Richard Skiba

Officer of the Watch: Officer Level Bridge Watchkeeping is a comprehensive guide to the knowledge, responsibilities, and professional standards required of modern deck officers serving at the operational level of the maritime industry. Covering the internationally recognised Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch (OICNW) role under the STCW Convention, this book explores the practical and theoretical foundations of bridge watchkeeping across coastal, offshore, and international commercial shipping operations.
Designed for cadets, trainee watchkeepers, junior officers, maritime students, and industry professionals, the book provides a structured journey through the core competencies expected of professional bridge officers. From voyage planning, position fixing, radar, ARPA, ECDIS, COLREGs, and ship handling, through to cargo operations, ship stability, GMDSS communications, pollution prevention, safety management, emergency response, and maritime law, the text brings together the broad operational knowledge required to safely navigate and manage a modern commercial vessel.
Recognising that watchkeeping is about far more than steering a ship, the book also examines leadership, teamwork, bridge resource management, fatigue, ethical responsibility, multicultural crews, and professional decision-making under pressure. Readers are introduced to the wider international maritime framework that shapes global shipping, including STCW, SOLAS, MARPOL, ISM, ISPS, and the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
The text explains not only what officers must do, but why these standards exist and how they contribute to safety, environmental protection, and professional seamanship. Drawing on real-world maritime operations, the book examines a wide range of vessel types and operating environments, including container ships, tankers, ferries, offshore support vessels, cruise ships, research vessels, tugs, and coastal commercial craft.
It provides practical insight into the realities of bridge operations, emergency situations, navigation in restricted waters, pilotage, heavy weather operations, and modern electronic navigation systems. Importantly, this book is designed to supplement approved maritime education and onboard training rather than replace it. Safe ship operations require supervised sea service, simulator instruction, practical assessment, and operational experience that cannot be gained from reading alone.
Instead, this text serves as a detailed learning companion, revision resource, and professional reference for those preparing for examinations, progressing through officer certification pathways, or seeking to strengthen their understanding of officer-level bridge watchkeeping.