Explore an officer’s Cadet Role and Responsibilities in the maritime world. Embark on a voyage of knowledge as we delve into the challenges, skills, and aspirations that shape these seafaring professionals.
Are you considering joining the merchant navy after your maritime studies? A logical step will be to apply for the position of deck Cadet. Role and Responsibilities as your first job at sea to kickstart your sea career. But first, you have to understand the Cadet’s meaning. In this blog, we explain the deck cadet responsibilities. In a couple of minutes, you will know everything you need.
What are the Cadet Role and Responsibilities as an engineer?
Deck cadets are trainees, officers in training. They can be found on any vessel – offshore wind ships, heavy load carriers, oil rig drilling ships, general cargo vessels, cruise ships, and military boats. Also, part of the cadet responsibilities as an engineer is different from a bosun, having the lowest rank of the entry levels of offshore jobs and less responsibility. But this doesn’t mean they aren’t important!
Deck Cadet Role and Responsibilities are indispensable in daily operations and vessel running. Like a bosun, they are all-rounders. They help with different kinds of tasks on board. While rolling up your sleeves, you learn about the processes, procedures, and protocols on board – the perfect way to taste life as a seafarer and discover which sea career path to take.
A workday in life as a deck cadet responsibilities
After putting on all the Ppe’s (personal protective equipment, like work shoes) for the day, I checked in with the ab team to find out what we would do today. With the ab team, we do general maintenance and make preparations for the cargo if necessary. We worked until 10:00 to have a coffee with each other.”
“At 10:30, we picked up our work again. I worked until 11:15, after which I quickly freshened up and got something to eat at 12:00, waiting to start on the bridge with our second mate. We were busy navigating and preparing the necessary safety documents/drills on the bridge. At 4:00 PM, my watch was over, and I had thirty minutes for schoolwork.”
What are the deck cadet role and responsibilities?
The deck cadet responsibilities are diverse. They can vary from vessel to vessel. First, every officer trainee must study hard to master theoretical and technical knowledge. The officer in training can immediately apply their proficiency in practice in carrying out marine work.
Navigation
An important task deck cadets assist with is ship navigation, which is part of the responsibilities of an Officer on Watch (OOW). Officers in training do not have a Certificate of Competency (COC), so they are not allowed to do the map reading independently. Instead, they are under the guidance of, often, a Chief Mate. In any case, under the supervision of someone who is certified.
More OOW-duties officers in training learn to compare compasses, verify if the lookout and helmsman are alert, and keep an eye on the sea to prevent a collision. Other examples are checking the vessel’s position, reading log entries, and understanding and using the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).
Sounding of tanks
Checking to sound is also an OOW responsibility a cadet gets to learn. This means determining the water depth under a vessel or in a tank. The trainee checks if the Under-Keel Clearance (UKC), the space between the deepest point of a ship in still water and the bottom, is at its minimum. Especially in shallow waters, this type of sounding is crucial to ensure the vessel doesn’t get stuck at the bottom.
The amount of water in the tank can be measured as well. The sounding is done for cargo tanks to determine whether the tanks are full. Soundings can indicate whether tanks are empty, meaning the vessel has been holed. Sounding is generally done after the 0400-0800 watch in the morning and is important for the navigation and stability of the vessel.
- Vessel departure and arrival
Furthermore, a cadet assists with berthing and casting off the vessel, which needs to be done properly and quickly. The trainee plays a role in the preparation of mooring and dropping off. For an inexperienced deck cadet, the work is mostly physical. After the novice, the trainee takes more of the supervisor role in communicating the captain’s orders and looking after the (un)loading.
Ship maintenance
Seafarers who once started their sea career as deck cadets know that maintenance duties are designated to the officers in training. Our blog on Cadet Role and Responsibilities tells us about the widespread deck work. Cadets assist the bosun with deck painting, cleaning, splitting ropes, and making parts of the vessels and materials corrosion- and rustless. There is always something to maintain on board!
Safety operations
Cadets also need to take a role in daily security operations. In addition to the need to know the protocols well, the officers in training are also given a certain responsibility when carrying out safety inspections. Think about detecting any issues, checking the expiration date of equipment, repairing devices, and ordering material if needed.
The purpose of such a responsibility in security operations is that cadets are confronted at an early stage with the importance of their safety and the protection of colleagues. The trainees are made aware of the sometimes dangerous and precarious activities on board and the possible disastrous consequences when safety is not guaranteed.
Cargo work
A deck Cadet Role and Responsibilities means doing something other than offshore work. Sometimes, you have to assist off-board in the harbour. On the one hand, the trainees serve as port watchers, helping the chief officer with cargo work. They monitor the loaded and unloaded cargo by registering the precise loading and unloading moments and calculating the cargo.
Administration
Lastly, trainees help third officers with their shipping paperwork. The administration has increased considerably so managers can use a helping hand. Cadets update the Muste list, a list of the operations each crew member must perform in an emergency. In addition, they keep a logbook of the cabin keys and divide the waiting and rest hours among the crew.
Helping with paperwork also means stamping and signing the crew’s bail and statements. In addition, the documents must be kept ready with many photocopies. Small tasks like copying are not the most inspiring and challenging, but they are also part of it! You need to learn to obey and to do things you don’t like, which are necessary if you want to be part of the crew.
What skills do you need as a deck cadet?
“The biggest challenge of being was my first internship: learning how everything works, how life is on board, and what others expect from you,” says a deck. This is not surprising because you have a few competencies in your first job as a deck cadet. Officer training is a way to gain skills, such as technical skills. However, the following are useful to have already.
Communication skills
At the very least, you have to be a communicative person. The crew you work with comprises colleagues from all over the world, with different backgrounds, cultures, and habits. You will meet many new people who may be different from you, friends, and family. Open yourself up and learn from new encounters to enrich your professional and personal life.
Good communication between you and your supervisor is crucial as well. You have to directly communicate your availability, your work, and the issues you encounter. And it would help if you dealt with hierarchy, where you are in one of the lower positions. Being able to receive and execute orders is also part of this. You must be a team player to work with your director and colleagues.
Organizational skills
In performing your duties, organizational skills should be present. There are a lot of different kinds of things to do daily. Therefore, cadets need to structure their to-do lists and prioritize certain tasks. This also includes, while you already have a busy schedule, being able to respond ad hoc by taking on unforeseen necessary activities.
Physical stamina
Physical stamina is also very important to have. While the job of every seafarer is very physical, the work of a deck cadet is even more. Like deckhands, the trainee is delegated to executive work, where you have to climb many stairs and do the heavy lifting. Different from a bosun who can take on a more managerial role and outsource the more physical work.
You must be a go-getter and be able to stay away from home for a long time.
Mental stamina
Lastly, mental stamina will help you through your traineeship, as marine work demands discipline. Especially at the beginning of your sea career, everything can be overwhelming. It would be best if you handled the hierarchy, responsibility, ad-hoc changes, homesickness, and long working days.
