Navigating Complexity: Maritime English Discourse in ECDIS-Based Watch-Keeping Practices Among Cadet Officers

The integration of Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) into modern bridge operations has fundamentally transformed maritime navigation, introducing a complex layer of multimodal technical discourse that demands sophisticated linguistic competence from seafarers. Despite its centrality to contemporary watch-keeping, the Maritime English embedded within ECDIS interfaces, alert systems, and associated technical documentation remains critically underexplored from an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and multiliteracy perspective. This study examines the discourse features of ECDIS-based watch-keeping communication and investigates the Maritime English literacy challenges encountered by Indonesian deck cadet officers at Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Pelayaran (STIP) Jakarta. Drawing on qualitative data from ECDIS interface text analysis and semi-structured interviews with cadets, lecturers, and navigation experts, the study employs thematic analysis, cross-group comparison, and narrative synthesis. Findings reveal that ECDIS discourse is characterized by high terminological density, imperative-modal structures, and layered multimodal meaning-making that cadets are systematically underprepared to navigate. The study argues for the integration of a multiliteracy-informed pedagogical framework within Maritime English and ECDIS training curricula, with concrete implications for maritime educators, curriculum designers, and institutional policymakers.