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How to Become a Merchant Mariner: A Day in the Life of a Marine Engineer

Would you want to miss out on hearing what a normal day is like onboard a ship from a Marine Engineer's perspective? This is your chance to get an idea of what that sea-faring life is like out there on the open ocean for a Merchant Mariner. If you're wondering how to become a merchant mariner, this article will cover what a day in the life is like as an Engineer on a large Cargo Ship, Oil Tanker, or Container Ship both as a watch-stander and as a day worker. "What does that even mean?", you may ask. I will go over that in detail, so continue reading!

Watch Standing vs. Day Working

Before diving into the daily routine, it's important to understand the two main types of schedules a Marine Engineer might have: Watch Standing and Day Working. These roles are crucial to maintaining the ship's operations 24/7, will vary from ship to ship, and may be assigned to different engineers depending on the ship's configuration. For more information about ship operations, check out our article on how ships work.

What is Watch Standing?

Have you ever heard the saying, "Not on MY watch!"? I'm sure you've come across someone saying this once or twice in your life. Most of the time, this happens in a movie or a show. What you may not have realized is that this isn't talking about a wristwatch, but rather a 'Watch'. A Watch, in this case, is a chunk of time where an individual shoulders the responsibility of whatever they are 'watching'. In the case of a Marine Engineer, that would be the Engineering Spaces on a ship. To learn more about the engineering spaces, read our article on ship fuel systems.

Common names for the Engineering spaces on a ship include:

The Engineroom
The Main Engineroom (If there are multiple, they may be referred to as Main 1, Main 2, etc.)
The Main Space
The Engineering Space(s)
The Auxiliary (Aux) Space (If there are multiple, they may be referred to as Aux 1, Aux 2, etc.)

Watch Schedule

An Engineer will stand a Watch in the engine room for a length of time that is typically 4-hours long (sometimes 8 hours if in port). Ships can either have a 'manned' or an 'unmanned' Engine Room. If the Engine Room on a ship is 'manned', this means that the layout and level of technology, monitoring, and automation in the engineering equipment is such that a Licensed Engineer must be always present in the Engineering Space. Since ships operate 24-hours a day, a Licensed Engineer must be always down there. Thus, those 24 hours are typically broken up into 4-hour blocks for each Watch.

The watch schedule is typically organized as follows:

First 12 hours of the day:

Engineer #1 – Midnight to 4AM watch (0000 – 0400 or AKA 'Balls to 4')
Engineer #2 – 4AM to 8AM (0400 – 0800)
Engineer #3 – 8AM to Noon (0800 – 1200)

Rotation Repeats for second 12 hours of the day:

Engineer #1 – Noon to 4PM (1200 – 1600)
Engineer #2 – 4PM to 8PM (1600 - 2400)
Engineer #3 –8PM to Midnight (2000 - 2400)

This results in 4 hours on, followed by 8 hours off for each Watch-stander. During each watch, the Engineer on Watch (EOW) is responsible for what happens in the engine room, the equipment in the engine room, and the proper operation, monitoring, maintenance of equipment, and communication of any issues up the chain of command during their watch.

Night Orders and Watch Responsibilities

Every day, a senior Licensed Engineering Officer (typically the 1st Assistant but also sometimes the Chief Engineer) writes 'Night Order' that all Licensed Engineers on watch are required to acknowledge and follow during their watch for that night. Night Orders are a set of rules to follow during watch which could include:

What equipment to use (such as pump #1 vs pump #2)
What equipment is inoperable
What to keep an eye on
Any assigned maintenance tasks to be completed during each watch

It is common for each watch on a particular ship to complete certain tasks. For example:

The 0000 – 0400 watch is responsible for making sure the bilges are pumped clean
The 0400 – 0800 watch is responsible for making sure the fuel tanks are topped off.
The 0800 – 1200 is responsible for making sure the Chief Engineer's Noon Report is completed by 11 AM

The Noon Report takes account of all the Fuel levels and usage, Potable Water (water used for human consumption) levels and usage, and Oily Waste levels. This report is then given to the Captain so the Captain can account for everything.

Life Outside of Watch Hours

Sleep comes at a premium when you're on a ship, especially after you've been on the watch rotation for a while and are up at odd hours of the day. Although your body does get accustomed to working these odd hours, you can still always use some more sleep. Your sleep is not always a continuous block of time. There are requirements for the ship to hold Fire Drills and other safety type trainings, which you must be present for. Therefore, if those training happen to fall in your 8 hours off, you've got to wake up, go to those meetings/trainings, then try to go back to bed and fall asleep again, which is not always easy.

Food

When you're on a ship, your food gets cooked for you by the Steward's department, specifically the Chief Cook and other cooks. They work long hours in the Galley (kitchen) prepping, cooking, and cleaning dishes for the crew. The quality of food can vary significantly depending on the cook's experience and training.

Laundry

Engineers do laundry very frequently, especially on Steam Ships in warm water areas like the Persian Gulf. The Engine Room is usually hot, and you will be in frequent contact with various oils, greases, lubricants, dust, and airborne particulates. If it is hot enough, you will sweat through your clothes within the first few minutes of work and will need to wash these sweaty, oily clothes so they are clean for the next use.

Each Deck (floor) in the House (the part of the ship where the crew lives) will have its own laundry room. These laundry rooms vary in size and can be shared by as little as 1 or 2 people or as many as 40 people, depending on how many people are on the ship.

Fitness

Ships are physically exhausting environments (for Engineers at least). Most ships will offer at least some sort of gym on board for its crewmembers. While the job is physically demanding and resting is important, many crew members do use the gym regularly.

Day Working

While watch-standers monitor the plant's operation, dayworkers handle the maintenance and projects that require full attention. The term Dayworker is generally used to describe someone in a department that is not currently part of the Watch rotation and works during the (somewhat) traditional working hours.

Automation and Day Working

Advances in technology have allowed for the development of complex alarm and monitoring systems. These systems transmit various pressures and sensor information to a centralized computer, displayed in the Engineer's Operation Station (EOS). This automation allows for a single Engineer to monitor the whole plant, but maintenance still requires human intervention.

Daily Schedule

On a typical ship, the workday starts early, around 5 AM, and ends late, around 8 PM. This includes:

Coffee breaks (10-15 minutes)
Lunch breaks (1hr)
Overtime (3-4 hours)

During this workday is when preventative and corrective maintenance is accomplished. Each Engineer, typically depending on their position, will be responsible for certain equipment. For instance, the 2nd Assistant Engineer (2 A/E) on a ship may be responsible for:

The Auxiliary Boiler
The Fuel System
Oily Waste Processing

The Duty Engineer

When a ship has an Unmanned engine room, a Duty Engineer is responsible for monitoring the Engineering machinery after hours. The Duty Engineer is essentially a Licensed Engineer who is on-call and is responsible for:

Responding to alarms
Monitoring the Engineering Spaces
Making regular rounds to check for anything unusual
Observing and recording various pressures, temperatures, and fluid levels

Alarm System

The main Engineering Console in the EOS has a system that sends alarms to the Duty Engineer's room. If an alarm goes off:

The Duty Engineer has 5 minutes to respond
If no response, an All-Call is activated
The All-Call triggers alarms in ALL Engineer's rooms
Everyone must respond to the Engine Room
Failure to respond promptly can result in termination

Duty Rotation

Engineers typically rotate Duty Engineer responsibilities (the Chief Engineer doesn't usually take the Duty). So, if there are 3 Licensed Engineers, each engineer will have the Duty on every 3rd Day.

Conclusion

The life of a Marine Engineer is demanding but rewarding. It requires technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work under pressure. While the job can be challenging, it offers unique opportunities for professional growth, travel, and personal development. For those who enjoy technical work, problem-solving, and adventure, a career as a Marine Engineer can be incredibly fulfilling.

The daily routine of a Marine Engineer is never truly routine - each day brings new challenges and opportunities to learn. Whether maintaining equipment, responding to emergencies, or planning for port calls, Marine Engineers play a vital role in keeping the maritime industry moving forward.

If you're interested in learning more about specific aspects of marine engineering or have questions about the profession, please feel free to reach out. We're always happy to share our knowledge and experience with those interested in the maritime industry.

Interested learning how to become a Marine Engineer? Check out our article on how to become a Marine Engineer.

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How to Become a Merchant Mariner: A Day in the Life of a Marine Engineer