The Second Officer is directly responsible to the Master for Navigation and Bridge watchkeeping duties and for any special tasks assigned to him by the Master. He is also responsible for the maintenance and care of all navigational equipment including maritime charts and nautical publications.

He must be fully conversant with the use of all safety equipment and the implementation of emergency procedures and is responsible for ensuring that his team is equally conversant. He should be fully familiar with all aspects of the ship’s Safety Management System and ensure that all allocated staff members are similarly aware. He follows instructions obtained from the Master and lays out the appropriate base courses to be followed for the entire voyage and prepares the passage plan for the approval of the master.