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(Updated Oct 2026) Hello upcoming cadets! I’m writing this as a Chief Engineer, because few things hurt as much as disappointment when unrealistic expectations meet blunt reality, and I’ve seen too many talented engineers leave. So here’s my survival guide:
Part 0: Before you go onboard
1. Read this FAQ first.
2. What to pack.
3. What ranks onboard.
4. If you’re not good and fast with housekeeping, please improve ASAP at the following tasks:
(A) Vacuum, sweep, mop.
(B) Wash dishes.
(C) Do laundry.
5. Mindset reset:
(A) Shipping is a 24/7 life and at times you might have to work 20 out of 24 hours due to port arrival, bunkering, and shifting of stores/spares/food provisions. You *will* be tired and sleep-deprived at times. Learn to balance your rest time between sleep and relaxation. While it is necessary to relax, please do not allow it to affect your sleep quality and work performance.
(B) You’ll highly likely work with crew who don’t speak English as their first language and have accents. As such, embrace the joy and struggles of learning what we call “seaman English”.
(C) Imagine you’re going to a more informal version of a military ship. Please show respect to everyone else as you’re the least experienced member of the crew, and eventually the respect becomes mutual. Certain nationalities have high power distance, so they expect the cadets to be head lowered, bowing, and less eye contact. Again, you’re here to work as a cadet, not to challenge cultural norms and change people. Advance up the ranks, and you’ll get the power to shape onboard culture.
(D) Join seafarer networking gatherings, and talk to seniors who have sailed at least two or three ships, and hopefully keep in contact because it’s better for everyone when the fresh cadets have seniors they personally trust and can request guidance from. There’s a few of us who are more than happy to help, so come find us on our Discord channel!Part 1: What to do in the first 1-2 weeks?
(A) Safety familiarisation:
i. What is your duty and where to muster (gather) when the following happens:
– Fire: Continuous ringing sound. Head to muster station.
– Abandon ship: 7 short blasts and 1 long blasts siren sounds, followed by verbal order on Public Announcement system. Head to designated muster station (usually near lifeboat).
– Oil spill (and other general emergencies): 7 short blasts and 1 long blasts siren sounds. Head to muster station.
(Later on you’ll learn about the other emergencies such as blackout, collision etc.)(B) Ship location familiarisation:
i. Important locations:
– Gangway (how we get from shore up onto the ship)
– Ship office
– Mess room (meal room)
– Laundry room
– Engine room (more on that later)
– Changing room
– Your cabin (which deck and port or starboard)
– Bridge (also called wheelhouse)(C) Basic etiquette and self conduct:
i. Greet all crew with “Good morning/afternoon/evening” and stand upright without hands in pocket.
ii. Do not slouch, side-eye, roll your eyes, cross your arms at any of your colleagues. If they take your behaviour as disrespect, it’s very hard to change their mind afterwards.
iii. Clear your own dishes and wash up unless you’re instructed otherwise.
iv. Remove all items from your clothes before washing, and try to wash on at least 1/3 load to save water. Please wash your boiler suit everyday. If the laundry is closed, wash your boiler suit while showering to prevent bacteria growth and sweat odour.
v. Report at 5-10 minutes early before the timing your 2E/CE told you to report at the Engine Control Room (ECR). If you’re put in charge of ECR housekeeping, come half hour early to vacuum/sweep the ECR and tidy up the area.
vi. If you’re on a ship that allows alcohol, please drink responsibly. Do not get drunk and cause trouble, as you can be terminated immediately and your company may blacklist your school and never hire any other students again. 🙁
vii. Do not assume your 2E will give you proper lessons during or after working hours, and he/she may not give you time to do your TARB during work hours. Set aside time (hopefully) everyday to go through your TARB, and plan out a schedule to complete your assignments. This is *extremely important* to your growth as an engineer, exams and future work, so more on that later.
viii. The ship is a tiny space and everyone watches the cadet’s every move. Mentally prepare yourself to be unfairly judged, however consider that they don’t know you personally, so why should you take it personally? Try talking with the seafaring seniors and you’ll find support not judgement for what you go through.(D) How to handle others:
i. There’s always at least one sus person on every ship. Be very careful of what everyone say/do as not everyone is saying or doing the right thing, regardless of rank or experience. As it takes time for you to build up experience and figure out who is trustworthy, please be more careful for the first few months.
ii. Learn how to be always tactful when dealing with others as currently everyone is of higher rank and have more sea time than you. Avoid arguments as much as possible by being neutral and respectful with your expressions, tone, body language. Examples follow:
iii. If someone is wrong about a safety issue which could lead to injury, state professionally with a neutral expression that “I am concerned about (safety issue) which could injure us, and I hope we can do this task in a safer manner”. Please don’t frame as “No you are wrong, how can you not know” because nobody likes having their ego pressed down. Escalate to your 2E/CE for future prevention.
iv. For all other issues including possible environmental pollution, talk to your 2E (or CE) and ask if you’re possibly mistaken as you’re fresh. If your 2E or CE says you’re right, it’s their responsibility to correct the other crew’s mistake, and you’ve fulfilled your responsibility to inform. At this career stage, the most important thing is to survive and get a good appraisal.
v. If you believe you are being harassed or bullied, take evidence (such as voice recording) and report to 2E/CE/Master. If that doesn’t work, talk to your school Liaison Officer and your company crewing manager. Examples follow:
vi. You may encounter crew who ask plenty of personal questions. Trust me when I say that any information you give, will be spread among the crew in short time and there’s always one or two who take delight in gossiping/backstabbing while pretending to be friendly. Be professional, you’re here to work, you do not need to make friends with every single person, or be liked by everyone. As long as you conduct yourself respectfully, you’ve a secure base of confidence and do not need to seek external validation from your colleagues (which is sure-fire path to ruin). The same applies in an office environment as well.
– Normal questions: How many family members do you have? Why did you choose to sail?
– Borderline questions especially for females: Do you have a partner? If yes, does he/she agree with you sailing? If no, why you don’t have partner? Are you looking for a partner?
My suggestion is to firmly reply you do not discuss your private life with colleagues. Draw your boundaries early, as that can prevent more issues later.
vii. You may also encounter crew who invite you to visit their cabin alone. My suggestion is to respectfully decline, and suggest common areas (such as mess room) to meet if they want to discuss some matters. If they insist and try to guilt-trip you by saying you’re misunderstanding their good intentions, please decline firmly, and inform your Chief Engineer or the Master.
viii. What to do if someone shouts insults or pushes you? Do not retaliate by shouting or pushing back. E.g. An engineer shouts at you “So slow and stupid! Better go home!” State that you have heard it, and will leave now to talk with 2E/CE. What others say about you, does not decide your value. Some of us just takes longer to figure things out, and we get there in the end. 🙂(E) Engine Room familarisation
i. Location of all entry/exits.
ii. What are the names, short forms, and purpose for ALL machineries on ALL decks inside Engine Room. E.g. Main Engine, M/E, purpose is propulsion to drive the propeller which moves the ship.
iii. Names and purposes of all tools in workshop. You will be designated as the person to help fetch tools (e.g. size 19 ring spanner, flat screwdriver, hammer) for the other engineers, and learn our hand gestures for these tools as we don’t like to shout all the time.
iv. Storage locations of commonly used general items (cotton rags, broom, bucket, tray, mop etc)
v. Your cleaning area, frequency of cleaning and the standard of cleanliness expected
vi. Standard PPE for Engine Room: Helmet, ear protection, boiler suit, safety shoes. Find out what are the additional PPE needed for jobs, such as cotton/leather/rubber gloves, safety goggles, etc.
vii. Preparations for manoeuvring
– At end of passage, prepare for arrival to port. (e.g. start additional generator, top up main air reservoirs and drain condensate etc.)
– In port, prepare for departure from port till ship is full away. (e.g. Engage Main Engine turning gear, start additional generator, etc.)
viii. Because Engine Room is usually insanely loud, we often shine torchlight at someone a distance away and then hand gesture instructions (e.g. Open or shut the valve, raise or lower the chain block). Learn all these hand gestures as fast as possible.
ix. Start learning how to take Engine Room rounds = what machinery readings to record (e.g. generator lubricating oil temperature, pressure, level, etc) for the Engine Rooom log book, what are the abnormal parameters, and what are the abnormal symptoms in Engine Room (e.g. normally dry tank top is now wet, which may indicate abnormal water leakage from pipe or pump).Part 2: What to do in the first 2 months?
A) Job description: Learn as much as you can about the machineries and assist engine team to the best of your abilities. While you will not be legally responsible for any machinery, engine room is a shared responsibility. For the time being, you may be assigned 90% cleaning duties and 10% taking engine room logbook readings. Minor oil/water leakages are inevitable, as machineries run and age, so us engineers are always carefully taking rounds and rectifying as soon as we can. In the meantime, we have to comply to requirements for Engine Room cleanliness from the Company ship management standards, Port State Control regulations, and class surveyor standards. When you clean fast and properly, your 2E and CE are watching, and might trust you to start assisting the engineers with their routine jobs (filter cleaning, pump overhaul, purifier maintenance, boiler water test etc.). So don’t despair when you feel like you didn’t sign up for a tough life just to be cleaning. All of us went through this test as well and those who survived, promoted and moved onto new responsibilites. Conversely, engine cadets who cannot handle long hours of cleaning, may not be as suited to this job which has lots of repetitive physical work.B) Recording: There will be a lot of information to understand and remember during work hours. I highly recommend you to carry pen/pencil and a small notebook, OR ask your 2E for permission to carry your phone with you to take notes and photos/videos. Everyday write down what work you’ve done, and what did you learn.
C) Asking questions: When the engine team is in the middle of the job especially during crucial moments such as lifting heavy loads or working with high pressure hydraulic systems, note down your questions and ask later when the engineers are not as busy AND in a good mood. Generally, do not ask questions when people are tired/hungry/frustrated.
Part 3: What to do for the remainder of your contract?
A) Most 2E (especially the older ones) are weaker in paperwork so they rely on engine cadets to do their paperwork. Rather than seeing it as “not part of my work” and “2E is useless lol”, think of it as helping your boss and then your boss is less likely to make your life difficult + give you a positive performance appraisal at the end.B) Tactfully request 2E and CE to attach you with 4E watch as 4E is the next rank after attaining your first Certificate of Competency (class 5). So you need to gain as much experience as you can with the machineries that 4E is in charge of (e.g. purifier, pumps etc)
C) Again, always read up on the common jobs such as purifier overhaul before you actually assist the job. Know what you’re handling, what tools to prepare, and what you have to do in order for the machinery to work well. Other engineers really appreciate a fellow engineer (you) who puts in the extra effort to learn and help 🙂
D) When there’s the opportunity, request to assist E with his boiler, S.T.P and generator jobs too. 2E main engine jobs can be pretty confusing and also tiring at the start, so read up too and ask at appropriate timing.
(Updated Oct 2026) WHAT TO STUDY?
We’re all aware that most machinery manuals are hundreds of pages- wtf to study?
ALL of the following can be tested in your class 5 exam, and necessary when you work as 5E/4E/3E.1. Study machinery manuals. Specifically,
(A) Oily water separator
(B) Fresh water generator
(C) Purifier
(D) Main air compressor
(E) All types of pumps
(F) Sewage treatment plant
(G) Diesel Generator (also called Auxiliary Engine)Generally, junior engineers are not tested on the other machineries such as main engine, air conditioning system, cargo equipment, or mooring equipment. These are studied in more detail as a 4E and 3E.
A) Which parts of the manuals to focus on?
Highly recommend checking Youtube and Instagram for animations or live recordings to understand the following:
i. Working principle
ii. Flow diagram (e.g. For F.W.G, where does the jacket cooling water, seawater, and freshwater flow in/out of F.W.G)
iii. Overhaul procedure
iv. Cross section diagram of machinery
v. Troubleshooting guide (especially when you watch your engineers troubleshoot)
vi. Alarms and how to test those alarmsDo the same procedure for all the above-mentioned machineries.
2. Why do we need to trace pipelines in engine room?
The best example would be suddenly the running Seawater pump starts leaking badly, and you are the duty engineer, you need to raise the alarm and immediately begin to prepare to changeover to the other pump, which requires you to be familiar with the pipes and valves layout.
(A) Fuel oil
(B) Seawater
(C) Freshwater
(D) Lub. Oil
(E) Bilge and sludge
(F) Steam
(G) Compressed airOf course, try to finish your training book assignments before sign off. If too busy, copy all work done photos, ship’s manuals and drawings into your external hard disk for reference later.
SHOPPING LIST:
1. Box of cheap black pens
2. Basic stationery (pencil, rubber, ruler etc. for TARB assignments)
Note: Onboard we don’t use correction tape or fluid. Cross out mistakes with a single strike-out.3. Small notebook/notepad for carrying in boiler suit pocket
4. Rechargeable torchlight
5. Rechargeable headlampTip: Order on Aliexpress, or buy them in Beach Road area. Onboard torches are usually low quality.
ACRONYMS & short-forms
Honestly seafarers love short forms, might take some time for the new engine cadet to pick up!Fluid/mediums
S.W = Sea Water
F.W = Fresh Water
C.W = Cooling Water
J.C.W = Jacket Cooling Water
Jkt = Jacket
Comp. air = Compressed air
D.O = Diesel Oil
M.G.O = Marine Gas Oil
F.O = Fuel Oil
L.S.H.F.O = Low Sulphur Heavy Fuel Oil
L.O = Lubricating Oil
Cyl. Oil or C.L.O = Cylinder Oil or Cylinder Lubricating Oil (* Only for 2-stroke Main Engine)
Hyd. Oil = Hydraulic OilMachineries
M/E = Main Engine
A/E = Auxiliary Engine
D/G = Diesel Generator (* same thing as A/E, just different name)
Aux. Blr = Auxiliary Boiler
E.G.E = Exhaust Gas Economiser
E.G.B = Exhaust Gas Boiler
P/p = Pump
Clr = Cooler
Htr = Heater
Puri. = Purifier
S.T.P = Sewage Treatment Plant
F.W.G = Fresh Water Generator
V/v = Valve (technically not a machinery, but)
M.A.C = Main Air Compressor
A/C = Air Conditioning
HVAC = Heating, Ventilation, Air Con
Prov. Ref. = Provision RefrigerationStructure
Tk = Tank
E.C.R = Engine Control Room
E/R = Engine Room
W/H = Wheelhouse
Acc. = AccommodationI guess the box of pens comes handy when Ships stationaries are running low uh. Hahah, I hate it when we are running up and down in search for a pen.
Adding on to what cadets can buy:
1) Extention plugs
2) Travel Adapter
3) Socks, towels, for me i just go and spend Emart credits. Finish contract just throw them away
4) its advisable to get some medicines for yourself though ships have their own. Panadol, Pipagao (for sore throat), Po chai Pills (in case you laosai first day onboard or not used to food onboard)
5) Supplements, multi vitamins (if you want)
6) re-hydration salts ( for engineers, sometimes engine room really make you sweat tons of water, and you get cramps )
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