Principal Deck Roles
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Principal Deck Roles
The principal deck roles within a ship’s Deck department can be summarised as follows:
Captain
The Captain (also known as the Master) has command of the vessel and its crew. They hold overall responsibility for the ship, its cargo, crew and passengers, as well as compliance with any legal requirements associated with the ship’s operation. any custom and immigration regulations.
Chief Officer
The Chief Officer (also known as the Chief Mate) is second in rank after the Captain and is often the senior Bridge watchkeeper. They also hold responsibility for cargo operations, deck machinery, maintenance of deck equipment and the vessel’s safety. The Chief Officer also manages the deck crew and officers.
Second Officer
The Second Officer (also known as the Second Mate) is typically the ship’s navigator. Their primary duties include preparation of voyage passage plans, ensuring that charts and navigational publications are kept up-to-date, oversight of navigational equipment and undertaking Bridge watchkeeping. The Second Officer may also be responsible for the effective training of Deck Cadets and acting as a medical officer.
Third Officer
The Third Officer (also known as the Third Mate) is usually the junior Bridge watchkeeper, with additional responsibility for the maintenance of firefighting and lifesaving appliances.
Deck Cadet
A Deck Cadet receives onboard training and experience in line with their approved training programme and MNTB Training Record Book, learns how to become an operational Deck Officer, and normally sails as a Third Officer once qualified.
Coxswains/Deck Ratings
Apart from the officers, the deck crew also consists of ratings, such as Coxswains, ABs (Able Body Seamen) and OS (Ordinary Seamen).
What career are you interested in?
No matter what career path you choose, we will find the right place for you!
A six-part television programme produced by Scottish Television in conjunction with CareersatSea.org provides some very useful insights in to working at sea in the Merchant Navy:
A career for the passionate
For further information about maritime careers, please contact us at: [email protected]
Once you are ready to apply for a cadetship, please email your application letter and Curriculum Vitae (CV) to us at [email protected], and confirm your preferred training discipline (i.e. Deck Cadetship, Engineer Cadetship or METO Cadetship).
We work with industry leading companies, for excellent training
Just Be Maritime is proud to work with a select and growing group of well-established maritime companies and organisations, who are forward-looking in their approach to recruitment and management of Officer Cadets, one of their most important resources.
Close liaison and collaboration with our clients provides enormous scope to exploit future training opportunities and support company succession planning through the delivery of well-qualified officers who are already familiar with the company’s operations.
