A Guide to Merchant Navy Ranks (With Illustrations)

Merchant Navy or Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of Merchant Ships registered in a particular country. The Merchant Navy is responsible for 90% of global trade on ships that carry certain cargo types, such as general, containerised, bulk, liquid, vehicles, etc. The seafarers at the heart of the Merchant Navy control these massive ships loaded with thousands of tonnes of cargo.

Merchant Navy Ranks

The merchant navy has a hierarchy, with seafarers holding different ranks on ships. This ranking system ensures smooth coordination of onboard operations and promotes proper management strategies.

Being a line of work that requires a high degree of professionalism wherein lax performance can result in drastic consequences, the hierarchy is essential to an economically viable model for shipboard operations with a shore-based support framework.

The nomenclature of the merchant navy ranking system is universally accepted by shipping companies and commercial vessels worldwide.

The ranks and responsibilities associated with them are somewhat similar across the industry, with minor changes in names and duties assigned to specific positions varying among shipping companies and the nomenclature they follow.

Merchant Navy Departments

In general, the ranking system on merchant navy ships is mainly divided into the following categories:

1. Deck Department
2. Engine Department
3. Catering Department 

The vessel’s bridge is a hub with critical equipment for the merchant ship’s safe navigation and watchkeeping.

Owing to the advanced and specific nature of the bridge equipment, a requisite skill set is imperative for an individual to control all the equipment and thereby safely navigate the ship.

Seafarers in the ship’s deck department are responsible for managing ship navigation, cargo operations, and berthing instruments.

Related Reading:

• 10 Important Jobs Deck Cadets Have To Perform on Board Ships

Similarly, the ship’s engine room seafarers are part of the engine department. This department mainly includes marine engineers and ratings responsible for operating and maintaining the ship’s machinery.

The engine room houses the part of the ship that fuels/propels the vessel, and engine room personnel need a specific set of skills.

Related Reading:

• What are the Responsibilities of a Chief Engineer Under SOLAS?

The third department, or the catering department, is responsible for preparing meals and general housekeeping for crew and passengers.

The number of people employed in this department (under the purview of the Master, as with everything else) varies among ships. A passenger ship will have far more catering staff than a cargo ship owing to the number of people that need to be serviced.

Thus, a vessel requires a definite system of merchant navy ranks to enable the professional and formal distribution of tasks.

Merchant Navy Ranks Explained 

The Captain

The Captain (or Master) is the final authority on the ship and the highest rank one can achieve onboard. He shoulders total responsibility and oversees all shipboard operations.

The Captain is in command of a merchant ship at all times, regulates proper daily transactions, and handles legal affairs regarding maritime issues.

If the Master is not present on board, the Chief Mate is assumed to be interim in charge of shipboard operations.

The Deck Department 

• Chief Officer/Mate
• Second Officer/Mate
• Third Officer/Mate
• Deck Cadets

Deck Rating (non-officers) 

• Bosun (head of the rating staff)
• Welder/Fitter (this rank onboard renders his services to both the deck as well as the engine department)
• Able Bodied Seaman (AB)
• Ordinary Seaman (OS)
• Trainee OS

Chief Officer / First Mate 

The chief officer occupies the second responsible position after the vessel’s captain. He is the executive head of the deck department and executes the Master’s orders at the operational level (although the rank itself is a more managerial position).

He supervises the vessel’s crew and looks after the various deck operations, including but not limited to the daily ongoings of the deck as per the work schedule and the cargo operations to be carried out while in port.

Related Reading:

• What are the Duties of the Chief Officer?

The Chief Mate prioritises the security and safe functioning of the vessel and is responsible for the welfare of crew and passengers (if on a passenger ship) on board.

Additionally, the chief officer manages hull operations, the accommodation section, the cargo gearing, the security appliances, and the fire prevention equipment.

Chief among all his duties is the safe navigation of the ship, for which he is an OOW for the navigational watches between 0400-0800 hrs and 1600-2000 hrs.

Already burdened with a lot of work in the port, the Chief Mate usually does not keep port watches as he is constantly overseeing the cargo work.

Second Officer/ Mate 

The second Mate is an OOW responsible for the charts and publications on board and their maintenance. He is also the medical officer on board responsible for the upkeep and administration of all medically related services onboard.

Being an OOW, his navigational watch timings are 1200-1600 hrs and 0000-0400 hrs while at sea. In port, his watches are from 1200-1800 hrs and 0000-0600 hrs.

Third Officer/ Mate 

In the Merchant Navy, the 3rd Mate oversees all the LSA and FFA onboard and is assigned to upkeep and maintain them. He must also handle all the port documents for the Master and the bond store onboard.

Being an OOW, his navigational watch timings are 0800-1200 hrs and 2000-0000 hrs while at sea. His watches are from 0600-1200 hrs and 1800-0000 hrs in port.

Deck Cadet

A Merchant Navy deck cadet is the trainee officer onboard, fresh out of the Institute. His sole job is to learn, comprehend and apply skills for the process of becoming a skilled officer in the future.

As a fresh candidate, a cadet is assigned tasks that gradually give him an understanding of the ship and its operations. This understanding can be used when preparing for the “Certificate of Competency” examinations to assume responsibility as an OOW in the future.

Aside from the deck work he needs to grasp, the major chunk of cadet learning pertains to assisting an OOW in carrying out a safe navigational watch.

Bosun 

Bosun heads the rating division on deck and, in liaison with the chief mate, carries out the scheduled work on deck.

Able seaman

According to modern nautical terminology, an able seaman (AB) possesses a merchant mariner’s document and is eligible to assist the deck department. Know more about the rank of Able Seaman here.

Ordinary seaman

The post of an ordinary seaman, denoted by OS,  serves the vessel’s deck department. An OS is usually busy with tasks such as buffing, scaling, cleaning the deck, and occasionally painting the superstructure above the main deck.

An ordinary seaman can undertake activities like overhauling, splicing ropes, wiring, rigging, etc and conduct repair work on the deck.

The Ordinary seaman’s job is to ensure the secure handling of cargo gears and loading or dismantling cargo as directed by the Bosun/Chief Mate. A trainee OS is like a cadet but for the rating section. Know more about Ordinary Seaman here.  

Engine Department 

• Chief Engineer
• Second Engineer/First Assistant Engineer
• Third Engineer/ Second Assistant Engineer
• Fourth Engineer/ Third Assistant Engineer
• Fifth Engineer/ Engine Cadet
• Electrical Officer

Engine Room Rating 

• Fitter
• Motorman
• Wiper
• Trainee Fitter / Trainee Wiper

Chief Engineer 

The Chief Engineer is the head of the engineering department on a vessel.  The required qualification for this position is called the “Chief’s Ticket”.

Alternatively, he can also be termed the “The Chief” and usually draws similar pay as the Captain. However, the complete responsibility of a particular vessel falls solely on the Captain’s shoulder. The chief engineer gives orders to operate and maintain the ship’s machinery system and is responsible for the engine room department.

Second Engineer/ First Assistant Engineer

He is associated with the day-to-day activities in the engine room and is accountable to the Chief Engineer. His duties include constantly supervising the proper functioning of all engine room machinery systems and assigning jobs to the other engine officers and crew. The Second Engineer generally keeps watch on the engine room during the daytime.

Also Read: Duties of 2nd Engineer on Ship

Third Engineer/ Second Assistant Engineer

This is the next position after the Second Engineer, and he is assigned jobs to look after machinery ordered by the chief engineer, along with daily watchkeeping. He reports to the second engineer.

Fourth Engineer/ Third Assistant Engineer

This is the most junior rank in the engineering department. The Fourth Engineer is concerned about the correct working of the machinery systems assigned to him and carries our watchkeeping. He reports to the second engineer.

Also Read:  Duties of a 4th Engineer on a Ship

Fifth Engineer/ Engineering Cadet

The fifth engineer is a trainee under the Second Engineer officer. He assists and learns while observing and carrying out activities in the engine room. He would accompany a senior officer (mostly a second engineer) during watch duty.

All the engine room ratings report to the second engineer. The engineering cadet spends his time on board with the chief objective of learning the requisite skills to becoming a competent engineering officer in the future (by clearing the requisite “Certificate Of Competency examinations to obtain the license to be a certified engineer)

The Catering Department of 

• Chief Cook
• Trainee Cook
• Steward

Chief Cook

The chief cook is part of the ship’s catering department. He must prepare meals regularly for the crew and passengers and is responsible for the food stores. The Chief Cook assists the Third Mate/Cadet in preparing the requisition for any/every food item to be forwarded to the company HQ to be procured onboard. The Chief Cook also inspects the equipment to keep the ship clean and uncontaminated in the galley area.

Trainee Cook

The trainee cook assists the chief cook in preparing meals and managing the provision.

Steward

As the name suggests, the steward is assigned tasks that include cooking and serving meals on time, sweeping and maintaining the officers’ living quarters, and stocktaking the stores. A steward also manages the grocery accounts, plans menus, and documents cost control issues.

It is to be noted that a galley on passenger ships would involve several other ranks as well. Read here about galley jobs.

It is important to remember that while the shipboard hierarchy is almost the same across the industry, variations might exist depending on the nomenclature system followed in a specific company and the type of ship in question.

Having said that, the above gives the reader a general overview of the existing norms about the hierarchy in every department of merchant ships.

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