The Best Guide Of Watchkeeping By Marine Engineer On Board Ship

6 min readJun 4, 2021

Watch keeping by Marine Engineer on Ship

This guide on Watchkeeping by Marine Engineer on Ship will explain in detail the engine room watchkeeping, the importance of watchkeeping at sea, engine room watchkeeping checklist, and what must the watchkeeping Engineer do periodically while on watch

Importance of watchkeeping at sea

The Importance of watchkeeping is to recommend a systematic routine, which, if Perused, will save the watchkeeping engineer many jolts, the chief engineering Officer’s extravagant headache, and vessel proprietor hefty amount.

The duty engineer must understand that he has an important task to perform and must always be alert while on this most responsible duty.

Basic Principals of watchkeeping

Knowledge;- Engineer should have adequate knowledge of machinery. The in-depth knowledge of machinery will give the confidence for the successful watch-keeping duties.

Intuition; — To become a perfect watchkeeper, an engineer should visualize and feel through his senses. Judging through the senses is the best and easiest practice to understand the operating condition of a machine.

These senses are listed below.

Smell
Hearing
Touching
Taste
Visual Observation.
OEM manual reference.

Smell;- Smelling is one of the most potent senses and helps detect any burning part or instrument, oil, or chemical leakage.

Touching;-By hand touching, one can feel the temperature of any part and the high temperature is the clear indication of severe abnormality in the machine.

Hearing: hearing the sound in the engine room and detecting any unfamiliar sound is the indication of abnormality in the machine. If such a strange sound is overlooked in the engine room may lead to some catastrophic failure.

Taste;- Tasting in case of water will help identify the difference in seawater and freshwater as both the medium are used to cool the machine directly or indirectly. In addition, this type of test will help in identifying the leakage of one medium in the other medium.

Visual Observation for the best results of for the proper Watchkeeping by Marine Engineer on the Ship

visual Observation is the most used sense in detecting the problem in a machine. Under this category of following observations are the most commonly used?

1. Close Observation of exhaust gases of the Main and Auxiliary Engines.

2. Overboard discharges of various cooling water.

3. Wind direction

4. Position of ventilators for Engine room

5. Sea State

OEM manual reference

This is the most authenticated action if the engineer’s gut feels about the observed abnormality in the engine room and machinery.

For all the machinery, Equipment manufacturers provide the instructions manual. It is always good practice to refer to these manuals from time to time for diagnosing the problems instead of jumping to conclusions. Engineers should have the practice of reading the manuals regarding the operation and maintenance, including fault diagnosing procedures mentioned in the instruction books.

Log Books

interpretation of logbook readings compared to previous and present readings will help identify any abnormal behavior of any machine. Further comparing the logbook reading with test results approximately at that particular load will help diagnose the problem in the engine and guide for the immediate action to be taken in case of difference is very high.

System Communication and MIS (Management Information)

Watch abnormalities. Engineers also should follow the best latest techniques of management information systems. Practices of precise commutation will help in the immediate action of taking the call to attend the abnormal machine. These systems also help prevent any catastrophic failure resulting in massive savings by protecting the significant components from loss. keeping engineer must communicate the observed

Going around all the machinery (for the proper Watchkeeping by Marine Engineer on the Ship)

Though all the ships are equipped with the latest control system for all the machinery, it is still always favorable to follow human surveillance to detect and predict faults with due diligence.

Not to oversight the alarms

Alarms indicate the pre-warning of any abnormality in the machine. Engineers should be able to visualize the difference between faulty and natural alarms.

Engineers should repair the faulty alarm at the first opportunity to bring it back to normal working condition.

Ask for Help;- Many times, the problem is more significant and can’t be handled by a single person. In such cases, always ask for Help. Teamwork always yields the best results.

Protocol of following the orders

Always obey the orders and instructions passed on by seniors. During the watch, if some doubt arises, it is always advantageous to consult the seniors.

No Alcohol Policy:- as per the modern trend in shipping, no alcohol policy is followed and adopted. Under the influence of alcohol decision-making ability of individuals diminishes. In the light of old experience, many accidents have taken place under the intoxication of alcohol.

Working under fatigue;-

Never undertake the responsibility of jobs under fatigue. It has been found that many blunders have taken place due to the employment of personnel under fatigue. Under fatigue, a person is likely to fall asleep and will not be in a position to carry out the duties responsibly.

Checklist during the Rounds

Close observation of the Main and Auxiliary Engines

The exhaust gases from the Main and Auxiliary Engines must be precise and sparkle. The clear sparks and exhaust gases at normal temperatures are indications of healthy conditions inside the cylinders.

Taking Over the watch

Meet the retiring Engineer and take over the watch from him.

There should be no ambiguities over any observed abnormality.
In case there is a dispute, should report the matter to the Chief Engineer.
Any marked abnormality should be entered in the rough log sheet.

Important machine and areas to be inspected for the proper Watchkeeping by Marine Engineer on the Ship

Steering gear
Fuel settling tank
Cylinder cooling system
Cylinder head valves
Fuel Valves
High-pressure fuel injection pumps
Bottom of cylinders
Knocking-in cylinders
Crosshead guides
Bottom plate forms
Piston Cooling
Bearing lubricating oil
WHRB ( waste heat recovery boiler)

Steering gear

The steering gear is the first machine to be inspected in a series of inspections — the following points to be reviewed In the Electro hydraulic type steering gear.

Replenishing tank oil level
Electric motor and pump temperature
Commuter for sparking
Hydraulic cylinder pressure.
Leakage from gland
Telemotor replenishing tank for the non-freezing liquid.
Steering gear and telemotor response.

Fuel Settling Tanks

Level of fuel in settling tanks
Drain of water by opening the drain cock

Moving the float indicators manually to check for proper function

On reaching the engine room, the relieving Engineer should carry out the following observations on engines.

Cylinder cooling system

The temperature of each cylinder
Temperature feeling by hand touching.
Note the cooling water outlet recorded in the scrap log book.
Position of cooling water regulating valve.
The temperature of seawater cooling from cylinder jackets and pistons.
Flow of water

Cylinder head valves

Opening and closing action of the cylinder head valves.
Fuel valve for the movements relative to the cylinder head.
Feel the fuel pulsation by manually touching the fuel injection pipe to judge the action of the fuel injection pumps.

WHRB (Waste heat recovery Boiler)

Check the water level in both LP and HP drums. If the level has gone down remarkably down as compared to the previous day’s level then it is the indication of a leak in the HT system.

Centrifuges

Check the functioning of the Centrifuges. Check the auto sludge discharge function. Check for any leakages.

Compressed Air Starting System

Check the oil level in the compressor. Drain the air bottle for the water and keep it draining till the air is free of water.