Sec. 80.305  Watch requirements of the Communications Act and the Safety 
          Convention.

    (a) Each ship of the United States which is equipped with a 
radiotelegraph station for compliance with part II of title III of the 
Communications Act or chapter IV of the Safety Convention must:
    (1) Keep a continuous and efficient watch on 500 kHz by means of 
radio officers while being navigated in the open sea outside a harbor or 
port. In lieu thereof, on a cargo ship equipped with a radiotelegraph 
auto alarm in proper operating condition, an efficient watch on 500 kHz 
must be maintained by means of a radio officer for at least 8 hours per 
day in the aggregate, i.e., for at least one-third of each day or 
portion of each day that the vessel is navigated in the open sea outside 
of a harbor or port.
    (2) Keep a continuous and efficient watch on the radiotelephone 
distress frequency 2182 kHz from the principal radio operating position 
or the room from which the vessel is normally steered while being 
navigated in the open sea outside a harbor or port. A radiotelephone 
distress frequency watch receiver having a loudspeaker and a 
radiotelephone auto alarm facility must be used to keep the continuous 
watch on 2182 kHz if such watch is kept from the room from which the 
vessel is normally steered. After a determination by the master that 
conditions are such that maintenance of the listening watch would 
interfere with the safe navigation of the ship, the watch may be 
maintained by the use of the radiotelephone auto alarm facility alone.
    (3) Keep a continuous and efficient watch on the VHF distress 
frequency 156.800 MHz from the room from which the vessel is normally 
steered while in the open sea outside a harbor or port. The watch must 
be maintained by a designated member of the crew who may perform other 
duties, relating to

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the operation or navigation of the vessel, provided such other duties do 
not interfere with the effectiveness of the watch. Use of a properly 
adjusted squelch or brief interruptions due to other nearby VHF 
transmissions are not considered to adversely affect the continuity or 
efficiency of the required watch on the VHF distress frequency. This 
watch need not be maintained by vessels subject to the Bridge-to-Bridge 
Act and participating in a Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) system as 
required or recommended by the U.S. Coast Guard, when an efficient 
listening watch is maintained on both the bridge-to-bridge frequency and 
a separate assigned VTS frequency.
    (b) Each cargo ship of the United States which is equipped with a 
radiotelephone station for compliance with part II of title III of the 
Communications Act or chapter IV of the Safety Convention must while 
being navigated outside of a harbor or port:
    (1) Keep a continuous watch on 2182 kHz in the room from which the 
vessel is normally steered while at sea, whenever such station is not 
being used for authorized traffic. Such watch must be maintained by at 
least one officer or crewmember who may perform other duties relating to 
the operation or navigation of the vessel, provided such other duties do 
not interfere with the watch. A radiotelephone watch receiver having a 
loudspeaker and a radiotelephone auto alarm must be used to keep the 
continuous watch on 2182 kHz. After a determination by the master that 
maintenance of the watch would interfere with the safe navigation of the 
ship, the watch may be maintained by use of the radiotelephone auto 
alarm facility alone.
    (2) Keep a continuous watch on 156.800 MHz from the room from which 
the vessel is normally steered. The watch must be maintained by a 
crewmember who may perform other duties, relating to the operation or 
navigation of the vessel, provided such other duties do not interfere 
with the watch. Use of properly adjusted squelch of brief interruptions 
due to other nearby VHF transmissions are not considered to adversely 
affect the watch. This watch need not be maintained by vessels subject 
to the Bridge-to-Bridge Act and participating in a Vessel Traffic 
Services (VTS) system when a watch is maintained on both the bridge-to-
bridge frequency and a VTS frequency.
    (c) Each vessel of the United States transporting more than six 
passengers for hire, which is equipped with a radiotelephone station for 
compliance with part III of title III of the Communications Act must, 
while being navigated in the open sea or any tidewater within the 
jurisdiction of the United States adjacent or contiguous to the open 
sea, keep a continuous watch on 2182 kHz while the vessel is beyond VHF 
communication range of the nearest VHF coast station, whenever the 
radiotelephone station is not being used for authorized traffic. A VHF 
watch must be kept on 156.800 MHz whenever such station is not being 
used for authorized traffic. The VHF watch must be maintained at the 
vessel's steering station actually in use by the qualified operator as 
defined by Sec. 80.157 or by a crewmember who may perform other duties 
relating to the operation or navigation of the vessel, provided such 
other duties do not interfere with the watch. The use of a properly 
adjusted squelch is not considered to adversely affect the watch. The 
VHF watch need not be maintained by vessels subject to the Bridge-to-
Bridge Act and participating in a Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) system 
when an efficient listening watch is maintained on both the bridge-to-
bridge frequency and a VTS frequency.