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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Engine Room

Auxiliary engine

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

nounCommon term

In maritime & shipping, auxiliary engine means: A smaller diesel engine that drives a generator to produce the ship's electricity. Most ships have two to four of them, so that one can be stopped for maintenance.

In Turkish: yardımcı makine, jeneratör, dizel jeneratör

How it is used

Engineers start, parallel and stop the auxiliary engines, written A/E, according to the electrical load. During manoeuvring or cargo work with deck cranes, two generators are usually kept running.

Example sentences

  1. Start the second auxiliary engine before we use the bow thruster.

  2. No. 3 auxiliary engine is under overhaul, so we only have two generators.

Common collocations

  • auxiliary engine overhaul
  • start the auxiliary engine
  • generators in parallel
  • blackout
  • main engineThe large engine that drives a ship's propeller. On most large merchant ships it is a slow-speed two-stroke diesel engine connected directly to the propeller shaft.
  • engine roomThe space low inside a ship that holds the main engine, generators, pumps and other machinery. Engineers and engine ratings work and keep watch there.
  • chief engineerThe most senior engineer on board, responsible for the main engine and all machinery, fuel and the engine room crew. The chief engineer reports directly to the master.
  • lube oilShort for lubricating oil: oil that reduces friction and wear and cools the moving parts of engines, gearboxes and other machinery.

More terms: Engine Room

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