In a career as a merchant navy officer, one is responsible for onboard compliance of everyone with rigorous health and safety guidelines, monitor and maintain life-saving equipment such as fire fighting equipment and life-saving boats, maintain all legal and operational records of the ship, checking the weather, navigate reports and take appropriate actions, oversee the entire machinery of the ship for everyday use, inspect the mechanical and electrical equipment onboard for smooth functioning. So, how to become a merchant navy officer and what does it takes to become one?

Coordination helps reduce disputes, rivalries, losses, delays and other issues in an organization. This guarantees the organization’s smooth running. Hence an organization can accomplish its goals easily and effectively with the assistance of coordination within the team. They are responsible to check whether and navigation reports and take appropriate action, coordinate the safe loading, storage and unloading of cargo.

Merchant navy officers also manage the care and safety of passengers (if you’re working on a ferry/cruise ship), manage ship communication systems, maintain legal and operational records such as the ship’s log. Management is the method of working with objects or individuals or regulating them. To achieve established targets it is the cooperation and coordination of a company’s activities. Management is also involved as a production factor accompanying machinery, equipment and materials.

They supervise the operation and maintenance of deck machinery, e.g. winches and cranes, monitor and maintain safety, firefighting and life-saving equipment, oversee the ship to ensure that the highest levels of health and safety are maintained. Commonly supervisory roles comprise work planning and scheduling, decision making, overseeing performance and compliance, making recommendations and team-building, and maintaining organizational performance.

There are several types of merchant navy officers. We have provided below two major types of merchant navy with varying titles and responsibilities.

Deck Officer: A deck officer is also known as a navigation officer. He is responsible for making decisions on steering and maneuvering the ship, controlling navigation and communications. He/she uses state-of-the-art and GPS systems to navigate the ship. He/she is responsible for monitoring the weather reports and making the major decisions as required. Operating in an executive body liable for ship navigation, strategizing and safe handling, communications, cargo handling and delivery and the maintenance of all potentially life-saving equipment, a deck officer’s position is crucial onboard a cargo ship.

Engineering Officer: An engineering officer is responsible to maintain the machinery of the entire ship or cruise. They oversee the operation of propulsion, fuel and waste systems. Since the ship is made of steel and plies on saltwater, therefore it requires maintenance and time to time inspection. A ship is itself a city on the water which runs through the huge engines and other machinery. An engineering officer oversees the functioning of all such machinery.