Duties of third Officer in Service supplier Navy

third Officer or third Mate is an aspirational rank throughout the service supplier navy for lots of deck cadets who need to be part of the service supplier navy. It marks the 1st step for cadets to step into the footwear of officer obligations after teaching and to sail as an officer.

The duties of the Third Officer throughout the Service supplier Navy can vary in response to firms and types of ships. To larger understand what the Third Officer does throughout the Service supplier Navy, let’s take a look on the ship’s ranking system.

The very best boss is the grasp, or captain, who’s liable for each half and is first accountable for the vessel. Second in command is the Chief Officer or First Officer, who takes care of the ship’s maintenance, setting, and safety compliance. Then comes the second officer or second mate, who’s answerable for passage planning, navigation, sustaining the medical locker, and the correction and maintenance of charts and publications.

After that comes the Third Officer, additionally known as the Third Mate, who’s taken under consideration an all-rounder, as a result of the time interval ‘third’ implies a three-dimensional place. This suggests he assists all people on the Bridge crew, collaborating in a significant place.

So, the primary place of the third Officer throughout the Service supplier Navy is to assist in navigational watchkeeping as an officer on watch (OOW) for the vessel’s safe navigation. As well as they assist the chief mate in cargo operations and the second officer in correcting and sustaining nautical charts and publications. 

The third Officer may also be answerable for sustaining the life-saving dwelling tools (LSA) & firefighting instruments (FFE) and assists the grasp with routine paperwork. 

The duties of the third officer might be divided into 4 basic lessons nevertheless are normally not restricted to: 

• Navigational Watchkeeping Duties
• Maintenance of Safety Gear
• Cargo/Port Watchkeeping Duties
• Administrative Duties

Navigational Watchkeeping Duties:

• third Officer or third Mate is answerable for ending up unbiased navigational watches on the bridge to ensure the safe navigation of the vessel, normally from 0800–1200 and 2000–2400 hours, or as directed by the ship’s grasp.
• third Officer is answerable for aiding the 2nd Officer in correcting and sustaining nautical charts and publications, along with one other duties assigned by the 2nd Officer. This may increasingly more and more embody duties resembling aiding in passage planning, distance and noon calculations, or one other reporting all through his watch.

• Assist in sustaining navigational and meteorological instruments on board, retaining it up-to-date and in operational state of affairs.
• Responsible for sustaining all nationwide/signal flags (as per Worldwide Codes of Signal), navigational shapes, and sound signalling instruments and guaranteeing all required flags may be discovered sooner than reaching the port and displayed precisely.
• Assist in ending up pre-arrival and pre-departure assessments as per agency course of and report all deficiencies found to the second officer and grasp. 
• Assist in recordkeeping of the ship’s deck logbook, navigational checklists, official logbook, and all events that occurred by the watch.
• Assist the grasp in sending distress, urgency, and safety alerts by means of the World Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).
• Assist in teaching deck cadets or completely different trainees on board.
• Assist in making prepared the bridge for any navigational and third-party audits.
• Assist in Port State Administration (PSC) and Vetting Inspections.
• Assist in one other navigational duties as directed by the ship’s grasp.

 Maintenance of Safety Gear:

• third officer, beneath the supervision of the Chief Officer (Safety Officer), is answerable for inspecting and sustaining the life-saving dwelling tools (LSA) and firefighting instruments (FFE) on board. 
• Responsible for sustaining the life-saving dwelling tools (LSA) and firefighting instruments (FFE) maintenance information. 
• Ought to notify the Chief Officer (Safety Officer) or Grasp in case any shore inspection, resembling annual or 5-yearly shore suppliers related to life-saving dwelling tools (LSA) and firefighting instruments (FFE), is coming due.

• Responsible for ending up the maintenance as PMS (Deliberate Maintenance System) and reporting all deficiencies current in safety instruments to the Chief Officer (Safety Officer) and Grasp.
• Responsible for sustaining and updating the SOLAS teaching manuals and getting all crew members conscious of them.
• Sustaining inventory of spares required for LSA and FFA instruments, retaining in ideas the objects expiring throughout the subsequent few months, and elevating requisitions for the same.
• Giving on-signers safety and security familiarisation after their changing into a member of.
• Sustaining inventory of all IMO safety posters and agency posters and guaranteeing all are in place and precisely displayed.

Cargo/Port Watchkeeping Duties:

• All through arrival or departure throughout the port, if the third officer is on bridge duty, he assists the grasp and the bridge crew in manoeuvring. In another case, when not on bridge duty, the third officer is in control of the aft mooring station by the vessel’s berthing and unberthing, with the forward mooring station of the ship led by the chief officer. Thus, at any given time, each the second officer or the third officer could be on the bridge, and one amongst them could be on the aft mooring station.
• In port, the third officer retains watchkeeping from 0600–1200 and 1800–2400 hours, or as directed by the Chief Officer or the ship’s grasp.

• The third officer is answerable for sustaining a safe cargo/port watch and guaranteeing compliance with all worldwide and native guidelines. In the midst of the watch, the third officer oversees all cargo operations, along with ballasting or deballasting, guaranteeing the ship stays upright, monitoring stress ranges inside limits, and adequately recording events.
• The third officer may also be answerable for sustaining security measures as per the ISPS security diploma all through his watch. Their duties moreover include stopping air air pollution, reporting incidents, supporting environmental insurance coverage insurance policies, guaranteeing regulatory compliance, and fostering environmental consciousness contained in the organisation.
• Sooner than reaching the port, the third Officer ensures that LSA (lifesaving dwelling tools) and FFA (firefighting dwelling tools) are in order, in place, and ready at all times in case of any emergency.
• third Officer moreover assists the grasp in port with customs, immigration, and agent formalities.

Administrative Duties:

• Administrative duties include aiding the grasp all through crew sign-on and sign-off, guaranteeing all formalities are completed, and checking crew paperwork/certificates all through changing into a member of. This consists of verifying the validity and availability of all crew paperwork, resembling passports, CDCs, licenses, STCW certificates, medical information, contract papers, agency packages, and so forth.
• Furthermore, the third officer assists the grasp in article signing, stamping CDC, arranging passports, and sustaining crew documentation, along with updating ship certificates and scanning the an identical.
• Getting ready the drill matrix and scheduling drills as per the matrix beneath the supervision of the chief officer or grasp, guaranteeing all drills are carried out contained in the given intervals. Furthermore, make sure that the entire company-specific teaching, resembling CBTS, resilience, or reflective finding out, is carried out on time.
• The third officer is answerable for sustaining information of the drills and updating the drill information throughout the associated deck or official logbook. After the drill is completed, make sure that all safety instruments used throughout the drill, resembling SCBA items, fireman outfits, hoses, and so forth., is put once more in place and ready to be used in case of an emergency.
• Getting ready port papers earlier to arriving on the port, along with emergency contact sheets and updating crew lists, stowage plans, MSDS in widespread places, and fireside plans as designated by the company or ship’s grasp.
• Sustaining Emergency Muster Plan and Lists up-to-date with all present crew and their duties in emergencies.
• Serving to the grasp in distributing cash advances to the crew.
• Sustaining bonded/slop chest retailer on board, along with managing the inventory.
• Serving to the crew in processing their claims and one other paperwork.
• Serving to the grasp in accounts and wage calculations all through month end.
• Guaranteeing that every one recommendations from Safety Committee conferences are carried out directly and repeatedly collaborating in BBS and near-miss observations.

I hope you have acquired understood the duties of the Third Officer throughout the Service supplier Navy. We have coated the Third Officer’s duties intimately, nevertheless it’s troublesome to include each half in a single article. If we have missed one thing, comment and inform us.

Whereas we have coated most options of this textual content, there are additional duties which is able to come up. As an example, counting on the situation, typically the Third Officer might assist the Chief Officer in tank cleaning operations, anchoring operations, receiving outlets and spares in ports, or coping with additional duties in dry dock.

It’s important to note that throughout the case of cruise or passenger ships, some duties might differ from these talked about. The third officer might have some additional duties on passenger ships. 

Additional explicit duties of the third officer might be found throughout the job description supplied by the company. The company’s Safety Administration System (SMS) normally encompasses a half on crew duties, the place additional obligations distinctive to the company and the third officer’s place is also detailed.

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About Author

Bhupinder Marriya is an expert seafarer presently serving as a Third Mate on chemical tankers. Holding a Second Mate Abroad Going COC (Indian), Bhupinder possesses intensive information of tank cleaning operations, navigation, and cargo work, along with expertise in life-saving dwelling tools and fire-fighting instruments (LSA & FFE). Combining his wise experience at sea with a passion for maritime education, Bhupinder actively contributes as a contract writer, sharing useful insights and educating readers regarding the maritime commerce.

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