Sailors-Guide.com

Streams

(a) Deck Officer - The officers from this stream look after the ships navigation, loading/unloading of cargo and the general maintenance and administration of the ship. The officer joins in the rank of 3rd officer/3^rd mate and is subsequently promoted to the rank of 2nd officer/2^nd mate, Chief Officer/1^st Mate and finally the Master(Captain) of the ship all subject to their passing the competency exams and performance onboard the ship. They also look after electronic navigation aids such as radar, depth measuring devices, long range navigation equipment and global positioning system etc. In addition to navigation duties, a 3rd officer looks after the life saving appliances, 2nd officer the passage planning and the navigation equipment, the Chief Officer who is the right-hand man to the Captain; the second in-command looks after the cargo work and the Master is the overall in-charge of the ship.

(b) Engineering Officer - These are the officer who are qualified in Marine Engineering. They join as 4th Engineer, and get promoted step by step to 3rd, 2nd and Chief Engineer, subject to their passing the competency exams and performance onboard the ship. The Engineering department in addition to looking after the main engines, are also responsible for associated equipment like power generation equipment, cargo pumps and air - conditioning etc. The 4the Engineer is responsible for operation and maintenance of engine room machineries. The 3rd engineer for fuel, water and the boiler room equipment. The 2nd engineer for lubricating the system, engine room auxiliaries, and electric equipment.

(c) Electrical officer- He is responsible for any and every electrical and electronic equipment onboard the vessel.

(e) Ratings – These are known as the general purpose (GP) ratings. There are three kinds of ratings - deck, engine room and catering. Deck rating is responsible for cargo handling, mooring/ unmooring and general maintenance of the ship. Similarly the engine room ratings assist the engineering officers in maintenance and operation of engines and associated equipment. The catering crew consists of Steward / Cooks and as the name suggests, they look after the catering and the house keeping of officers cabin.