MANAGEMENT 322 & MGT-311 POWER POINT
SHIPBOARD ORGANIZATION
A ship’s crew is divided into three
distinct sections:
Those who navigate the ship
Those who maintain the machinery
and controls, carrying out all repair
functions on-board
The catering department that takes
care of the catering needs of the
complement
Ship Organization continued
SEAFARERS HOLD A
VARIETY OF PROFESSIONS
AND RANKS, AND EACH OF
THESE ROLES CARRIES
UNIQUE
RESPONSIBILITIES WHICH
ARE INTEGRAL TO THE
SUCCESSFUL OPERATION
OF A SEAFARING VESSEL.
Ship Organization (Bridge team)
A ship’s bridge, filled with
sophisticated equipments,
requires skills differing from those
used on the deck, which houses
berthing and cargo gear, which
requires skills different from those
used in the ship’s engine room,
various auxiliary machinery and
equipment and so on.
Ship Organization (Three main
department)
A ship’s crew can generally be
divided into three main
categories: the deck
department, the engineering
department, and the steward’s
department
Modern ship’s complement
The Captain/Master
Captain is the traditional
customary title given to the
person in charge of a ship
at sea.
The Captain
On most legal documents in the
merchant shipping industry, the
captain is correctly referred to
as the ship’s Master. A nautical
“captain” may be a civilian with
a master’s license or a naval
commissioned officer of any
rank.
The Captain
On shore, a harbormaster, as the
equivalent chief of a port, is
sometimes titled “captain” if he
had merchant marine or naval
rank and professional service in
command at sea.
Many shipping companies also
hire experienced captains to run
their operations department.
The Captain
A person holding an unrestricted
master’s license (or certificate) is
called a Master Mariner, and may use
the acronym MM after their name.
The term unrestricted indicates that
there is no restriction of size, power
or geographic locale on the license. It
is the highest level of professional
qualification amongst mariners.
The Captain
Among professional mariners, the title
“Captain” is generally reserved for someone
who has served in command of a merchant
vessel, and not for someone who may hold a
command license but has never been
appointed to a command position. Captains
retain the title while working in a maritime
related field ashore.
The term Master Mariner was in use in
England from at least the 13th century and
was introduced in America in the mid-19th
century.
The Captain
The conventions or acts governing the
license have evolved alongside the
shipping industry. The master’s license is
sometimes still referred to as a Class 1 or
Master Foreign-Going certificate as it
was named during the latter part of the
20th century.
The UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency ,
in line with the amended STCW
convention, presently titled the license as
Master Unlimited.
Rights and responsibilities
The captain has enormous legal powers
and is responsible in all aspects for a ship
underway. Powers include the right to use
deadly force to suppress piracy and mutiny.
At sea, the captain enjoys absolute
command. This authority holds true even if
higher-ranking person gives the captain an
order, care is taken to specify what is
desired rather than how to do it. Rank does
not give the right to interfere in the
captain’s running of the ship.
THE DECK DEPARTMENT
The Deck Department is an organizational unit
aboard naval and merchant ships. A Deck Officer
is an officer serving in the deck department. The
main work of the deck department is proper watch
keeping and the maintenance of the ship’s hull,
cargo gear, and accommodations as well as the
ship’s life saving and firefighting appliances.
The navigators are deck officers and report to
the Master.
A typical deck department for a merchant ship
would include the following:
Deck Department
(1) Chief Officer/Chief Mate
(1) Second Officer/Second Mate
(1) Third Officer/Third Mate
(0-1) Boatswain
(2-6) Able Seamen
(0-2) Ordinary Seaman
(1) Deck Boy (Peggy or GP)
(0-2) Deck Cadets (as per Company
regulation/recommendation)
Deck Department Duties
Maintenance of ship’s hull
Navigational duties
Maintenance of deck equipments and
cargo gears
Maintenance of Life-saving and fire-
fighting appliance
Cargo handling operations and other
maintenance work with coordination
from engine department
The Chief Officer or Chief mate
The chief mate is the head of the deck
department.
This involves administrative tasks such as
scheduling work, quality control, coordinating
with other departments, and conflict resolution.
The chief mate also compiles supply, overtime, cost
control records and requisitions or purchases
stores and equipment for the deck department.
The Chief Officer as the head of the deck
department on a merchant vessel, is second-in-
command after the ship’s Master.
The Chief Officer
His primary responsibilities are the
vessel’s cargo operation, its stability, and
supervising the deck crew.
The mate is responsible for the safety and
security of the ship, as well as the welfare of
the crew onboard. Additional duties include
maintenance of the ship’s hull, cargo gears,
accommodations, the life saving appliances.
The Chief Mate also trains the crew and
cadets on various aspects like safety,
firefighting, search and rescue, and various
other contingencies.
THE SECOND OFFICER
The other duties of this position often depend
upon the type of ship worked aboard. On oil
tankers, the second officer provides the Chief
Mate with assistance in tank cleaning.
In general cargo vessel’s, the second mate is
appointed as the Medical Officer and in
charge of medical inventory and requisition
for the ship’s hospital medical kit.
THE SECOND OFFICER
The Second Officer (or Second Mate) of a
merchant vessel is usually in charge of
navigation and is the next licensed position
above the Third Officer and below Chief
Officer. The second mate will stand watch
from 1200 to 1600H at noon, and again from
0000 to 0400H in the night.
He is responsible for maintaining the charts
and navigational equipment on the bridge,
also usually entail developing the voyage
plans under the direction of the ship’s
Master.
THE THIRD OFFICER
The Third Officer or Third Mate is
the third officer of a merchant
vessel. The most junior officer of
the ship, the Third Mate is usually
the safety officer (responsible for
firefighting equipment, lifeboats,
emergency systems) and is in
charge of a bridge or cargo watch.
A Deck Cadet (or Apprentice)
He is a nautical/maritime school
graduate, entitled to a seaman’s
book, but is not an officer-proper.
The cadet must first carry out a
one-year training on board ships,
executing tasks of an officer-of-
the-watch under the supervision of
senior officers.
A Boatswain (Bosun)
Often (at least since 1868) phonetically
spelled and pronounced “bosun”, is in
charge of the unlicensed deck crew and is
sometimes also third or fourth mate.
Ship’s Carpenters
Though once ubiquitous, are now rare. They
are, however, frequently found aboard
passenger liners. Ship’s carpenters are
sometimes referred to by the nickname
“Chips”
Able Seaman (AB)
In the modern merchant marine, an able seaman (AB)
is a member of the deck department and must possess
a merchant mariner’s document, an will work in a
ship’s deck department as either a watchstander, a
day worker, or a combination of these roles.
At sea an AB watchstander’s duties include standing
watch as helmsman and lookout. A helmsman is
required to maintain a steady course, properly
execute all rudder orders and communicate utilizing
navigational terms relating to heading and steering.
While the ship is not underway, AB may be called
upon to stand security-related watches, such as
gangway watch or anchor watch.
Ordinary Seaman
In the Merchant Marine, an Ordinary Seaman or
OS is an entry-level position in a ship’s deck
department. An OS performs a variety of duties
concerned with the operation and upkeep of deck
department areas and equipment. Upkeep duties
include scaling, buffing, and painting decks and
superstructure; as well as sweeping and washing
the deck. An OS may splice wire and rope; break
out, rig, overhaul, and stow cargo-handling gear,
stationary rigging and running gear. AdditionaLly,
the OS secures cargo, as well as launches and
recovers boats.
THE ENGINE DEPARTMENT
There are 4 classifications of Marine Engineering
licenses throughout the merchant marine, those being
Chief Engineer, First Asst/Second Engr., Second
Asst./Third Engr., and Third Asst./Fourth Engr.
Those who join without experience are 5thEngr/Trainee
Marine Engineers (TMEs) or Junior Engineers. Those
who join without an engineering license are given the
rank of Engine Cadet. Engine Cadets usually only work
under the supervision of a watchkeeping engineer.
They are mostly only day workers and are usually given
one day off per week to study for gaining their licenses.
They are generally poorly paid and are often the target
for the worst jobs and practical jokes.
A Common Engineering crew for a
ship is:
Chief Engineer
Second Engineer / First Assistant Engineer
Third Engineer / Second Assistant Engineer
Fourth Engineer / Third Assistant Engineer
Fifth Engineer / Junior Engineer
Electrical Officer (license Electrical
Engineer)
Machinist/Fitter (unlicensed qualified rating)
Oiler (unlicensed qualified rating)
Entry-level rating (such as Wiper, Utilityman,
etc.)
Chief Engineer
The Chief Engineer on a merchant vessel is the
official title of someone qualified to oversee the
engine department. The qualification for this
position is colloquially called a “Chief’s Ticket”.
The Chief Engineer commonly referred to as “The
Chief” is responsible for all operations and
maintenance that have to do with all engineering
equipments throughout the ship.
In some company, the Chief engineer is designated
the Person- In-Charge (PIC), Safety Officer of the
engine dept, as well as the Pollution supervisor on
board.
Second Engineer / First Asst.
Engineer
The Second Engineer or First Assistant
Engineer is the officer responsible for supervising
the daily maintenance and operation of the engine
department. He or she reports directly to the Chief
Engineer.
On a merchant vessel, depending on term usage,
“The First” of “The Second” is the marine engineer
second in command of the engine department after
the ship’s Chief Engineer. The person holding this
position is typically the busiest engineer aboard
the ship, due to the supervisory role and the
operations duties performed.
Second Engineer / First Asst. Engineer
Operational duties include responsibility for
the refrigeration systems, main engines
(steam/gas turbine, diesel) and any other
equipment not assigned to the 2nd Asst/Third
Engr. Or the Third Asst./Fourth Engr. If the
engine room requires round the clock
attendance and other junior engineers can
cover the three watch rotations, where this
engineer officer is usually a “day worker”.
Third Engineer / Second Assistant Engr.
The Third Engr or Second Asst. Engr is
junior to the 2nd Engr./First Asst. Engr in the
engine department and is usually in charge of
boilers, fuel, auxiliary engines, condensate
and feed systems. He is the third highest
marine engineer in rank. Depending on
usage, “The Second” or “The Third” is also
typically in charge of fueling or bunkering, if
the officer holds a valid Person In Charge
(PIC) endorsement for fuel transfer
operations.
Third Engineer / Second Assistant
Engineer
The exact duties of this position will often
depend upon the type of ship and
arrangement of the engine department. On
ships with steam propulsion plants The
Second/Third is in charge of the boilers,
combustion control, soot blowers, condensate
and feed equipment, feed pumps, fuel and
condensers. On diesel and gas turbine
propulsion plants, this engineer is in charge
of auxiliary boilers, auxiliary engines,
incinerator, air compressors, fuel and fuel oil
purifiers.
Fourth Engineer / Third Assistant
Engineer
The Fourth Engineer or Third Assistant
Engineer is junior to the Second Asst.
Engr/Third Engineer in the engine
department. The most junior marine engineer
of the ship, he or she is usually responsible
for electrical, sewage treatment, lube oil,
bilge and oily water separation systems.
Depending on usage, this person is called
“The Third” or ‘The Fourth” and usually
stands a watch. Moreover, the Fourth
Engineer may assist the third mate in
maintaining proper operation of the lifeboats.
Engineering Cadet
An Engineering Cadet (or
Apprentice) is a nautical/maritime
school graduate, entitled to a
seaman’s book, but is not an
officer-proper. The cadet must first
carry out a one-year training on
board ships, executing tasks of an
officer-of-the-watch under the
supervision of senior officers.
A Motorman and Pumpman
A Motorman or Oiler No. 1 is a senior
unlicensed crewmember in the engine
room of a ship.
Pumpman
A position frequently found aboard fuel
tankers.
An Oiler is one of the junior
crewmember in the engine ro0m of a
ship (senior only to a Wiper). An Oiler’s
role consists mainly of keeping
machinery lubricated.
Oiler & Wiper
An Oiler will also assist the duty watch
keeping engineer for maintenance and
routine job in the engine room as well as
upkeep the machinery space for cleanliness.
A Wiper is the most junior crewmember
in the engine room of a ship. Their role
consists of wiping down machinery and
generally keeping it clean and orderly.
Steward’s Department
This department is responsible for the vessel’
catering
It is usually headed by a Chief Steward , is
the senior unlicensed crewmember in the
steward’s department of a ship. Most
merchant marine vessels do not carry a
purser.
He instructs, assigns personnel performing
such functions as preparing and serving
meals; cleaning and maintaining officer’s
quarters and steward areas; and receiving,
issuing and inventorying stores.
Chief Steward
The chief steward also plans menus; compiles
supply, overtime, and cost control records.
The chief Steward may requisition or
purchase stores and equipment. Additional
duties may include baking bread, rolls, cakes,
pies and pastries.
A Chief Steward’s duties may overlap with
those of the Steward’s Assistant, the Chief
Cook, and other Steward’s Department
crewmembers.
Steward’s Assistant
A Steward’s Assistant or SA is an entry-
level crewmember in the Steward’s
department of a ship. This position can also
be referred to as Galley Utilityman or
Messman. The role of the SA consists mainly
of cleaning and assisting with the preparation
and serving of meals; assign to clean the
senior officer’s quarters.
Oiler and Wiper
An Oiler is one of the junior crewmember in
the engine room of a ship (senior only to a
Wiper). An Oiler’s role consists mainly of
keeping machinery lubricated.
Wiper
A Wiper is the most junior crewmember in
the engine room of a ship. Their role consists
of wiping down machinery and generally
keeping it clean.
