The Chief Officer heads the deck department and carries one of the busiest schedules on board — part manager, part hands-on operator.
Daily duties
- Planning and supervising cargo operations (present on deck during loading/discharge).
- Keeping stability and ballast calculations up to date.
- Setting the deck crew's daily work programme (maintenance, painting, cleaning).
- Managing periodic checks of safety equipment (lifeboats, firefighting systems).
- Usually standing the 4-8 watch.
A typical day
Port days are dominated by cargo operations; at sea, it's the maintenance plan and watchkeeping. Takes over the Master's duties when the Master is on leave or unavailable.
How to reach this rank
Sufficient sea service as Second Officer and a higher competency exam (Chief Mate / Chief Officer certificate of competency).
To see the full deck officer hierarchy, check out "Shipboard Hierarchy 3: Deck Officers".
