Bridge Equipment: Course Recorders, Echo Sounders and NAVTEX
Underpinning authority: MSN 1858 (as amended) and SOLAS Chapter V
Understanding why each piece of equipment is fitted — and what the Master's responsibility is regarding its operation, records, and failure — is the exam focus. Examiners are testing command-level accountability, not technical repair knowledge.
Course Recorders
A course recorder (heading recorder) provides a continuous record of the vessel's heading over time. Its value to the Master is evidential and managerial: it corroborates bridge team actions during any incident investigation and provides an objective check on whether helmsmen or autopilot are maintaining the ordered course. For this reason, the record has legal weight and must be preserved following any incident — treat it the same as the VDR.
The Master should ensure the recorder is operational before departure, that the paper roll (where applicable) or data log has sufficient capacity for the passage, and that the time stamp is synchronised with UTC. If the recorder is found to be defective, this is a reportable deficiency under port state control; record it in the logbook, notify the company, and assess whether the deficiency affects the safe prosecution of the voyage before departing.
Echo Sounders
The echo sounder gives continuous depth under the keel. The Master's responsibility begins at passage planning: the transducer position introduces a fixed keel clearance offset, and this must be applied consistently — either the sounder is zeroed to the keel, or the offset is known by every watchkeeper and posted at the console. Confusing "depth displayed" with "depth under keel" has grounded vessels.
Before entering shallow or confined waters, confirm the sounder is on, the correct scale is selected, and the gain is adjusted to display a clear bottom trace. A dual-frequency sounder allows discrimination between a hard bottom and a soft layer — relevant when assessing actual keel clearance. Record soundings at waypoints in coastal or pilotage waters in the deck log. On failure, apply the same deficiency management as above and revert to chart datum depths with a conscious safety margin.
NAVTEX
NAVTEX is the primary means of receiving navigational warnings, meteorological forecasts, and SAR information in coastal waters. The Master must ensure the correct station frequencies and message categories are selected for the operational area prior to departure — a common exam catch is a vessel transiting from one NAVTEX zone to another without updating the receiver, resulting in missed warnings.
Messages received are logged automatically; the Master's duty is to ensure the watch officer reviews incoming messages promptly and acts on any navigational warning that affects the planned route. Rejected or masked message categories must be justified — switching off ice reports in a high-latitude passage, for example, would be indefensible. Retain the NAVTEX print roll or electronic log as part of the voyage record.