MOTOR ORAL QUESTIONS

1. Handing over a watch

2. Walk around, what to look at, typical pressures and temperatures,

3. FW cooler 3 way valve positioning and manual operation,

4. Oily water Separators, 0CM, 3 way valve, oil probe for de-sludge,

5. Oil Record book, what to record, what types of transfers to list.

6. MARPOL annex 1

7. Blowing down a gauge glass,

8. Blowing down a boiler, valve sequence,

9. Boiler water treatment, testing and levels,

10. High temp on all units, I unit, (4 stroke) reasons,

11. Fuel pump operation, (jerk type)

12. Exhaust valves, reasons for not seating correctly, Tappets,

13. Charge air high temperature causes,

14. Scavenge fires (increase cylinder lubrication)

15. Fixed fire fighting mediums- high fog, sprinklers, C02

16. Fire pumps, pressure, emergency power,

17. How to minimise fire, housekeeping etc,

18. Finding a fire, raise alarm, restriction, close ventilation, etc.

19. Air compressor maintenance, Risk Assessment, P1W, Isolation, Piston

20. COSWP

21. M Notices

22. Bilge Injection

23. Bilge pumping, pump type, No pressure reading, open valves, leaks etc.

24. Paralleling, synchroscope, 3 lights, breaker not opening.

25. The vessel has been in port and the main engine has been shut down for
a considerable length of time.
 MOTOR ORAL QUESTIONS

26. Describe the procedure for preparing the main engine for sea.

27. What safety devices are fitted?

28. What would you do in the event of the oil mist detector going into
alarm?

29. How can you tell if a cylinder air start valve is leaking?

30. What are the main causes of scavenge fires and what action would you
take in the event of one occurring?

31. What other checks are carried out prior to sailing?

32. Describe the procedure for testing the steering gear.

33. Describe the procedure for starting up a generator, putting it on the

34. What are the likely causes for water leaking into the lubricating oil?

35. How can you tell from looking at the oil if this has occurred?

36. What safety devices do you expect to find on an electrical switchboard?

37. What is the procedure for blowing down a boiler?

38. If two valves are fitted adjacent to the boiler which one do you open
fully and why?

39. Blow down this boiler gauge glass.

40. If the water cock was blocked what would happen to the water level in
the gauge glass?

41. What safety devices are fitted to a boiler?

42. Why do boilers pre-purge prior to ignition?

43. What type of pump is used to pump bilges and why?

44. What is the permitted amount of oil that can be discharged at sea?

45. Oil record book

46. If the vacuum gauge on a centrifugal bilge pump shows a very high
vacuum, what could be causing this?

47. What would be causing a very low vacuum?

48. What types of extinguisher would you expect to find in an engine room

49. What extinguisher would you use on an electrical fire?

50. How does a C02 extinguisher work?

51. What gasses are used for fixed installations?

52. What precautions would you take before entering a C02 room?

53. What publications which are produced by the MCA are available to you
and give safety information?

54. What do know about permit to work systems?

55. How would you know whether a piece of lifting gear is safe to use?

56. Describe the procedure of taking over a watch in a manned engine

57. Typical temperatures and pressures that you would check on the
machinery rounds.

58. What would you check on a walk round of the engine room

59. Constructional differences between a 2 stroke and 4 stroke

60. Describe the procedure for warming through the ME from cold

61. Describe the pre departure steering gear checks/SOLAS regs.

62. What could cause a scavenge fire and what action would you take

63. What is the purpose of the indicator cocks

64. How would you detect a Leaking air start valve and what action should
be taken

65. Gauge glass blow down

66. Why test Boiler Water - What tests are carried out and why -expected
Levels of contamination

67. What Boiler safety devices are fitted

68. Describe the procedure for paralleling 2 generators

69. How to test Reverse Power Trips

70. What is ISM - how does it affect you onboard and how is it implemented

71. OWS regs.

72. What is recorded in the Oil Record Book

73. Procedure for preparing purifier for maintenance

74. Describe the PM system on your last ship

75. What actions to take if Fire main pressure drops when using one pump
and remains the expected pressure on the others
 MOTOR ORAL QUESTIONS

76. What would check for when overhauling a Centrifugal pump

77. Where are the ER emergency escapes and where do they lead, what
would you check for on regular inspections.

78. Isolation procedures for a major ER fire

79. How can Free Surface Effects be minimised as an engineer

80. What ways are there to start up the Emergency Generator

81. Taking a ship from a dormant state on shore power to being ‘ready for
sea’.

82. Types of diesel engines (trunk, slow speed etc) and safety devices
fitted. Pre-start checks.

83. Scavenge fires, causes, symptoms and immediate action to be taken.

84. Crankcase explosions, methods of detection, symptoms, immediate

85. Main engine room flooding (eg sea-box blow out) actions to be taken,
methods of water removal.

86. Boilers, scaling, safety features and operation. Gauge glass drill. Testing
of water and maintaining within prescribed limits.

87. Bilge pumping, problem scenarios, use of separator and the Oil Record
Book.

88. Air compressors, operation and safety devices.

89. Fuel system, operation and bunkering procedures. Precautions while

90. Fuel oil purifiers, operation and safety features.

91. Paralleling of generators. Switchboard protection.

92. Electric shock scenario. Treatment, immediate action and subsequent

93. Pollution. Oil , garbage and sewage disposal regs.

94. Fire fighting equipment on board. Muster stations and general scenarios.

95. BA equipment on board and it’s use.

96. Permit to Work procedures. Tagging out and safe isolation of

97. Legislation questions on MSN, MGN, MIN, SI’s, IMO, SOLAS, MARPOL,
MCA.
 MOTOR ORAL QUESTIONS

98. What kind of ships have you been on and what were the propulsion
methods?

99. Describe taking over an engine room watch.

100. Describe what checks you would make to the main engine on your walk
around.

101. Describe how you would fill in the engine room log including what is
contained.

102. What are the safety trips on your main engine and what the parameters
were?

103. What kind of oil mist detector did you have on your last ship and how
did it work?

104. Describe how the oil mist is created in the crankcase and how a
crankcase explosion works.

105. What do you do in the event of an oil mist detector alarm?

106. Tell me how a start air explosion can occur, the safety devices to
prevent this and how you would tell if the valve is leaking.

107. You have been in port for three days and all machinery has been shut
down, describe how you would prepare the engine for sailing including
starting the main engine.

108. What are the steering gear regulations and describe the checks you
would make to the steering gear prior to sailing.

109. How does the signal from the bridge get converted to the signal at the
pump and how does the feedback system work?

110. Describe to me your bilge system.

111. Tell me the regulations regarding the pumping of bilges.

112. What kind of pump did you have between you oily bilge tank and your
oily water separator?

113. Tell me why a centrifugal pump is not used.

114. Describe to me the types of portable fire extinguish you had onboard
your vessel and why those types are in those areas.

115. What is the difference between how CO2 and Dry Powder extinguish a
fire.

116. You come across a CO2 extinguisher in the engine room - How can you
tell if it is full?
 MOTOR ORAL QUESTIONS

117. What is the isolation valve for in the fire main system and where is it
located?

118. What safety trips can be found in an electric motor starter box?

119. What could be the problem if you have a high current drawn from a
motor?

120. What is single phasing?

121. Describe your actions if you need to send a motor ashore including all
isolations and safety precautions

122. In what other situations would you need to perform a permit to work?

123. What is an enclosed space?

124. Go through the procedure for entering an enclosed space.

125. What is the ISM code? — Does your ship have a SMS? What is this?

126. Explain how you would take over an engineering watch?

127. Explain how you would verify the water level in a boiler?

128. What are the trips associated with a boiler?

129. Explain the fuel system on your last ship from bunker tanks to the
engine?

130. Explain how you would change an engine over from HFO to Diesel Oil
manually?

131. What would you have to do to ensure changing over did not cause
problems

132. Within the fuel system i.e. pumps gassing up?

133. You have bunkered fuel in different ports, following change over to your
new supply of fuel the purifier is constantly falling over, what might the
problem be?

134. What temperature would you expect the fuel oil to be in the purifier?

135. What temperature would you expect your fuel to be for injection?

136. Explain the maintenance procedure incorporated in overhauling a fuel

137. Team briefing, PPE.

138. Explain how you would warm through an engine from cold?
 MOTOR ORAL QUESTIONS

139. State what pressures and temperatures you would expect to find on an
engine you are familiar with?

140. What are the risks involved with start air valves sticking open?

141. How would you know a start air valve had stuck open?

142. Explain the construction differences between two stroke and four stroke

143. engines?

144. Explain how a scavenge fire develops?

145. How would you suspect or know that a scavenge fire had developed?

146. What response would you undertake if you suspected a scavenge fire?

147. What could be the reasons for a high exhaust temperature in one unit?

148. Explain the procedure for paralleling generators?

149. How would you take a generator off the board?

150. You reduce the load on the outgoing generator so the breaker can be
opened. The breaker fails to open. What are the dangers involved with
this and how would you respond?

151. What type of electrical system would you expect to find earth fault
indication lamps? (insulated earth)

152. How can you tell an earth fault is present using earth fault lamps?

153. What are the regulations regarding working hours for watch keepers?

154. What are M Notices and explain there purpose?

155. What documentation in is available to all shipboard personnel regarding

156. Explain how you would pump bilges?

157. What are the regulations regarding pumping bilges?

158. How to pump bilges and problems that occur in the system. Duties of a
watch keeper, what to look for when doing the rounds. How to hand
over a watch.

159. ISM manual, what it is, where it is kept.

160. What is fitted to the Boiler for safety?

161. Blowing down a gauge glass.

162. What you would do if there was low level in a gauge glass, and what you
would do/expect if the water in the gauge glass was still.
 MOTOR ORAL QUESTIONS

163. How to operate a centrifugal pump Starting generators, paralleling

164. List the switch board protection devices.

165. What would you expect if the volts dropped off one of the generators?

166. How would you trace an earth fault.

167. What to do in the event of scavenge fires and oil mist detectors.
Entering enclosed space and how to vent it correctly.

168. Prepare a tank for inspection because the inspectors are coming to
check it in a couple of hours, (I told him it couldn’t be done because you
need to vent it for 24 hours).

169. What is the problem with entering a tank if it only holds water. what to
check on BA sets.

170. Typical causes of fires. How to prevent a fire from occurring. What to
do if you find a fire.

171. Typical pressures and temps around the engine room. What is fitted to
the exhaust to help prevent against fires.

172. What fix fire fighting equipment is fitted and what should you do before
the co2 is released.

173. Preparing the main engines and starting the main engines.

174. What would you expect if there was a lot of water coming out of the
exhaust cock when blown over on air.

175. How much water you would expect to come out of the air receiver when
draining. Procedures for starting an air compressor.

176. The problem with carry over of oil on an air compressor.

177. How do you know if you have an earth fault and how would you trace it.
 MOTOR ORAL QUESTIONS

11/5/09

1. What information would you like to be told when being handed over the watch
by the off going engineer?
2. When wouldn’t you hand over the watch to the relieving officer?
3. What do you do in the event of an oil mist detector alarm?
4. How would you recognise you have a scavenge fire, and what would you do?
5. What are the expected chloride levels in the boiler?
6. What would cause a sudden rise in the boiler chloride levels?
7. What checks would you make before departure?
8. What are the steering checks you would make?
9. What are the times for the rudder movement test, and where can they be
found?
10. Take me through starting a boiler from cold, the boiler has already been
filled to the required level for starting and steam from a second boiler is
available
11. What is the easing gear for on the boiler safety valve?
12. What would you check when doing rounds on the main engine?
13. What would the cause be for high exhaust temperatures in a single unit?
(looking for damaged exhaust valve)
14. What would the reason for erratic exhaust temperatures on your main engine?
(looking for water in the fuel, draining settling tanks is the solution)
15. Alarms and trips on main engine?
16. Paralleling a generator
17. Safety trips on the main switchboard?
18. What are preferential trips?
19. What must you carry out before working on the main switchboard? (h.v.
permit to work, prove busbars are dead, earthing of busbars)
20. Pumping bilge to bilge holding tank but have no suction, what are causes and
how could you find out?
21. What is the ISM code?

He also asked me a question along the lines that the boiler has been shut down due to
low level, but there is still a level in the boiler which isn’t showing on the gauge glass,
the second engineer tells you to look inside the boiler by taking off the bottom boiler
door, what do you do?
I was a bit confused by this question and told him I didn’t understand what he meant.
He said that I should refuse in polite terms, as when carrying out boiler inspections
the top boiler door should always be opened first to check if there is still a level in the
boiler. He said not the worry though as this is a seconds question, and it was a bit
unfair of him to ask it.