Early
responsibility
Ships'
officers take on considerable responsibility right from the
start of their careers. They ensure the
safety of their ships, the lives of their shipmates and
protect of the marine environment.
Officer trainees usually learn the professional skills
required through combining education at specialist
institutions and practical training on ships and can expect to
qualify as either a Deck or Engineer Officer at the
"Operational Level" within 3 or 4 years of
starting maritime education and training.
As
a junior officer, reporting to senior officers, you will
supervise the work of "ratings"
- seafarers qualified at the "Support Level".
As an engineer officer in your early career, you could be
responsible, during "watch periods", for the correct operation of the ship's engines and technical
systems - enormous industrial machinery. The forces which
the sea can exert on a ship mean that the full and proper
functioning of engineering systems are vital at all times to
the safety of the ship.
Within 10 years of commencing specialist maritime education
and training, it is possible
to qualify as a Captain or Chief Engineer with total
responsibility for the operation of a ship and the
management of its crew.
