Should the Watch Officer Maintain a Plot on Paper With ECDIS

Seems to me that th

That seems like a crazy question KC. GPS maintains a continous plot on both ECDIS.

The requirement is to be able to safely switch to the backup in case of failure. A second active ECDIS meets that requirement without any further action from the watch officer.

Maybe the user, you replied to, had a steep learning curve… no problems anymore.

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I have read back through this topic and having sailed on a number of vessels employed in worldwide trade with two ECDIS and only small scale charts onboard. One vessel had the provision to use a second monitor and input from the chart table where voyage planning could be done clear of the area where the ECDIS was being used by the OOW.
Voyage planning requires the use of publications such as pilots and vessel instructions for vessels transiting the Great Barrier Reef among others. One vessel had no provision for this and both ECDIS were at the conning position. It is about time that the same rigour that is applied to aircraft cockpit design was applied to ships bridges.
I well remember as a second officer in a ULCC going into 6 on 6 off watches for the passage to Rotterdam, cargo discharge and passage out after first lightering at Lyme Bay. The demands of the navigation requirements meant that the master (watch on stop on) and OOW were required. Cargo operations with concurrent crude oil washing, inert gas systems, cargo discharge and Ballasting also required two officers requiring the mate to be watch on stop on.