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Maritime & Shipping vocabulary · Crew & Ranks

Chief engineer

Meaning in maritime & shipping, with examples

nounCore term

In maritime & shipping, chief engineer means: The 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.

In Turkish: başmühendis, çarkçıbaşı

How it is used

Usually shortened to 'the chief' or written C/E. The chief engineer signs bunker documents, plans maintenance and decides with the master on questions of speed and fuel.

Example sentences

  1. The chief engineer confirmed that the main engine is ready for departure.

  2. Ask the chief engineer how much fuel we will have on arrival.

Common collocations

  • report to the chief engineer
  • chief engineer's approval
  • chief engineer's standing orders
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • bunkeringThe process of supplying fuel to a ship, usually from a barge alongside or from a terminal. The fuel itself is called bunkers.
  • masterThe officer in overall command of a merchant ship, legally responsible for the safety of the ship, crew, passengers and cargo. In everyday speech the master is called the captain.

More terms: Crew & Ranks

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