 Duties of the Officer on Cargo Watch:

 The Officer of the Watch is primarily the Master’s

representative when on duty on deck.
 His/her task revolves around making and keeping a safe
environment for the crew and people on board, for the
ship and its cargo, and taking measures to prevent any
form of pollution.
 The details of the duties will vary with the type of the
ship but the basic duties are as follows:
 During cargo operations, Some steps that must be taken
to ensure the safety of personnel are:
 The location/readiness of life saving appliances and fire
fighting appliances.
 Safe access to and from within the vessel.
 Adequate lighting in holds, on deck and all other spaces
as required.
 Being aware of people on board and their location.
 Ventilating enclosed spaces before entering.
 Advising crew members of the dangers involved in
mishandling dangerous goods.
 Correct rigging of the cargo gear.
 Not exceeding the SWL of any gear and checking the
condition of the cargo gear prior being used.
 The safety of the ship and cargo can be ensured by
taking the following measures:
 Check the draft and under keel clearance at regular
intervals.
 Make sure there is no excessive trim or list.
 Check the moorings regularly.
 Check the bilges and ballast conditions.
 Check the tidal conditions and weather likely to be
encountered.
 Understand the cargo loading plan and the master’s
(Chief Officer’s) instructions.
 Know the various communication channels with shore
authorities, port control etc.
 Understand the causes of cargo damage and their
prevention.
 Maintain full written records in the port log book and/or
deck log book of all relevant events and data.
 Note any possible causes of damage to ship or cargo and
make every effort to prevent them.
 Note and record any damage to ship or cargo, and
immediately pass details to the chief mate who will hold
the stevedores responsible.
 Ensure that safe working procedures are followed.

 Additionally if at anchor:
 Ascertain the vessel’s position regularly.
 Keep a proper look out for possible dangers such as small
boats or floating objects such as logs.
 Check the anchor especially at the turn of tide.
 Log Book Entries:
 Cargo damage claims is the biggest claim that a
shipowner faces every year.
 Quite often, the shipowner is blamed for his/her
‘apparent lack of care’.
 In many cases, it is in fact a lack of documentation that
prevents the shipowner from defending him/herself.
 The following log entries will be of use in case of any
claims against the vessel.
 1. The cargo officer must not only note the condition of
the cargo, but also the weather experienced at the time
of loading and any special occurrence at the time.

 2. Should the cargo officer believe that cargo has been

damaged prior to loading, he/she must advise the Chief
Officer immediately and report that fact in the cargo log
book.

 3. Routine navigational, weather, sea state.

 4. Details of heaving-to, or action taken to avoid a tropical

storm.

 5. Dew point readings of cargo spaces and on deck.

 6. Ventilation of holds − times of starting and stopping,

reason for stopping, ventilators used, type of ventilation,
direction of ventilation, speed of fans, hygrometer
readings.
 7. Water, rainfall and spray over decks or hatches.

 8. Hold and hatch cover inspections − dates and times,

names of person making inspection, nature of inspection,
and findings.

 9. Temperatures, and methane and 02 meter readings, of

cargo such as coal.

 10. Pumping of bilge water − time, tonnage and origin

 11. Soundings full set daily, giving actual soundings.

 12. Testing of cargo care systems such as hold bilge

pumping system, hold ventilation fans, hold C02 injection
systems, testing of hatch cover water tightness.

 13. Inspection and tightening of lashings on cargo.

 14. Details of any fumigation.

 15. Changing of ship's ballast, to comply with pollution

regulations, or for purposes of draft and trim. Tanks
ballasted and deballasted.

 16. Details of ballast operations such as ballast valves

opened and shut, starts and stops of ballasting, and
ballast pump readings, soundings obtained.
 17. Surveys undertaken, with times, result and identity of
surveyor.

 18. Protests made by the ship.

 19. Starts, stoppages and completions of cargo work.

 20. Transfers of cargo-handling equipment.

 21. Cargo tonnages calculated or advised.

 22. Draft readings at completion of each pour during the

loading, and at least twice daily during discharge.

 23. Details of shifting ship.

 24. Times of bunkering, and quantities taken.

 25. When, where and how damage to ship or cargo

occurred. Detailed description of damage sustained.