Lookout Duties Overview
- From Collision Reguations: “Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.”
- Being on lookout is a vital part of ensuring the OOW (Officer of the Watch) is apprised of potential hazards to navigation. Vigilance while on duty is extremely important. Despite having radar, GPS with AIS, and sounding information, the OOW must visually observe sightings to determine how they may or may not affect navigation.
- Reporting a sighting involves relaying a relative bearing and approximately how far it is. Common methods for doing this are using the point system (explained further in the next section) for relative bearings and referring to distances in terms of cables (600 feet).
- When travelling through fog, it’s common for a lookout to be posted at the bow of the vessel in order to acquire a visual of any navigational hazards as early as possible. When communicating this information to the bridge, this can be done by handheld radio or ship’s bell. When using the ship’s bell to relay sightings to the bridge, the following convention is considered common:
- One stroke of the bell indicates a sighting off the starboard bow
- Two strokes of the bell indicates a sighting off the port bow
- Three strokes of the bell indicates a sighting dead ahead
- Rapid ringing of the bell if there is imminent danger