Wave – The Seafarers’ Digital Wallet

Tag: Maritime Training

  • Toolbox Talks & Routine Jobs: A Cadet’s Guide to Working Safely

    Toolbox Talks & Routine Jobs: A Cadet’s Guide to Working Safely

    CADETS CORNER

    Routine job. Fully switched-on brain.

    A toolbox talk, a mop and a question you almost did not ask. All three can teach you something about becoming a good officer.

    You joined the ship to learn navigation or engineering. Today, someone has asked you to clean a room, organise a store or assist with another job that does not look especially heroic.

    No dramatic soundtrack. No impressive button to press. Possibly a bucket.

    Welcome to another part of your maritime education.

    This guide connects toolbox talks onboard ships with daily routine duties for deck and engine cadets. The aim is to work properly, understand why the job matters and speak up whenever something is unclear or unsafe.

    Routine means familiar. It does not mean risk-free. Learn the correct method, recognise the hazards and stay alert even when you have done the job before.

    1. Small jobs are part of learning the whole ship

    A deck cadet may receive work from the chief officer, with a bosun or another designated crew member supervising the practical task. An engine cadet may receive assignments from the second engineer or another designated engineer. Follow your vessel’s actual arrangements.

    Cleaning, putting tools away and preparing materials support the people doing the next job. They are real responsibilities, not proof that your training has been forgotten.

    Learning what makes a task awkward, safe or efficient also prepares you to assign work fairly later. You will give better instructions if you understand the effort, equipment and time involved.

    Respect the bosun, ratings and everyone else teaching you. Their practical experience is valuable. Becoming an officer does not make everyday work beneath you.

    Useful duties belong within a balanced training programme. Doing routine work properly and receiving supervised learning opportunities should go together.

    2. A toolbox talk is a conversation before the job

    A toolbox talk is a short, task-focused discussion about the work and how to do it safely. The briefing should match the task and the ship’s procedures; a simple routine assignment and a complex operation will not need identical preparation.

    Understand these essentials before starting:

    • The task: what are we doing, and what is outside the job’s scope?
    • Your role: what exactly should you do, and who supervises you?
    • The hazards: what could harm you, others, equipment or the environment?
    • The surroundings: who is working nearby, where will people and equipment move, and what other activities could affect this job?
    • The controls: what precautions are required and actually in place?
    • The limits: what changes or concerns mean we must stop and reassess?
    • Communication: whom do you contact, and how do you raise the alarm?

    Controls may include a safer method, barriers, appropriate equipment, authorised isolations, permits where required and suitable PPE. A toolbox talk supports these arrangements; it does not replace them.

    For further reading, the MCA guide to good practice in port and marine facilities explains active participation and confirming understanding during toolbox talks.

    3. Three nods are not proof of understanding

    Ask about anything relevant that you do not understand. This is the moment to clarify the unfamiliar tool, the boundary you must not cross or the part of the instruction that sounded important but made no sense.

    Do not be embarrassed to say, “I have not understood.” Being new is expected. Pretending to understand creates avoidable problems.

    Try these sentences:

    • “Could you show me that step again?”
    • “Which product and tools should I use?”
    • “Just to confirm: I do this part, and then call you before continuing?”
    • “What should I do if the conditions change?”

    Repeat the key instruction in your own words so your supervisor can confirm or correct it. If your contribution was three nods and you still do not know your task, the discussion needs another minute.

    Our guide to asking again onboard covers this habit in more detail.

    4. Deck cadets: useful routine jobs to learn properly

    Depending on the vessel and your assignment, examples may include:

    • Cleaning an assigned control-room floor or work area: use the agreed method without interfering with the watch or equipment.
    • Organising approved stores: return materials to their designated places, secure them and report damaged items.
    • Preparing tools: learn names, purposes and checks, then return equipment after the task.
    • Assisting with supervised checks: observe how assigned deck or safety equipment is inspected and how defects are reported.
    • Accurate records and document preparation: understand the form, complete only your assigned part and obtain the required review.

    Assisting with an inspection does not mean independently testing a release, operating a valve or adjusting safety equipment. Know the boundary of your assignment.

    The task may look small. The habits you build are not.

    5. The mop example: clean the floor without creating another hazard

    The chief officer asks you to clean the control room at the end of the day. That means a properly prepared job, not a surprise indoor lake.

    • Coordinate first: confirm the timing and area with the responsible person. An active control room remains an operational workplace.
    • Use approved materials: check instructions and the required chemical precautions. Do not mix cleaning products.
    • Protect other people: position wet-floor warnings and any required barriers before making the area slippery.
    • Keep access safe: work in agreed sections, preserving safe access and escape routes. A warning sign alone does not make an unsafe route acceptable.
    • Protect equipment: avoid splashes and trailing wet equipment near electrical installations. Floor cleaning is not permission to wipe switches, screens or consoles.
    • Finish properly: leave the area clean and safely dry, clear away equipment and remove warnings only when the hazard has gone.

    If you find a leak or defect, report it. Repeatedly mopping the same unexplained liquid is not a repair strategy.

    “It is only cleaning” is not a risk assessment. Someone can still slip, equipment can still be damaged and chemicals can still cause harm. Learn the safe method before making the floor impressively shiny.

    6. Engine cadets: routine work connects the machinery to the theory

    Your second engineer or designated supervisor may assign activities such as:

    • Accompanying rounds: learn the route, identify equipment and report observations.
    • Taking assigned readings: confirm the instrument, units and recording method; ask what the figure means.
    • Housekeeping in an approved area: keep walkways and workspaces orderly using the specified method.
    • Preparing and returning tools: check condition and keep track of what was used.
    • Assisting with planned maintenance: learn the sequence and your limited role under the required supervision.

    Do not clean moving machinery, open guards, remove tags or operate equipment because it seems convenient. Confirm the safe condition and any required isolation with the responsible engineer.

    For unfamiliar readings, report the actual value and ask. Copying yesterday’s number saves a few seconds and removes the entire point of taking today’s reading.

    A useful question is: “What would look different if something were going wrong?”

    7. Efficient means organised — not rushed

    With practice, routine work should become more organised and efficient. Aim to avoid wasted effort, not necessary precautions.

    Confirm the job, gather the correct equipment, plan the sequence and check the result. If the time allowed is unrealistic, discuss it rather than trying to compensate with shortcuts.

    A professional finishes safely and properly. Running back three times for forgotten materials is inefficient. Skipping a barrier to save a minute is worse.

    No cutting corners: keep the required PPE, checks, supervision and safeguards. Routine is not permission to improvise.

    8. “The controls are in place, but I still do not feel safe.”

    Say so. A completed briefing or permit does not remove your responsibility to report a concern.

    Perhaps the task differs from what was explained. A barrier has moved. Someone else has started work nearby. You feel dizzy, frightened or uncertain about the next step.

    Stop your activity safely. Warn others if necessary. Inform the supervisor. Move to safety and raise the alarm if the situation requires it. Do not restart until the concern has been addressed and the responsible person confirms the safe way forward.

    Do not create another hazard by abruptly abandoning something you are controlling. Follow the task’s safe-stop arrangements and request help.

    Learning tasks must have supervision appropriate to the risk and your competence. Before starting, know who is supervising you, how to reach them and which steps require their presence.

    “I do not feel safe doing this” is useful information. It should start a discussion, not a competition over who is bravest.

    For example: imagine being asked to assist with an unfamiliar task at height when you are on your first voyage. This is a demanding example, not a casual job to hand to a new cadet without preparation. If you are afraid of heights, say so before climbing: “I am afraid of heights, and I do not feel safe doing this.”

    The supervisor needs that information to reassess your participation and the arrangements. Suitable training, fall-risk controls, supervision and rescue planning must be addressed. A harness alone does not make the assignment suitable. Do not try to prove your courage by hiding a genuine limitation.

    9. Focus on the task — and keep the wider picture

    Good concentration includes noticing the space you are working in and the people sharing it. Before starting, become familiar with the layout, access routes, obstacles and the work taking place nearby.

    Know who is working with you, where each person is positioned and how your actions could affect them. Their position can change as the job progresses. Keep checking at sensible points, especially before moving yourself, a tool or a load.

    A simple example: you lift a long item, concentrate on holding your end and turn around. If you have not checked the clearance, the other end could strike the person beside you.

    Before lifting or turning, check the route, the full sweep of the item and the people around it. Warn and coordinate with others; do not assume they have seen what you intend to do. For a shared lift, agree who leads and the signals before moving. Ask for help or suitable handling equipment when needed.

    The same awareness matters when opening a door into a walkway, moving a trolley, placing a bucket or leaving a hose across someone’s route. A job completed at the expense of somebody else’s safety is not a job done well.

    This is another purpose of the toolbox talk: building a shared picture of the task, positions, movements and other activities that could interfere. If that picture changes, communicate and reassess. Do not rely on the briefing to notice changes for you.

    Keep your attention on the work while maintaining awareness of your surroundings. If the task becomes too demanding to monitor both safely, pause at a safe point and request assistance or a revised method.

    The ship is not a single-player game. The person standing next to you is part of the safety picture too.

    10. Finish the job — and close the loop

    Completion includes leaving the workplace ready for the next person.

    • Return and secure tools and materials.
    • Deal with waste through the correct shipboard arrangements.
    • Check that access routes are clear and the area is safe.
    • Report defects, incomplete work and anything unexpected.
    • Tell the supervisor the task is complete and obtain any required check.

    If the job is unfinished, say so plainly. A mop left in a bucket is not an internationally recognised handover signal.

    Later, at an appropriate time, note one thing you learned and one question to follow up. Our cadet notebook guide can help you keep it simple.

    Build good routines for your career records too

    As practical experience grows, keep your personal certificates and sea-service history organised. Wave — The Seafarers’ Digital Wallet helps you keep personal documents together, track sea service and stay aware of expiry dates.

    Official toolbox records, permits and operational information stay in the company’s approved systems. Wave supports your personal organisation.

    Download Wave for iOS and Android.

    Understand it. Do it properly. Speak up.

    You do not become dependable by pretending to know everything. You become dependable by learning, working carefully and telling the truth when something is unclear or unsafe.
    Even when today’s most important piece of equipment is a mop.

    General learning guidance for cadets, not a task procedure or authorisation. Follow your vessel’s Safety Management System, risk assessments, manuals, permits and responsible officers. Further reading:
    MCA Code of Safe Working Practices;
    AMSA safety awareness and stopping unsafe work.

  • First Port Watch: A Cadet’s Guide to Gangway Duties and Life Alongside

    First Port Watch: A Cadet’s Guide to Gangway Duties and Life Alongside

    CADETS CORNER

    The ship is alongside. Your attention is still required.

    Your first port watch: visitors at the gangway, voices on the radio and machinery still working below. Welcome to the part of the voyage that definitely is not a pause button.

    Your first port call is approaching. For a trading LNG carrier, tanker or bulk carrier, the main purpose is usually to carry out its commercial work: loading or discharging cargo. Other port calls may have different purposes.

    You have not arrived at an enormous floating hotel’s city break. The vessel has a job to do.

    As a cadet, you are not expected to plan or control the cargo operation independently. You are expected to start understanding the people, documents, measurements and routines that make a port call possible.

    This first port watch guide for deck and engine cadets focuses on oceangoing merchant ships. Your duties depend on the vessel, operations, training and responsible officers’ instructions.

    Your first objective: understand what is happening around the operation. Cargo knowledge will develop through supervised training. For now, learn the foundations — and do the ordinary jobs properly. They are part of the profession too.

    1. Understand the port call before trying to run it

    Ask who the agent is, which authorities are involved, what the visiting surveyor needs and which documents must be ready. The agent helps coordinate the call; the agent is not every authority rolled into one person.

    • Free pratique: the public-health permission associated with a ship’s arrival, allowing activities such as embarking or disembarking people and loading or unloading, subject to applicable requirements. It may be granted before arrival by communication with the authority. It is not customs or immigration clearance.
    • Port clearance: learn the local arrival and departure formalities. The expression often refers to official permission to depart after the relevant requirements have been met. It is not a universal single document that automatically authorises every activity.
    • Separate approvals: health, customs, immigration, port and terminal processes serve different purposes. “Free pratique granted” does not mean every other permission has been obtained.

    Depending on the port, you may help prepare crew lists, ship particulars, stores declarations, health documents or requested certificate copies. Ask your supervisor which version is required and who checks, signs and submits it.

    Photocopying, scanning and preparing an orderly document set are proper work. Do them accurately, protect personal information and never change a declaration or sign for someone without authorisation.

    Use the task to learn: What is this document? Who needs it? Why? When must it be ready? Some information is submitted electronically before arrival; the paper folder is only part of the picture.

    The photocopier is not preventing your maritime education. Sometimes it is introducing the next chapter.

    2. Look up: the flags are sending messages

    Know what the signals mean before helping to hoist them. These are basic International Code of Signals meanings; display requirements and additional local signals must be checked onboard.

    Flag What to recognise
    Q — Quebec
    Solid yellow    		 Signals a healthy vessel requesting free pratique. Follow instructions on when to display and lower it; do not confuse the request with permission already granted.
    B — Bravo
    Red swallowtail    		 Taking in, carrying or discharging dangerous goods. This is a particular code flag, not a rule that any red flag always means dangerous cargo.
    G — Golf
    Yellow/blue vertical stripes    		 For this merchant-ship context: a pilot is required.
    H — Hotel
    White/red vertical halves    		 A pilot is onboard. Different from requesting one.
    Courtesy flag and ensign The courtesy flag acknowledges the country visited. The ship’s ensign identifies its own nationality; the two have different roles.

    The starboard signal position is commonly associated with the courtesy flag, and Q may also use a starboard signal halyard. Learn the actual mast arrangement, precedence and local requirements from your officer. Do not turn this into a blanket rule that every other signal must always be on the port side.

    Ask which flag goes where, when it changes and who authorises that change. Flags are communication, not festive decoration.

    3. “But I am a day worker.”

    You may normally work daytime hours. In port, you may be assigned gangway duties, deck assistance or administrative support appropriate to your training.

    Aim to become a dependable member of the team. For a deck cadet, the chief officer is commonly the departmental supervisor, with other officers directing assigned tasks. Engine cadets follow their designated engineering supervisor.

    Follow lawful, safe instructions within your training and competence. Confirm priorities if two people give conflicting tasks. If you do not understand, need supervision or see a danger, say so before proceeding. Being useful includes speaking up.

    “That is not interesting enough” is not a good reason to dismiss a task. Accurate paperwork and a properly maintained gangway watch help the whole operation.

    Check your roster and relief arrangements. Port watches may follow six-hour periods or another pattern; no single pattern applies to every ship.

    Extra work and minimum rest are different questions. A port call may require a change to your usual working hours. That change must still comply with applicable work/rest rules and fatigue controls. Record the hours actually worked.

    For personnel covered by STCW rest provisions, the normal minimum is 10 hours’ rest in any 24 hours and 77 hours in any seven days, with additional conditions governing how rest is divided. Follow the applicable flag-state rules, MLC/STCW requirements and authorised arrangements.

    What does “the ship needs us” mean? A genuine need to protect the immediate safety of the ship, people or cargo, or to assist persons in distress, may require the master to suspend the normal schedule. An urgent machinery failure threatening safety is different from simply wanting to finish routine cargo work sooner.

    A busy port call does not automatically make every task an emergency. Routine arrivals, cargo operations and commercial deadlines require planning; they do not create a general exemption from minimum rest.

    After an emergency interruption, adequate recovery rest must be arranged as soon as practicable. Report fatigue early and keep accurate records. You can be committed to the team without pretending you slept while you were actually working.

    4. Before taking over: know what is happening

    Arrive in time for the required handover. Do not let your first question be “So, what are we doing?” after the previous person has disappeared.

    • Know your assigned position and the person in charge.
    • Understand the current operations and the hazards relevant to your task.
    • Check the current security level and the instructions applying to your post.
    • Know the designated radio channel, call signs and reporting route.
    • Receive updates on expected visitors, outstanding matters and restrictions through the approved process.
    • Check your required PPE and the equipment you have been assigned.

    Find out which station you should call: the cargo control room, bridge, duty officer or another designated point. “Control” is useful only if everyone knows which control you mean.

    Our first bridge watch guide covers the watch at sea. In port, the activities change; the need for a proper handover remains.

    5. Deck cadets: the gangway is not a reception desk

    Be polite and helpful. Also remember that access to the vessel is controlled.

    A confident walk, a familiar face or “I have been here before” does not replace the required checks. Follow the vessel’s access-control instructions and the Ship Security Officer’s directions.

    Depending on the ship’s procedures, your assigned duties may include:

    • Checking identification and the purpose of the visit through the authorised process.
    • Confirming the visit with the designated onboard contact.
    • Recording arrival and departure details accurately.
    • Issuing and recovering visitor passes where required.
    • Passing on the prescribed safety information and relevant restrictions.
    • Arranging an authorised escort and keeping the visitor in the designated waiting area until the escort arrives.

    One designated access route means one designated access route. Where the ship operates a single controlled entry/exit, visitors and crew use that point. Do not open another accommodation door as a shortcut. Other openings remain controlled as instructed, while emergency escapes must remain usable. This is the vessel’s access arrangement, not a universal claim that ISPS requires exactly one gangway on every ship.

    A visitor badge is part of a procedure. It is not a souvenir, and issuing one is not permission for someone to explore the ship independently.

    Useful phrase: “Please wait here while I contact the duty officer and arrange your escort.”
    Calm, clear and much better than pointing vaguely towards the accommodation and hoping for the best.

    Report access problems or unusual behaviour through the prescribed route. Do not abandon your post to escort someone, investigate alone or get into a confrontation. Request assistance.

    Protect visitor information. Registers, passes, security arrangements and radio conversations are not material for social media.

    6. Security Level 1 still means security

    ISPS means the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. It provides a framework for ship and port-facility security. Learn the instructions for your assigned duties from the Ship Security Officer and the approved Ship Security Plan, or SSP.

    • Level 1 — normal: the baseline protective measures remain in place.
    • Level 2 — heightened: additional measures apply because the risk has increased.
    • Level 3 — exceptional: further specific measures apply when a security incident is probable or imminent. Follow the instructions issued; do not invent a response.

    The level number is not a search percentage. The ISPS Code does not set universal ratios such as “one person in five” at Level 1 or “five in ten” at Level 2. Search frequency, selection and procedures come from the approved plan and applicable instructions.

    Identity checks and searches are separate steps. A random-search arrangement does not mean that everybody else may board without the required identity and access checks.

    Only undertake searches if trained, authorised and assigned to do so. Follow the approved method, preserve dignity and privacy, and refer refusals or uncertainty to the responsible officer. Politeness alone does not authorise an improvised search.

    The IMO maritime security FAQ explains the levels. Exact onboard security arrangements are not for public discussion.

    7. Your smartwatch is electronic equipment too

    On LNG carriers, other gas carriers, chemical and oil tankers, hazardous-area precautions are particularly important. Bulk carriers and other ships also have their own equipment restrictions. Learn the ship and terminal rules before starting duty.

    Keep personal phones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, wireless earbuds, cameras and other non-approved electronics out of areas where they are prohibited. If your assignment requires leaving them in the accommodation or another approved storage location, do that before reporting for duty.

    A smartwatch is not exempt because it looks like an ordinary watch. Remove it before entering an area where it is not permitted. Do not assume that airplane mode or switching a device off makes it acceptable to carry there.

    Give visitors the same prescribed instructions. If the ship provides a designated storage arrangement, follow it; do not invent your own collection box.

    Use only work equipment approved for the task and location, including appropriate hazardous-area certification where required. An approved shipboard UHF radio is not the same as a personal consumer device.

    Restrictions depend on the area, equipment and procedures. There is no single worldwide rule banning every electronic device in every part of every ship simply because it is in port. Follow the actual restrictions without making exceptions for your own gadgets.

    Your step counter can survive missing a few thousand steps. The safety rules do not need an exception so it can keep counting.

    8. Your UHF radio is not a group chat

    Receiving your first walkie-talkie can be exciting. Suddenly everyone can hear you.

    This is also the problem.

    During operations, the working channel must remain available for necessary communication. It is not the place for a detailed review of lunch or a conversation that could wait until coffee.

    Before transmitting: listen, identify whom you are calling, identify yourself and give the relevant information clearly. Keep routine messages brief. Confirm instructions as required; if you did not understand, ask again.

    Use the assigned channel and call signs, and check the radio as instructed at handover. Know what to do if it fails. Do not change settings experimentally or interrupt an operational exchange with an unrelated question.

    A routine message might be: “Duty officer, gangway. The expected service technician has arrived. Please advise regarding escort.” Adapt the wording to the ship’s procedures and protect sensitive information.

    Brief does not mean incomplete. “He is here” leaves everyone playing a guessing game. For emergencies, use the prescribed alarm and reporting procedure immediately.

    9. Stay at your post until properly relieved

    Need water, the toilet or help with another task? Contact the designated officer or control station and arrange relief.

    Do not simply announce that you are leaving and walk away. Notification and an agreed, effective handover are different things.

    If someone asks you to leave for another job, explain that you are covering the gangway and confirm the change with the responsible officer. Two instructions should not accidentally produce one unattended post.

    In an emergency or immediate danger, follow the emergency procedure and move to safety as necessary, raising the alarm. Remaining at a dangerous position is not proof of dedication.

    10. Watch the access route and the work around you

    The gangway and its approaches need attention as vessel movement and berth conditions change. Report unsafe access, obstructions, damaged arrangements or inadequate lighting promptly. Adjustments must be made by authorised personnel using the proper method.

    Wear the prescribed PPE properly: sleeves down and secured, safety footwear, helmet, eye protection and suitable gloves where required, plus any task-specific protection. The exact selection follows the risk assessment and ship/terminal rules.

    If assigned to deck rounds, learn the safe route and what you are expected to observe. Stay clear of suspended loads, moving equipment and mooring-line hazards.

    On a bulk carrier, cranes, grabs, hatch openings and dust may shape the hazards. On a tanker or gas carrier, cargo-transfer areas and associated restrictions need particular attention. Some hazards overlap; learn the ones on your vessel.

    Report what you see. Do not touch a cargo valve, operate equipment or enter a restricted space because you think it might help.

    11. Deck basics: draughts, water samples and knowing your instrument

    The chief officer may ask you to assist with reading draughts or obtaining a water sample. These are excellent opportunities to connect academy theory with a real vessel.

    For draught readings: learn the vessel’s markings, units and scale before reporting a figure. Identify forward, midship and aft positions and the relevant port and starboard marks. Read the waterline against the scale, not merely the nearest painted number. Ask how to account for waves and how observations are recorded and checked.

    Never invent a reading because the mark is difficult to see. Report the difficulty. Do not lean over an unprotected edge or go overside without the approved safe arrangement and authorisation.

    For a draft survey, water density matters. A suitable calibrated draft-survey hydrometer measures density. A salinometer measures salinity. These properties are related, but the instruments and their outputs are not interchangeable.

    Before collecting a sample, have the method demonstrated: the approved equipment, safe sampling position, sampling requirements, correct instrument, units and recording procedure. A random bucket from the surface may not represent the water needed for the survey.

    Your job is to obtain and report reliable observations under supervision. The responsible officer or surveyor checks their use in the calculation.

    Prepare before the request arrives. Know where the instrument is, what it measures and how to handle it. “I have seen one in a textbook” is a useful beginning, not the end of familiarisation.

    12. Engine cadets: alongside does not mean switched off

    The main propulsion machinery may not be operating in its usual sea-going condition. Plenty of other systems can still be supporting the vessel.

    Depending on the ship and operation, electrical generation, cooling, compressed air, boilers or steam services and other auxiliaries may remain important. Ask your supervising engineer how the systems currently in use support the port call.

    Support your assigned engineering watch through supervised activities such as:

    • Handover: learning the machinery status, ongoing work and outstanding issues.
    • Rounds: following the assigned route and reporting unusual indications or conditions.
    • Readings: taking and recording assigned measurements accurately, with guidance on their meaning.
    • Alarms: reporting promptly and following the engineer’s instructions.
    • Housekeeping: noticing leaks, obstructions and other hazards without interfering with equipment.

    The Engine Control Room is a place to learn, not a waiting room where you spend the entire assignment looking busy.

    Rounds and control-room duties are both valuable. Carry them out as assigned, with the required supervision, PPE and communication.

    13. Learn why the machinery is running

    A useful question is: “Which systems are supporting this operation, and what would be affected if one became unavailable?”

    Ask your supervising engineer to connect the diagram, local equipment and control-room indication. Identify what is running, what is available on standby and why, without changing anything yourself.

    Understand how the engineering team coordinates with deck requirements during cargo work, ballast operations or preparations for departure. Responsibilities vary between vessels; never assume the same pump belongs to the same department everywhere.

    A cadet’s learning question is not an operating instruction. Do not start or stop pumps, reset trips, change valve positions or interfere with isolations without authorisation and the required supervision. Follow emergency instructions and raise the alarm when necessary.

    Curiosity is excellent. Random button testing is a very expensive learning method.

    14. Finish with a handover, not a disappearance

    Pass on relevant information through the approved records and briefing: outstanding visitor matters for your gangway assignment, equipment concerns, assigned readings or anything awaiting follow-up.

    Use facts. Say what happened, where, when and whom you informed. If something is still unresolved, make that clear.

    When you are properly relieved, use a suitable moment to note what you learned. Never let study notes distract you from access control or an active task.

    If you need a simple method, revisit our cadet notebook guide.

    15. And if there is time to go ashore?

    If permission is granted, the port and terminal allow it, and your duties, rest and return arrangements make it feasible, enjoy the opportunity to see somewhere new.

    Shore leave is a separate topic. We will cover your first crew shore leave in a future Cadets Corner article. For now, finish the assignment and confirm your release before planning the coffee ashore.

    Your port-watch records stay with the ship. Your career records travel with you.

    Visitor registers, security information and operational records belong in the approved shipboard systems. Do not copy them into a personal app.

    For your own certificates and sea-service history, Wave — The Seafarers’ Digital Wallet helps keep personal records organised as you gain experience.

    Download Wave for iOS and Android.

    Be present. Be observant. Be clear.

    You do not need to know everything on your first port watch. You do need to know your assignment, ask when uncertain and keep the responsible person informed.
    And remember: the radio has a push-to-talk button, not a start-a-podcast button.

    General learning guidance, not a substitute for shipboard training or instructions. Follow the vessel’s Safety Management System, security arrangements, terminal requirements and responsible officers. Further reading:
    AMSA fatigue and operational planning;
    ISPS Code access-control guidance;
    WHO International Health Regulations;
    International Code of Signals;
    Britannia P&I draft-survey guidance;
    IMO maritime security guidance and the
    MCA Code of Safe Working Practices.