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Tag: Engine Cadet

  • Didn’t Understand the Instruction? Ask Again — Cadet Tips for Learning Onboard

    Didn’t Understand the Instruction? Ask Again — Cadet Tips for Learning Onboard

    CADETS CORNER

    You said “yes”. But did you understand?

    New instructions. Different accents. A brain still loading. Take a breath — asking again is part of becoming a useful member of the crew.

    Someone explains a task. You catch the first sentence, lose the second and enthusiastically nod through the third. Congratulations: your face has confirmed something your brain has not approved.

    On your first contract at sea, unfamiliar equipment, terminology and accents can make simple instructions feel complicated. That is normal. What matters is what you do next.

    This guide is mainly for deck cadets and engine cadets on oceangoing merchant ships, with lessons that apply elsewhere too. Your vessel’s procedures, training programme and supervisor’s instructions always take priority.

    1. Safety comes before looking confident

    Your safety and the safety of the people around you come first. If an instruction is unclear, pause before acting and ask for clarification. Do not guess which valve, switch, tool or piece of equipment someone meant.

    ! Leave the ship as safely and as healthy as you joined it.

    With more knowledge and confidence — not an injury caused by an awkward “yes”. Wear the required PPE, work within your authorisation and supervision, and stop and report anything that appears unsafe.

    You are not expected to know everything. You are expected to be honest about what you understand.

    2. Ask again — clearly and professionally

    Good communication onboard is about shared understanding, not impressive English. Different accents and a noisy workplace can challenge experienced seafarers too.

    • “I did not understand the last part. Could you repeat it, please?”
    • “Could you show me which equipment you mean?”
    • “I have not done this before. Could you demonstrate it?”
    • “Before I start, what precautions do I need to follow?”
    • “Let me repeat that back to make sure I understood.”

    Repeat the instruction in your own words, including the task, the identified equipment and any limits or reporting requirements. Let the supervisor confirm or correct you before you act. This closes the communication loop.

    These are everyday clarification examples, not a replacement for prescribed command wording or read-back procedures. Learn the IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases and the communication procedures used onboard.

    General “why” questions can wait for a suitable moment. Questions that affect safe execution cannot. “I will ask afterwards” is a poor plan when you are already unsure what to do.

    3. Learn widely. Focus on the responsibilities ahead.

    Cargo operations are fascinating. On a gas carrier, the cargo control room can look like mission control. On other ships, loading plans and equipment can be just as interesting.

    Wanting to understand cargo is a good thing. But do not let the most impressive-looking operation consume your whole training period while your basic officer skills remain untouched.

    Ask your training officer: “Which skills should I prioritise now, and how do they prepare me for my first junior officer role?” Use your approved training record book to build a balanced plan. Cargo competence is part of that plan, not an optional extra to ignore until later.

    The aim is to prepare for duties you may receive as a third or second officer, or a fourth or third engineer, depending on the vessel and company. Job titles and allocations vary; learn what those roles actually involve on your ship.

    4. Deck cadets: the bridge AND the deck are your classroom

    You are training to become a deck officer. Make bridge watchkeeping, practical seamanship and safety duties central parts of your supervised learning.

    Participate actively in deck work with the bosun and deck team, under the Chief Officer’s arrangements and your assigned supervisor. Learn the preparation, equipment, hazards and teamwork involved — not just the name of the job.

    • Bridge: lookout, watch routines, navigation, passage monitoring, communications and reporting.
    • Deck: safe seamanship, maintenance and supervised participation in mooring and other assigned operations.
    • Safety: firefighting equipment, lifesaving appliances, drills, inspections and the associated records.

    Work with the designated safety officer or responsible officer where applicable. On bulk carriers, container ships and other vessel types, the organisation may differ. Find out who owns each responsibility rather than assuming the same title means the same job everywhere.

    A drill is not something to attend while mentally planning lunch. Learn your assigned role and ask questions during the debrief.

    5. Modern bridges: become a capable operator, not a button memoriser

    A modern officer of the watch needs to use electronic equipment confidently. ECDIS, radar/ARPA, GNSS, AIS, autopilot, echo sounders, speed logs, communications and alarm systems may each have different controls and menus.

    Think of a bridge with 15 different equipment interfaces to learn: that illustrates the challenge, not a fixed minimum for every vessel. These are different systems and interfaces, not necessarily 15 separate computer operating systems.

    Read the manuals for the actual makes, models and software versions onboard. Ask your supervising officer to explain normal use, relevant settings, input sources, alarms, limitations and approved backup arrangements.

    ! Knowing five clicks is not the same as understanding the equipment. Ask what each step does and why it is appropriate in that situation. Never experiment with live equipment, change settings or acknowledge alarms without authorisation.

    The useful question is not only “Which button?” It is also “What information am I using, what could be wrong with it, and how should it be checked?”

    6. Keep the conventional navigation skills alive

    Electronics do not remove the need to understand navigation. Work with your training officer on the conventional methods and calculations required by your programme, including:

    • Sextant handling, corrections, observations and sight reduction.
    • Star recognition and selecting suitable celestial bodies.
    • Meridian passage, including upper and lower culmination where applicable.
    • Great-circle and rhumb-line sailing calculations.
    • Position fixing, dead reckoning, bearings and compass checks.

    Practise when conditions, equipment and supervision allow. Understand what you calculate and how it relates to the vessel’s position. Some observations depend on latitude and visibility; not every exercise is possible on every voyage.

    The stars have not retired because the bridge has Wi-Fi. And a screen full of information still needs a person who understands it.

    7. Engine cadets: learn the machinery AND its connections

    Your classroom is the engine department, but there is plenty of variety inside it. Build a supervised understanding of machinery rounds, maintenance, watch routines, safe isolation and the systems supporting the ship.

    Ask experienced engineers, oilers and motormen what they check and why. Relate their explanation to the approved procedure and equipment manual.

    Study piping diagrams and learn how fuel, lubrication, cooling, air and other relevant systems connect. Trace an approved drawing with someone who knows the installation. Identifying a pump is useful; understanding what supplies it and where it discharges is better.

    Engine-room automation deserves the same approach as bridge electronics: understand the equipment and its limitations, not merely the sequence that makes an alarm disappear.

    8. Cargo: understand the system, not just the spectacle

    On LNG, LPG, chemical and product tankers, study the approved diagrams for the relevant cargo, ballast and associated systems with the responsible officer. Start by recognising the equipment, flow paths, hazards and purpose of each system.

    On bulk carriers and container ships, learn the corresponding arrangements: cargo plans, securing or lashing, holds, hatch covers, ballast and stability considerations, as applicable.

    Build knowledge progressively and complete the cargo training required for your role and vessel. Observation does not authorise you to operate equipment. “I saw someone do it yesterday” is not a qualification.

    FOR EVERY CADET

    RTFM: Read the fucking manual.

    Yes, the actual manual. For the actual equipment. Preferably before your entire explanation becomes “someone showed me this once”.

    Read the relevant section, check the ship’s approved procedure, write down what you do not understand and ask your supervisor. Reading supports supervised training; it does not authorise you to operate, dismantle or repair equipment yourself.

    9. Do not expect every lesson to arrive ready-made

    Take ownership of your learning. Read before asking when appropriate, keep notes, revisit explanations and arrive with specific questions. Showing sustained interest helps others see where you need guidance.

    But you do not have to earn the right to safe instruction. Your company and designated trainers still have responsibilities to provide the required supervision and training. If your programme is being neglected, raise it professionally.

    Watching someone senior use a shortcut does not prove it is correct. They may have context you lack — or the shortcut may simply be wrong. Ask respectfully how the method relates to the manual and approved procedure. Never copy something unsafe to fit in.

    10. “Please scan these papers” is also real work

    Photocopying documents, scanning records and updating a noticeboard can be serious parts of keeping a vessel organised. Correct information, legible copies and current versions matter.

    Complete the task carefully. Then, when appropriate, ask why that document is needed, who uses it, where it belongs and how its revision is controlled.

    Respect confidentiality and access restrictions. Do not browse or copy personal or restricted information out of curiosity, and do not retain ship documents on personal devices without permission.

    Small task, useful lesson: posting an approved notice may teach you about the ship’s reporting structure or routines. The photocopier will not award you a Certificate of Competency, but the task does not have to be mindless. Equally, paperwork should not consume your whole cadetship at the expense of practical training.

    11. Become someone the team can rely on

    Respect every rank. Be punctual, work carefully, report completion and admit when you need help. Make your progress visible through demonstrated skills and honest training records.

    A useful learning cycle is simple: read, ask, observe, practise under supervision, review. Keep doing it. Your goal is to become a dependable member of the team, not the person with the most confident nod.

    For each task, write down three things: what you did, why it mattered and what you still need explained. Review them with your training officer and connect completed learning to your training record book.

    Before your next “yes”

    • Do I understand the task and its risks?
    • Am I trained, authorised and appropriately supervised?
    • Have I checked the relevant manual and procedure?
    • Can I explain the instruction back correctly?
    • Do I know when to stop and report?

    Ask again. Learn the reason. Practise safely. Nobody becomes a good officer through nodding alone.

    New onboard? Read our first-day guide for cadets for familiarisation, punctuality and settling into the team.

    Keep your own maritime certificates and documents organised alongside your learning. Download Wave, or explore our offline maritime document wallet guide. Digital copies complement the originals required by your company.

    More Cadets Corner articles will follow, taking these topics one at a time. Today’s homework is simple: replace one uncertain nod with one useful question.

    Further reading: IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases and STCW Code: deck and engineering competence standards. Training priorities should be agreed with your designated training officer and aligned with your approved programme.

  • First Day Onboard a Ship? Take a Breath — Your Cadets Corner Guide

    First Day Onboard a Ship? Take a Breath — Your Cadets Corner Guide

    CADETS CORNER

    First day onboard? Take a breath.

    New ship. New faces. A staircase that apparently leads to another staircase. Welcome aboard — nobody expects you to know everything on day one.

    Your first day onboard a ship can feel like arriving in a new country where everyone knows the rules, the shortcuts and which door you definitely should not open. Everyone, that is, except you.

    That unfamiliar feeling is normal. Every seafarer had a first day — including the captain who now seems to know everything from the weather forecast to who borrowed the good pen.

    These cadet tips focus mainly on oceangoing merchant ships: tankers, bulk carriers, container ships and similar vessels. Many apply elsewhere too, but your company’s procedures, your ship’s instructions and your assigned training programme come first.

    1. Safety first. Everything else comes after.

    Before your first watch, your first task or your first enthusiastic “Yes, understood,” remember the most important thing: your safety — and the safety of the people around you — comes first.

    Look after yourself. Seriously. No task is worth getting hurt over, and nobody needs you to prove your enthusiasm by taking risks. Your actions can affect the person beside you, the team working nearby and the people who come after you.

    ! Our number-one rule: leave the ship as safely and as healthy as you joined it.

    With more knowledge, more confidence and a few good stories — not an injury. You came onboard to build your career, not to become the example in the next safety meeting.

    • Wear the required PPE and follow the instructions for the particular job.
    • Do not attempt unfamiliar work without proper instructions, authorisation and supervision.
    • Watch your surroundings: moving equipment, slippery surfaces, stairs, ropes and other ongoing operations.
    • If you do not understand, ask. Never pretend you understood an instruction just to avoid feeling awkward.
    • If something appears unsafe, stop and speak up. Alert your supervisor and follow the ship’s safety procedures.

    Being new is normal. Asking for help is professional. Guessing your way through a dangerous task is neither.

    2. Introduce yourself and find your bearings

    A simple introduction goes a long way: your name, your role and a friendly greeting. Ask who you should report to, where to take your joining documents and who will guide your first-day familiarisation.

    Deck cadets work within the deck department; engine cadets within the engine department. Confirm your immediate supervisor and designated training officer rather than guessing from someone’s uniform.

    If the ship is busy with cargo operations, manoeuvring or a crew change, keep introductions brief and follow instructions. You will have time to tell your life story. Probably over several meals.

    3. Respect the hierarchy. Respect every person.

    A ship has a clear chain of command. Learn who assigns your work, who supervises it and how to raise a question or concern. Understanding that structure helps the team work safely.

    But respect is for every seafarer, every department and every rank. Nobody needs officer’s stripes to deserve courtesy — or to teach you something valuable.

    Deck cadets: do the watchkeeping maths. Imagine an experienced able seafarer has spent five years on a schedule involving two bridge watches per day. Using 180 watchkeeping days per year as an illustration, that is 1,800 watches. Your first six months on that same illustrative schedule? Around 360.

    Actual schedules and duties vary. The point is simple: that person may have years of practical experience with lookout duties, steering and bridge teamwork. Listen. Your training and their experience can complement each other.

    Engine cadets: an experienced oiler or motorman may have completed countless machinery rounds and maintenance jobs. They may notice that a sound, smell or vibration has changed before you have worked out which machine you are standing beside. Ask what they look for, under your supervisor’s guidance.

    Learn from everyone: officers, ratings, the bosun, the cook and colleagues from other departments. A ship works because people contribute different skills, not because everyone has the same title.

    Learn from their experience while checking tasks against approved procedures and your training officer’s instructions. “We have always done it this way” is a reason to ask questions, not permission to copy an unsafe shortcut.

    4. Familiarisation comes before figuring things out yourself

    Ship familiarisation is your introduction to working safely on this particular vessel. Pay attention when someone explains alarms, your muster station, escape routes, lifejacket arrangements and how to report an emergency.

    Ask for anything unclear to be shown again. Complete familiarisation records honestly; do not sign to say you understand something that has not been explained.

    Follow access restrictions. An unfamiliar door is not an invitation to explore an enclosed space or machinery area alone. This is a ship, not an escape-room challenge.

    5. Be punctual — and check which clock you are following

    Confirm ship’s time, your duty schedule, meal times and when you are expected to report. Your phone may still be living happily in your home time zone.

    ! Deck cadets and apprentice officers: aim to be on the bridge at least 15 minutes before your assigned watch starts.

    Agree the reporting time with your supervising officer and follow the ship’s instructions. Arriving early gives you time to settle in, listen to the handover and understand what is happening before your assigned duties begin.

    This is a practical recommendation, not a universal STCW “15-minute rule”. Required preparation and handover time should be included in the work schedule and recorded correctly, with rest requirements respected. A cadet joins under supervision; they do not independently relieve the officer of the watch.

    ! Closed footwear on the bridge. Wear the footwear and clothing required onboard. Slippers and casual clogs can stay in the cabin — the bridge is a workplace, even when the sea looks like a holiday brochure.

    Bring your notebook. Keep your phone put away unless authorised for a work task. Listen without interrupting critical communications, and never operate controls without instruction and authorisation.

    Engine cadets should likewise confirm their reporting time, required PPE and supervision arrangements before joining a watch or job.

    6. Show willingness to learn through small actions

    You do not need an impressive speech. Be ready when expected, listen carefully, take notes and follow through on the tasks you are given. Your attitude shows in the small things you do consistently.

    • Ask when unsure: “Could you show me the correct way to do this?”
    • Confirm instructions: “Just to check, you want me to do this first, then report back?”
    • Be honest about experience: “I have studied this, but I have not done it onboard yet.”
    • Report problems promptly: mistakes and uncertainty become harder to fix when hidden.
    • Welcome feedback: use corrections to improve, rather than treating every correction as a personal attack.

    Choose a suitable moment for general questions. During a busy manoeuvre, follow directions and save the long discussion for afterwards. If an instruction is unclear or safety is at stake, speak up immediately.

    And yes, you may need an explanation twice. Your brain has just travelled across several time zones and is now trying to memorise twelve new names.

    7. Learn the routine, and give yourself time to settle in

    Ask about mess-room arrangements, laundry, cabin standards and shared spaces. Be considerate with noise, cleanliness and other people’s rest. Your midnight video call may be someone else’s very short opportunity to sleep.

    When permitted, let your family know you arrived safely. Follow company rules for photographs, social media and information about the vessel or crew.

    If you arrive exhausted after travelling, tell your supervisor. Willingness to learn does not mean pretending you do not need rest. Follow your assigned work and rest schedule, and report fatigue or illness.

    Getting used to life at sea takes time. You do not have to feel completely at home before your suitcase is even unpacked.

    8. Start your training record — one step at a time

    Ask your training officer how to organise your training record book, what your initial objectives are and when you can review progress together. Keep a small notebook for new terms, tasks and questions.

    Complete records honestly and seek signatures only for training actually completed. Your training record is there to support your development, not to win a speed-signing competition.

    Keep your certificates and joining paperwork organised too. Download Wave to help organise your digital maritime documents, alongside the originals and copies your company requires. For more on digital organisation, read our offline maritime document wallet guide.

    Your first day is for starting properly. Nobody needs six months of training squeezed into the afternoon before dinner.

    9. If the atmosphere is difficult, keep your direction

    Not every crew has the same atmosphere. People may be busy, tired or less welcoming than you hoped. Stay courteous, keep learning and build a professional relationship with the people responsible for your training.

    Keep your focus on what you came onboard to do: learn, work safely and develop into a capable professional. Ask for clear training objectives and guidance if you feel your learning is getting lost in the daily routine.

    However, bullying, harassment, discrimination and unsafe instructions are not something you must accept to prove yourself. Raise concerns through the ship’s or company’s reporting procedures. If your immediate supervisor is involved, use another designated contact. Seek help promptly if you feel unsafe.

    Remember this for your future rank: good mentors teach you what to do. A difficult experience can also show you what you never want to repeat.

    When you become the person giving instructions, remember how it felt to be new. Be clear, fair and patient with the next cadet. You cannot change every experience you have, but you can choose the kind of colleague and officer you become.

    Your first-day checklist

    • Put your safety and the safety of others first.
    • Introduce yourself and confirm your supervisor.
    • Complete your safety familiarisation.
    • Check ship’s time and your reporting schedule.
    • Wear the required clothing, footwear and PPE.
    • Listen, take notes and ask when unsure.
    • Respect every person onboard, whatever their rank.
    • Protect your rest and report concerns.

    Take a breath. Bring your manners, your notebook and your willingness to learn. Above all, look after yourself and each other. The rest comes one day at a time.

    Still preparing for your first contract at sea? Start with our guides to your first journey to the ship and what to pack for life onboard.

    More Cadets Corner articles will follow, with practical explanations for your first weeks onboard, learning from the crew and building confidence at sea. No need to become the captain by Friday.

    Further reading: IMO STCW Code: familiarisation and watchkeeping; MCA Code of Safe Working Practices. Practical cadet advice complements, and does not replace, your vessel’s procedures and supervised training.