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 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", "Cheng", or just "Chief" is responsible for all operations and maintenance that have to do with all engineering equipment throughout the ship.[citation needed].Chief engineer is the head of Engine department and reports to Master (Captain) of the ship. He may be paid in par with the Captain, although is never responsible for the action of ship. Chief Engineer can not assume command and the command always rest with the deck officers until unless it is clearely mentioned within the safety management system.
Second Engineer/First Assistant 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" or "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 this engineer plays and the operations duties performed. Operational duties include responsibility for the refrigeration systems, main engines (steam/gas turbine, diesel), and any other equipment not assigned to the second assistant engineer/third engineer or the third assistant engineer/fourth engineer(s). If the engine room requires round the clock attendance and other junior engineers can cover the three watch rotations, this officer is usually a "day worker" from 0630-1830.[citation needed]. Remember, second engineers are second in command of engine department where as chief officer being the executive officer is the first in command of deck department and second in command of the whole ship if the captain is unable to perform or absent from the ship.
Third Engineer/Second Assistant Engineer
The third engineer or second assistant engineer is junior to the Second Engineer/First Assistant Engineer in the engine department and is usually in charge of boilers, fuel, auxiliary engines, condensate, and feed systems. This engineer 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.
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