Chapter 4 Record Keeping (Log Books) Introduction Records on board are very important as most the officers and the staff present at any particular incident may not actually be available when damage to the ship or the cargo is observed or investigated. The records maintained are therefore important and a number of such cases fail as the records r ecords maintained are poor and may not be accepted as evidence at such investigation.
Record of navigational activities and daily reporting. SOLAS Convention, as amended, reuires all ships engaged on !nternational voyages to "eep on board a record of navigational activities and incidents which are of importance to safety of navigation and which must contain sufficient detail to restore r estore a complete record of the voyage, ta"ing into account the recommendations adopted by !#O.
Recording of information related to navigation !n addition to national reuirements, it is recommended that the following events and items, as appropriate, be among those recorded$ Before commencing the voyage %etails of all data relating to the general condition of the ship should be ac"nowledged and recorded, such as manning and provisioning, cargo aboard, draught, result of stability&stress chec"s when conducted, inspections of controls, testing of the steering gear and navigational and radio communication euipment. uring the voyage %etails related to the voyage should be recorded, such as courses steered and distances sailed, position fi'ings, weather and sea conditions, changes to the voyage plan, details of pilots( embar"ation&disembar"ation, embar"ation&disembar"ati on, and entry into areas covered by, and compliance with, ship routeing or reporting systems.
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!n special occasions %etails on special events should be recorded, such as death and in+uries among passengers and crew and passengers, malfunctions of shipboard euipment and aids to navigation, potentially haardous situations, emergencies and distress messages received. "hen the ship is at anchor or in a port %etails on operational or administrative matters and details related to the safety and security of the ship should be recorded. #ethod of recording SOLAS regulations reuire that, if the records of navigational activities are not maintained in the ship(s logboo", they should be maintained in another form approved by the Administration. #ethods of recording should be permanent and may be handwritten, electronic or mechanical. $on%duplication !n general, information on the events and items specified in above paragraph -Records of navigational activities and daily reporting, which are adeuately recorded in a special/purpose log, need not be duplicated in the ship(s logboo".
&reservation of records !n order to be able to restore a complete record of the voyage, records should be maintained as follows$
0ach page of the ship(s log/boo" should have a page number printed on it, and handwritten records which need correction should not be erased or removed but should be rewritten after crossing out the incorrect version1
The cloc" time used in automatic and permanent recording facilities should be synchronied by using a common cloc"1
input records whether on electronic or mechanical systems should be protected by positive means to prevent them fr om being deleted, destroyed or overwritten1 and
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!rrespective of the method of recording, ships should "eep records for as long as the Administration concerned reuires, provided the fi'ed period is not less than one year.
Re'uirements of the !L regulations 0ach ship of 344 gross tonnage and above, engaged on !nternational voyages e'ceeding 56 hours shall submit a daily report to its company which shall retain it and all subseuent daily reports for the duration of the voyage. %aily reports may be transmitted by any means, provided that they are transmitted to the company as soon as practicable after determination of the position named in the report. Automated reporting systems may be used, provided they include a recording function of their transmission and that those functions and interfaces with position/fi'ing euipment are sub+ected to regular verification by the ship7s master. The report shall contain the following$
ship7s position1
ship7s course and speed1 and
%etails of any e'ternal or internal conditions that are affecting the ship7s voyage or the normal safe operation of the ship.
Accident Records The #aster is responsible for the statutory reporting of accidents. !t is his statutory duty to investigate and "eep an official record of every accident and it is e'pected that the he will rely e'tensively on the results and record of the investigation when completing his final report. The investigation of accidents plays a very important part in occupational safety. !t is by the identification and study of accidents that similar events may be prevented in future. The statutory reuirements regarding accident reporting are set out in the Regulations and further information on reporting procedures by #erchant Shipping 8otices. !n addition to the %ec" log boo" the following logs or records are generally maintained on board )5
!fficial Log *ooks These log boo"s in their prescribed format are the reuirements of a flag state. Listed below are some of the entries which may be recorded
Crew sign & off details.
Change of #aster
9unishments and fines imposed on the crew.
:irths and deaths of persons on board.
%rafts and freeboards upon arrival and departure ports
Records of emergency drills carried out
Records of inspection of water, provisions and the entire vessel
Opening and closing of watertight doors
Any other entry significant in nature related to the vessel & ship7s personnel.
!ther records maintained on *oard #ovement *ooks (*ell *ooks) These boo"s record the movement of the vessel in a fair amount of detail. The entries are recorded in a chronological order. Some of the entries are.
Time and type of engine movements given to 0ngine room
!mportant times of various occurrences especially when moving in coastal and harbour areas.
Times of passing navigational mar"s
Times of altering courses.
Times of ma"ing fast tugs, lines etc.
Times and inspection of important navigational euipment
#alfunction of main engines and other machinery or instruments
Record of mandatory tests of steering gear and&or 8avigation euipment. )3
Compass error logs This log contains details of compass -;yro & magnetic and others errors along with the time, method and euipment used for observation. !t also contains the ;yro & #agnetic heading of the vessel, observed & true bearings, total error and its brea"/up into variation and deviation. +,- Logs ? is used for communications this log needs to be filled up on board. !t contains information of the time, sender, receiver, channel and brief contents of all communiu@ received and sent by the ships =>?. & Logs This log contains the record of positions obtained by the ;9S in a chronological order. Radar and &lotting Logs This log contains the record of usage of the Radar euipment and remar"s as to the performance of the euipment. %etails of plots of targets are also some times recorded to "eep evidence that the vessel has been using the euipment and is performing as desired. $avigation e'uipment #aintenance logs All shipboard and shore maintenance records are recorded in this log. This is useful to prove that adeuate maintenance is being carried out on ship board euipments as per the ships planned maintenance system. Chronometer logs On ships having chronometer a record of its error as obtained by a time signal must be "ept on board. The error on the chronometer needs to be allowed when calculating sights accurately. A properly "ept record also can be used to calculate the variance should a time signal not be available on board for a considerable length of time. Chart/ pu*lications correction log 8ormally this is an admiralty format for "eeping a record of charts and their corrections as obtained from the notice to mariners. This log must be "ept updated by the navigating officer immediately upon receiving a )
notice to mariner. The correction as listed in this log must then be positively incorporated into the relevant chart prior its use. 0cho sounder log / paper graphs !n order to "eep a record and assess the performance of the echo sounder a record of the sounding depth at a given time must be "ept. This record also contains the sounding as indicated on the chart.
Arrival port %eparture port Anchor watch
:ridge euipment
8avigating in pilotage waters
>eavy weather
Control testing &assage planning records All passage planning records must be filed in an orderly manner for inspection at a later date as reuired by the ships safety management system.
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Records of "eather messages / fa1 / charts / routeing. The printouts obtained form
summary of communications relating to distress, urgency and safety traffic1
a record of important incidents connected with the radio service1 and
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