridge procedures and watchkeeping records.
Support bridge equipment upgrades and trials by coordinating manufacturer access, preparing test plans and compiling post-installation performance reports.
Participate in cross-functional meetings with engine-room and deck departments to optimize voyage fuel efficiency, routing and cargo operations.
Provide administrative support for crew certification tracking: collect, verify and forward STCW endorsements, medicals and refresher training records to HR/crew managers.
Maintain and submit environmental and voyage performance metrics (fuel consumption, speed logs, emissions data) for fleet performance programs and sustainability reporting.
Assist in the design and delivery of onboard safety drills, BRM refreshers and competency assessments for crew rotation periods.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

ECDIS operation, route planning and electronic chart management (experience with multiple ECDIS vendors).
Radar/ARPA operation, target tracking, CPA/TCPA evaluation and collision avoidance techniques.
GMDSS, VHF/HF radio procedures and distress/urgency handling (SRC/LRC familiarity).
Comprehensive knowledge of COLREG, SOLAS, MARPOL, ISM Code and port state control practices.
Practical passage planning and pilotage procedures, including use of pilotage information, tidal and current data.
Bridge Resource Management (BRM), watchkeeping principles and fatigue/rest regulation compliance.
Competency with AIS, GPS/GNSS systems, gyro/compass reconciliation and electronic/paper chart corrections.
Watchkeeping certifications and endorsements: STCW Basic Safety Training, Radar/ARPA certificate, ECDIS certificate, and appropriate Certificate of Competency or OOW license.
Incident reporting and accident investigation techniques, including data extraction from navigation equipment and drafting of root cause analysis.
Proficiency with voyage documentation, deck logbooks, cargo documentation, ISPS procedures and basic marine engineering awareness relevant to bridge operations.

Soft Skills

Acute situational awareness and risk-based decision-making under pressure.
Clear, concise radio and onboard communications; strong report writing and documentation skills.
Leadership and team coordination to manage watch teams, pilots and shore interactions.
Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting mindset for operational and equipment anomalies.
Cultural awareness and diplomacy when interacting with multinational crews, port authorities and contractors.
Attention to detail for accurate record-keeping, chart corrections and compliance tasks.
Resilience and stress tolerance during long watches, adverse weather and high-traffic situations.
Time management and ability to prioritize multiple simultaneous inputs and alarms.
Coaching and mentoring aptitude for developing junior officers and cadets.
Continuous learning mindset and openness to new bridge technologies and regulatory changes.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent plus STCW Basic Safety Training and relevant statutory certificates (ECDIS, Radar/ARPA, GMDSS as applicable).

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree or diploma in Nautical Science, Maritime Transportation or equivalent.
Higher national diploma with official Certificate of Competency (OOW, Chief Mate or Master endorsements as applicable).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Nautical Science / Navigation
Maritime Studies / Maritime Operations
Marine Transportation / Shipping Management
Marine Engineering (basic understanding advantageous)
Safety & Environmental Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2 to 8 years of seagoing experience with at least 12 months cumulative watchkeeping time as Officer of the Watch (varies by flag and company).

Preferred:

3+ years serving as a Watch Officer/OOW on similar vessel types (container, tanker, bulk carrier, LNG, cruise or offshore support), with demonstrable passage planning, pilotage and incident management experience.
Prior experience with international voyages, multi-vendor navigation suites and company ISM/ISPS systems.