The Engine Room

The engine department keeps a ship alive: propulsion, electric power, fresh water, heating and cooling, fuel and lubricating oil, pumps and steering.

From steam to diesel

Nineteenth-century steamships burned coal in boilers; firemen and trimmers fed the fires by hand in brutal conditions. Oil firing and steam turbines followed. In the early twentieth century marine diesel engines were introduced, and over the century they became the dominant form of ship propulsion because of their fuel efficiency. Large merchant ships often use two-stroke slow-speed diesels that drive the propeller directly.

Systems

Beyond the main engine, an engine room contains diesel generators, fuel and lube oil purifiers, heat exchangers, air compressors, freshwater generators (evaporators or reverse osmosis), ballast and bilge pumps, sewage treatment, refrigeration and air conditioning, and steering gear. Engineers plan maintenance, repair equipment at sea, and handle fuel and oily-water discharge according to international pollution rules (MARPOL).

People

The chief engineer leads the department with assistant engineers and ratings such as oilers, wipers and QMEDs. Watches involve rounds and readings; many modern ships operate with periodically unattended machinery spaces monitored by alarms.

Skills

Engine-room work combines diesel mechanics, electrical systems, pumps and piping, refrigeration and welding. It is hot, loud and demanding, and it leads to shipboard and shoreside careers.

Programs and credentials

Maritime Crew (deck/engine), Diesel & Heavy Truck, Marine Engine / Outboard, Industrial Maintenance, HVAC/R. Credentials: STCW Basic Training, USCG QMED.