Duties of the 3rd Engineer On Ship

3rd Engineer is the intermediate rank in the merchant Navy. This ship rank is very well placed, two above the junior ranks and two below the senior ranks.

In other words, the 3rd Engineers can act as an onboard mentor to the 4th Engineers and as the “go-to” assistant to the 2nd Engineers.

The duties of 3rd Engineers can vary depending upon the situation, company policies, nature of the tasks, and ship type.

Although the 3rd engineer’s job scope is dynamic, the ship duties can be divided into the following categories.

1. Engine Room watch-keeping Duties.
2. Safety Officer Duties
3. Maintenance of Machineries under the 3rd Engineer
4. Miscellaneous Duties.

Now let’s dive deep into the duties of 3rd Engineers.

1. Engine Room Watchkeeping Duties

1. The 3rd Engineer is responsible for the independent Engine Room Watchkeeping from 0000 Hours to 0400, 1200 to 1600 hours (Non-UMS ships) and from 0000 hours to 0600, 1200 to 1800 hours during 6-on, 6-off.

2. The third Engineer ensures that all the machines required by the ship are operational during his watch and rectifies any problems that arise during the watch.

3. The third engineer is responsible for timely logging all operations in the Engine log book. While on watch, the third Engineer must follow all the company’s MARPOL Rules and all the checklists required by the company SMS.

4. The third engineer is responsible for maintaining the levels of Fuels, lube oil, and cooling water tanks in the Engine Room.He/she has to ensure that the parameters of running machines, such as temperatures, pressures and flow, are well within the operating range.

5. 3rd Engineer independently carries out Pre-departure / Pre-arrival tests as per the company checklist whenever departing or arriving at the ports as per the port calls.

6. 3rd Engineer, together with the Motorman/cadet, will prepare the Main Engine if the ship needs to sail off during his watch time mentioned above.

7. The third Engineer assists the second engineer in training the Cadet on board. Being intermediate Rank, Cadets generally have good relationships with their third Engineers.

8. The third engineer is always responsible for the good housekeeping of the Engine Room premises to prepare the ship for any third-party inspection. (PSC inspection/Vetting)

9. The 3rd Engineer assists the Chief Engineer in planning the Spares and stores available for the planned maintenance and raises requisitions in the PMS software if required.

10. They must comply with the company’s rules regarding MARPOL, Garbage, Sewage Emissions, etc., while burning sludge in an incinerator and discharging grey water and sewage overboard.

2. Safety Officer Duties

1. The third Engineer on most ships is a safety officer in the Engine Room and is part of the safety committee. Thus, they promote a culture of safety on board.

2. The 3rd Engineer creates events in the PMS systems for the monthly safety meeting, such as unsafe acts/conditions or near misses. Anyone on board can report anything to the 3rd Engineer, and then they can discuss it in the safety meeting.

3. The 3rd Engineer takes the Engine Room rounds from a safety point of view and reports defects, if found, to the senior officers to rectify them as soon as possible. These rounds are named Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC) rounds and are usually taken once a month.

4. The 3rd Engineers ensure that the cadets on board are working safely and get all the PPE for safety.

5. The third engineer ensures enough PPE is present near all the chemical Dosing areas and in the workshop. If needed, the third Engineer can consult with the second Engineer to replenish the deteriorated PPE.

3. Maintenance of Machinery under 3E

1. The person sailing on this rank handles Auxiliary Engines (Diesel Generators) and Boilers as the Main machines under him. This can vary based on different flags or nationalities. For example, if sailing with Danish officers, this rank handles Boiler and Purifier.

2. They are responsible for the sewage treatment plants onboard a vessel, from chemical dosing to Weekly back flushing and PMS jobs.

3. They are responsible for the weekly or daily Boiler water cooling water tests on board a merchant Vessel.

4. During bunkering, the 3rd Engineer plays a crucial role in determining the results (Density, Viscosity, compatibility, Flashpoint, etc.) of the fuel oil sample obtained onboard and reports to the Chief Engineer about the condition of the Fuel oil.

5. 3rd Engineer will test the Fresh water available on-board for (E.coli, PH, etc.). Suppose a vessel is on long anchorage and has to receive the water from shore; then the Chief Engineer will call the 3rd Engineer to test a water sample.

6. The 3rd Engineer is the right-hand of the 2nd engineer. So, an experienced 3rd engineer (Sailing time, at least 12 months on rank) can even handle the jobs of a 2nd engineer. Say if any main Engine-related job is coming and the 2nd engineer is confident about the 3rd Engineer, then Bravo! They can even carry out the Main engine’s jobs.

7. Unlike the fourth engineer, the third Engineer has much less paperwork. He has to maintain his NOx Technical files (two copies, one for CE and one for Master). In addition, they can complete daily task-related paperwork.

8. Diesel Framo power packs also come under this rank. All the weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual routines come under the 3rd Engineer.

9. During loading/discharging, this rank has to handle the operations of all the machines, including generators, IGG, boilers, compressors, Framo, COPT, etc.

10. Saturday routines are meant to test the emergency equipment available for the safety of personnel onboard and the ship’s security. So, the third Engineer is solely responsible for the Emergency Fire pump, Emergency Generator, and lifeboat testing.

11. During the drills carried onboard to train crews to tackle emergencies, the third Engineer is responsible primarily for handling the Foam stations on tankers, Fire stations on other vessels, QCV (quick-closing valves), and staying ready to operate the above-mentioned machines.

12. In addition to the above, the 3rd Engineer can take on any job that the 2nd Engineer nominates for them to carry out. For example, if multiple operations are happening at some key port, say Singapore and a Provision boat arrives to provide food and vegetables, the 3rd Engineer can be called to help shift the provisions to the dry provision room, help the Chief Engineer sort the Spares and mark them received, etc.

13. If the second Engineer is ill or cannot attend the morning toolbox meeting, the third Engineer can allocate the jobs to the crew for that particular day. Normally, the second engineer tends to write on the ECR whiteboard about whom to give which job. The third Engineer has to ensure and act like the second Engineer in his absence.

14. He is solely responsible for the chemicals available onboard the vessel. They will maintain the inventory of chemicals and raise requisitions for the upcoming chemical requirements.

15. In addition to all these jobs, they have to update the spare parts available in the ship’s planned maintenance system.

16. The third Engineer can substitute for the fourth Engineer if the fourth Engineer is not available ( for any reason) for the Man overboard lifeboat drill. So they have to fill that place if the situation demands.

17. Like every Rank has some month-end jobs, the 3rd Engineer has to make the Generator’s Performances, Generator lube oil tracker( excel sheet), Boiler water testing, and Cooling water testing done as part of the month-end routine. The 3rd Engineer on some ships also handles BWTS (Ballast Water management system). Operational parts and chemical replacement parts as well.

18. The third engineers also handle the exhaust gas cleaning system, which includes weekly filter routines on the seawater line, wash water discharge side, and gas sampling units.

4. Other Miscellaneous Duties

1. The 3rd Engineer will help the 2nd Engineer prepare for a safe entry permit for main engine scavenge cleaning or EGCS (exhaust gas scrubber cleaning system) cleaning, etc.

2. The third Engineer helps make a Hazardous Energy permit (formerly known as a cold work permit) for machine Maintenance.

3. The 3rd Engineer can help the Chief Engineer make different reports on Auxiliary machines to send them to the office. For example, if Generator Decarb is going on, the chief engineer will share the daily progress with the technical head of the company. The 3rd Engineer will help the Chief Engineer to make a daily work report to send to the office.

We have covered most aspects of the duties of third engineer on board ships, but the Merchant Navy is a dynamic field, and the Job scope of any rank in the Merchant Navy is not limited to the above tasks.

Anyone on the ship can help others, catering to themselves as a family member of the onboard sailing family. The Chief Engineer can nominate new jobs under the Chief Engineer’s standing orders for any new situation.

You might also like to read-

• What Is Marine Engineering: Courses, Job Description & Salary
• Top Reasons for which a 4th Engineer Should Call the Chief Engineer to the Engine Room
• Ship’s Main Engine Lubrication System Explained
• Who is a Cargo Engineer?
• Duties of 2nd Engineer on Ship

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Zahra is an alumna of Miranda House, University of Delhi. She is an avid writer, possessing immaculate research and editing skills. Author of several academic papers, she has also worked as a freelance writer, producing many technical, creative and marketing pieces. A true aesthete at heart, she loves books a little more than anything else.

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