Entry & progression
Certificate: MCA SV Engineer Officer of the Watch <3000 GT / <9000 kW — the operational-level engineering CoC for keeping an engineering watch on small commercial vessels and yachts. Entry: approved qualifying engine-room service, AEC 1 and 2 or MEOL(SV) background, STCW basic safety plus Advanced Fire Fighting and PSCRB, and an ENG1 medical; verify current requirements against MSN 1904 / MIN 642. Progresses to SV Chief Engineer <500 GT and <3000 GT.
Theory into practice
Building on the four-stroke (and, on some plant, two-stroke) cycle, the engineer understands combustion, injection timing, turbocharging and charge-air cooling, and how load and speed affect the engine. Operation means starting, manoeuvring, running at economical and full power, and stopping, while continuously monitoring the temperatures, pressures and exhaust condition and interpreting what they mean. The engineer knows the engine's normal operating parameters and treats any departure from them as a signal to investigate.
- Understand combustion, injection timing, turbocharging and charge-air cooling.
- Operate the engine across its range and interpret the instruments in service.
- Recognise the signs of abnormal running — a hot cylinder, black smoke, unusual noise — and act before damage occurs.
- Understand indicator or performance data at a basic level to judge how the engine is performing.
NOTE — Read the exhaust and the exhaust temperatures The exhaust temperatures of the individual cylinders and the colour of the exhaust are among the best indicators of how well the engine is burning its fuel. A hot cylinder with black smoke points to trouble on that unit.
WARNING — A departure from normal is a warning The engineer knows the engine's normal temperatures, pressures and readings, and investigates any drift from them at once. Most serious damage is preceded by a warning that was there to be seen.