1 | P a g e Wh a t i s B N WA S

( B r i d g e N a v i g a t i o n a l Wa t c h A l a r m S y s t e m ) ?
UH lH For more details please visit: www.captyashpal.blogspot.com


Bridge Navigational Watch
Alarm System

BNWAS stands for Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm System - a safety system which has
been made mandatory as per amendments to SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 19, adopted on 5
th

June 2009.
BNWAS has been introduced with an aim to observe bridge activity and detect operator
disability which could lead to accidents. The system monitors the attentiveness of the Officer
of the Watch (OOW) and automatically alerts another qualified OOW or the Master if for any
reason the OOW becomes incapable of performing the OOW's duties.
Series of indications and alarms are used to achieve this purpose. The system is designed to
alert first the OOW and, if he/she does not respond, then to alert another qualified OOW or the
Master. Additionally, the BNWAS may include a provision of summoning immediate
assistance by OOW, if required.
The BNWAS should be operational whenever the ship's heading or track control system is
engaged, unless inhibited by the Master. It should also be used at anchor, if appropriate.
Vessels should amend the relevant operating procedures accordingly in their Safety
Management System.
As a minimal requirement to comply with the regulations, the system is provided with a
control panel, one re-set push button, one bridge sounder, one level 2 sounder, and one level 3
sounder.
The fitting of BNWAS is a mandatory requirement under SOLAS V / Regulation 19 and as
such the system should be Type Approved under the Classification Society the vessel is
registered with.
BNWAS should comply with the relevant IMO performance standards. However, if the vessel
is fitted with BNWAS which was installed onboard prior to 1
st
July 2011; she may be
exempted from full compliance with the performance standards at the discretion of the flag
state.
The system may either be a bulkhead-mounted or console mounted control panel. Some
manufacturers provide PIR (Passive Infra-Red) movement detector. However, certain
classification societies (e.g. LR) do not approve the use of PIRs as a method of compliance.
For this reason PIRs are usually provided in addition to the manual reset functionality.

The carriage of a BNWAS, complying with IMO performance standards, is mandatory on
ships of 150 gross tonnage and upwards and passenger ships irrespective of size, with a phased
carriage requirement for existing ships, as follows:
1. Ships of 150 gross tonnage and upwards and passenger ships irrespective of size
constructed on or after 1st July 2011.
2 | P a g e Wh a t i s B N WA S
( B r i d g e N a v i g a t i o n a l Wa t c h A l a r m S y s t e m ) ?
UH lH For more details please visit: www.captyashpal.blogspot.com


2. Passenger ships irrespective of size constructed before 1st July 2011, not later than the
first survey after 1st July 2012.
3. Ships of 3,000 gross tonnage and upwards constructed before 1st July 2011, not later
than the first survey after 1st July 2012.
4. Ships, of 500 gross tonnage and upwards but less than 3,000 gross tonnage, constructed
before 1st July 2011, not later than the first survey after 1st July 2013.
5. Ships, of 150 gross tonnage and upwards but less than 500 gross tonnage constructed
before 1st July 2011, not later than the first survey after 1st July 2014.

Most of the systems are installed as retrofit when the vessel is sailing from one port to another
or installed the next time the vessel is in dry-dock. Normally, it is more cost effective to
exchange an old dead man alarm with a new BNWAS than trying to upgrade the old system.
The vessels next dry-docking is an ideal time to install and if the system is designed as a
simple installation, the work could be done whilst alongside or during passage.





An example of BNWAS