Deck Department

DECK DEPARTMENT

Captain
Chief officer
Second Officer
Third Officer
Deck Cadet
Bosun
AB
OS


Captain or Master

The Captain or Master of a merchant vessel is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. A Ship's Captain, also called Shipmaster, is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag state policies.

A Ship's Captain commands and manages all ship's personnel, and typically in charge of the ship's accounting, payrolls, and inventories. The Captain is responsible for compliance with immigration and customs regulations, maintaining the ship's certificates and documentation, compliance with the vessel's security plan, as mandated by the International Maritime Organization. The Captain is responsible for responding to and reporting in case of accidents and incidents, and in case of injuries and illness among the ship's crew and passengers.

A Ship's Captain must have a Master Mariner's license, issued by the ship's flag state. Various types of licenses exist, specifying the maximum vessel size (in gross tonnage) and in what geographic areas the captain can operate. An unlimited master's license allows the captain to operate any vessel worldwide. Restricted tonnage licenses include vessel categories down to 100 tons gross tonnage and below. A candidate for an unlimited master's licenses requires several years of seagoing experience as third mate, second mate, and chief mate.


Chief Officer /First Officer

A Chief Mate (C/M) or Chief Officer, usually also synonymous with the First Mate or First Officer (except on passenger liners, which often carry both), is a licensed member and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the ship's cargo and deck crew.

The chief mate is responsible to the captain for the safety and security of the ship. Responsibilities include the crew's welfare and training in areas such as safety, firefighting, search and rescue. The Chief Mate is second in command on merchant ships that do not carry a Staff Captain.

Cargo Officer

As cargo officer, a chief mate oversees the loading, stowage, securing and unloading of cargoes. Moreover the chief mate is accountable for the care of cargo during the voyage. This includes a general responsibility for the ship's stability and special care for cargoes that are dangerous, hazardous or harmful.

A ship is balanced precariously under the best of conditions upon the water and is subject to a number of forces, such as wind, swells, and storms which could capsize it. The cargo officer uses tools like ballasting and load balancing to optimize the ship's performance for the type of environment expected to be encountered.

A chief mate is almost always a watchstander. In port and at sea, the chief mate is responsible to the captain for keeping the ship, crew, and cargo safe for eight hours each day. Traditionally, the chief mate stands a "4-8" watch: from 4 AM until 8 AM and 4 PM until 8 PM. On watch, the mate must enforce all applicable regulations, such as the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and pollution regulations. In port, the watch focuses on duties such as cargo operations, fire and security watches, monitoring communications and the anchor or mooring lines.

IMO regulations require the officer be fluent in English. This is required for a number of reasons, such as ability to use nautical charts and nautical publications, to understand weather and safety messages, communicate with other ships and coast stations, and to be able to work with a multi-lingual crew.


Second officer

A second mate (2/M) or second officer is a licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The second mate is the third in command and a watchkeeping officer, customarily the ship's navigator. Other duties vary, but the second mate is often the medical officer and in charge of maintaining distress signalling equipment.

The navigator role focuses on creating the ship's passage plans. A passage plan is a comprehensive, step by step description of how the voyage is to proceed from berth to berth. The plan includes undocking, departure, the en route portion of a voyage, approach, and mooring at the destination.

The GMDSS officer role consists of performing tests and maintenance, and ensuring the proper log-keeping on the ship's Global Maritime Distress Safety System equipment. Safety equipment includes Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons, a NAVTEX unit, INMARSAT consoles, various radios, Search and Rescue Transponders, and Digital Selective Calling systems.
Watchstanding

A second mate is almost always a watchstander. In port and at sea, the second mate is responsible to the captain for keeping the ship, its crew, and its cargo safe for eight hours each day. Traditionally, the second mate stands a "12-4" watch: from midnight until 4am and noon until 4pm. On watch, he must enforce all applicable regulations, such as safety of life at sea and pollution regulations. In port, the watch focuses on duties such as cargo operations, fire and security watches, monitoring communications, and the anchor or mooring lines.


Third Officer

A Third Mate (3/M) or Third Officer is a licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The third mate is a watchstander and customarily the ship's safety officer. Other duties vary depending on the type of ship, its crewing, and other factors.

Duties related to the role of safety officer focus on responsibility for items such as firefighting equipment, lifeboats, and various other emergency systems.

Watchstanding

A third mate is almost always a watchstander. In port and at sea, the third mate is responsible to the captain for keeping the ship, its crew, and its cargo safe for eight hours each day. Traditionally, the third mate stands an "8-12" watch: from 8am until 12 noon and 8pm until midnight. On watch, the mate must enforce all applicable regulations, such as safety of life at sea and pollution regulations. In port, the watch focuses on duties such as cargo operations, fire watches, watches, monitoring communications, and monitoring the anchor or mooring lines.


Bosun

A boatswain or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander. As deck crew foremen, the boatswain plans the day's work and assigns tasks to the deck crew. As work is completed, the boatswain checks on completed work for compliance with approved operating procedures.

Outside the supervisory role, the boatswain regularly inspects the vessel and performs a variety of routine, skilled, and semi-skilled duties to maintain all areas of the ship not maintained by the engineering department. These duties can include cleaning, painting, and maintaining the vessel's hull, superstructure and deck equipment as well as executing a formal preventive maintenance program.


Pumpman

The pumpman's job is to keep the liquid cargo system on a tanker running. The liquid cargo system consists of several components. A major component is the pumps themselves, including not only the liquid cargo transfer pumps but also the liquid cargo stripping pumps. Another component consists of the equipment that conditions the cargo, including liquid cargo coalescers and separators, strainers, and filters. The third component consists of all the piping, valves, fittings, and deck machinery directly related to the transfer of liquid cargo.

Pumpmen also maintain the cargo lines and connection manifolds.
The pumpman's job has three aspects: repairing equipment when it breaks, monitoring equipment to ensure it is working, and maintaining equipment to prevent breakage..
Some common activities include rebuilding valves pumps and correcting leaks in the cargo system. Pumpmen also often repack valves and glands. Pumpmen also spend a lot of time lubricating parts, such as glands, bearings and reach rods.


Able Seaman

An Able Seaman (AB) is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination of these roles.
Watchstander

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. A watchstander may be called upon to stand security-related watches, such as a gangway watch or anchor watch while the ship is not underway.

Knowing how to safely work aloft to maintain cargo rigging is a skill set required of an AB.
An AB day worker performs general maintenance, repair, sanitation and upkeep of material, equipment, and areas in the deck department. This can include maintenance of the ship’s metal structures such as chipping, scraping, cleaning, priming, and painting. Areas frequently in need of such maintenance include the hull, decks, superstructure, cargo gear, and smoke stack. Day workers also frequently perform maintenance on lifeboats, rescue boats and liferafts, and emergency and damage control gear.


Ordinary Seaman

An Ordinary Seaman (OS) is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The position is an apprenticeship to become an Able Seaman, and has been for centuries. In modern times, an OS is required to work on a ship for a specific amount of time, gaining what is referred to as "sea time." Once a sufficient amount of sea time is acquired, the OS can apply to take a series of courses, and then a series of examinations to become certified as an able seaman.
An OS is generally not required to stand watch, but must pass examinations on watchstanding skills such as performing lookout duty and being a helmsman. Thus an OS will often be found on a ship's bridge after working hours taking a turn at the ship's wheel or being familiarized with bridge equipment.

During the apprenticeship, an OS performs a variety of duties concerned with the operation and upkeep of deck department areas and equipment. These duties vary with the type of ship, the type of voyage, the number of crewmembers, the weather, the supervisor, and any number of other variables. However, in most cases, one can expect an ordinary seaman to clean, to perform maintenance, to work with deck equipment, and to undergo on-the-job-training under the supervision of senior deck department members.