12 Ways to Master the Engine Room Watch Keeping Procedure

Watch keeping is an integral part of marine engineer’s duties on board ship. A lot of maintenance work can

be reduced by following an efficient watch keeping routine in the ship’s engine room. Moreover, it can also

avoid serious accidents from taking place.

But what is the true yard stick for measuring the efficiency of a watch keeping procedure?

A smooth running ship is a product of efficient handling at the bridge and effective management in the engine

room under any seagoing condition. When a marine engineer is approved to be the in charge of the engine

room, he is eligible and officially authorised to handle a ship’s engine of “Unlimited Power”.  It is therefore

important that the watch keeping procedure, a daily routine that has to be carried out every single day, is

done in the most systematic manner to prevent any kind of breakdown.

Though there is no ultimate yardstick to measure the efficiency of a watch keeping procedure, we have

compiled a list of 12 ways which will help a marine engine on board ship to master the watch keeping

procedure.

1.   Knowledge is the Base: The first and most important step to enhance your duties during a watch is to

have a very strong knowledge base. One must know the basics of the machines and their operations, new

trends and upcoming technologies, and maritime regulations along with their amendments.

Knowledge gives a great boost to engineer’s confidence level and also results in more accurate job

decisions. Engine room operation also requires information from other domains of engineering such as

mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical and electronic systems, refrigeration etc. Knowing these

fundamentals makes an engineer’s foundation stronger.

2.   Follow Your Instincts: It is commonly said on ships that in order to become a good watch keeper, an

engineer must use all the 6 senses- i.e. touch, hearing, smell, visuals, taste and kinaesthetic senses

(6th Sense). All these senses when applied correctly help an engineer to understand the condition of

machines in a better way.

Touch:  Feeling a machine for its temperature can tell you about the condition inside the machinery, for e.g.

High temperature means something wrong.

Hearing: It is always advisable to keep a track of sounds coming from different machines in the engine room

as any abnormality would result in change of the sound.

Smell: Another powerful sense that helps to determine a problem is -smell.  Burning of parts or accessories

due to increase in temperature, oil leakage, chemicals etc. can be easily identified using this sense.

Taste: Your tongue can identify different tastes; and you can apply this characteristic to your watch keeping

routines, for e.g.  Tasting can help to identify the difference between sea water and fresh water as both of

them are used as prime mediums for cooling on ships.

Visual: The most commonly used sense of all is the power of visualisation, helpful in identifying engine room

and machinery conditions. Whenever you enter the engine room you must start looking for any kind of visual

abnormality.

6th Sense: Considered to be the most powerful of all senses, your inner feeling (gut feeling) can sometimes

prove to be a lifesaver during watch keeping. Listen to it when you feel there is something wrong in the

engine room. However, don’t rely on it blindly; back it up with proper procedures.

3.   Go By The Book: Every Engine room is provided with hundreds of documents – Manuals, operating

instruction, and safety and pollution prevention instructions just to name a few.  Follow them religiously

during your watch keeping procedures.

4.   Interpreting log book: A smart engineer would know the importance of engine room log book and would

also know how to interpret previous readings of different machines from the same. Interpreting log means

keeping a track of previous records of machinery parameters from the log book and using them to analyse

the present situation or to identify a problem.

5.   Clear Communication: Efficient communication between maritime professionals is an important factor

for a safe and efficient operation onboard. If you are a watch keeper, you must clearly communicate all kinds

of operations and problems/ suspicions with your seniors and crew members. An efficient engine room-

bridge communication is also very important to make sure that navigational officers at the bridge can plan

their procedures or stay prepared for any kind of situation.

6.   Take a Complete Round, Don’t Skip Any Machinery: Automation and alarm systems of machines are

always helpful in detecting early stage faults; however, it is a known fact that human vigilance is more

capable of detecting and interpreting errors more accurately. When on engine room round, all machines on

all levels must be examined for proper operation. Moreover, also make sure that you note your findings in the

log book for future reference.

7.   Never Neglect Any Alarm: Alarm systems in the engine room are indication or pre warning of any

abnormality in the engine room machines. Sometimes due to a technical glitch such as connection or

electronic fault, an alarm would become faulty and give out audio and visual warnings after every few

minutes.

This generates a habit among watch keepers to ignore the alarm totally and to cancel it from the control

room.  However, make sure that you are able to differentiate between the faulty and normal alarm, and also

keep a track on the repairing work of faulty alarm so that you are aware when it is back to normal condition.

8.   Do Not Hide Faults: If you see any kind of fault while taking rounds or have committed a mistake, never

try to hide it. Remember that even the smallest fault can become dangerous if unattended at the correct time.

Always report the incident to your superiors and try to remove or repair the fault as soon as possible.

9.   Call for Help When in Need: In an engine room having hundreds of machines, faults are bound to

happen. Sometimes you may feel that the fault is big and a single person won’t be able to handle it alone. In

such situations, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Ship operation is all about team work and you should respect

that and know its importance.

10.  Obey Orders: A good watch keeper must follow eligible orders from seniors, who have better

experience and understanding of machines.  However, a smart watch keeper should also use his/her own

judgment when the need arises. Take inputs and advices from your seniors, but be confident while carrying

out your duties.

11.  Follow Alcohol Policy: Never ever commence or carry out your watch under the influence of alcohol,

as it may interfere with your decision making abilities. Always follow your company alcohol policy.  In case

you are under influence of alcohol, don’t be ashamed to inform your seniors.

12.  Avoid Fatigue: Fatigue is the biggest reason behind human mistakes on ship. Always take proper rest

in your free time and avoid working when tired. Though this is tough to follow most of the time, ask your

seniors for a brief break so that you can freshen up and get back to work with more energy and enthusiasm.

 

These are the most important factors which decide an efficient watch keeping procedure. Do you know any

more factors to enhance watch keeping procedures on ships?