Duties of a Gas Engineer in the Merchant Navy
Gas Engineers play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of gas systems on board ships. In this blog, we will explore the crucial duties and responsibilities of a Gas Engineer, shedding light on their critical role in safeguarding both crew members and vessel performance.”
Maintenance Duties of a Gas Engineer in the Merchant Navy
Gas Engineer under the supervision of senior engineers is responsible for supervising and carrying out the repair, and testing of:
- Cargo compressors
- Cargo compressor cooling water analysis and chemical treatment
- Cargo pumps, inert gas generators, booster pumps, gas-freeing blowers, and related ancillary equipment.
- The fixed Gas Detector System
- Emergency shut down the system
- Cargo system alarms and instrumentation
- Other systems onboard as assigned by the Chief Engineer
Cargo-Related Duties
The duties of a gas Engineer include assisting the Chief Officer during cargo operations as required. These include but are not limited to:
- Pre-arrival checks of the cargo system
- Loading, discharging, tank conditioning, and grade change operations
- Attendance at manifold for ship-shore manifold alignment
- Manifold connection/disconnection and leak test
- Cargo sampling
Gas Engineer Duties in Administration and Recordkeeping
- Duties of a Gas Engineer include keeping watch based on the competency certificate held and assisting with the maintenance in the Engine room as per Chief Engineer.
- In addition, Gas Engineers have to maintain planned maintenance schedules and machinery history records.
- Gas Engineers also need to take inventory and prepare orders for spare parts for equipment under their charge.
Key-Performance Duties
In addition to the duties of a Gas Engineer mentioned above, one has to take care of the following points –
- No overdue maintenance/testing of critical machinery/equipment in PMS in areas of own responsibility.
- No critical safeties inoperative reposed or bypassed on cargo machinery. No failure of cargo system instrumentation and machinery.
- No unplanned stoppages or off-hire due to cargo equipment failures.
- No spares to be below minimum and critical spares requirement in own areas of responsibility.   Â
Salary of a Gas Engineer
The requirement of Gas Engineers is limited to Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) Tankers and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Tankers specifically. Both LPG and LNG tankers are vessels that offer the highest salary to active sailing seafarers therefore even Gas Engineers serving on these vessels earn a hefty salary each month. For instance, the salary of a Gas Engineer varies in the range of 4000$ – 6500$ per month.
How to Become a Gas Engineer in the Merchant Navy
The duties of a Gas Engineer are not easy whether it is in offshore units or onboard LPG/LNG vessels. Gas Engineers have to face exceptionally harsh conditions at work as it is undeniably a challenging job. As a result of which, one needs to be mentally and physically strong to excel in the role of a Gas Engineer. Moreover, in addition to mental and physical toughness, your educational qualifications should include –
An Engineering Degree
One needs to have an engineering degree in any of the following disciplines mechanical, structural, civil, or chemical engineering.
Specific Knowledge and Training About the Field
A marine engineer can pursue fields such as subsea operations, marine corrosion engineering, process engineering, etc. If you wish to pursue a specific field you must have additional gas engineering training in that field.
Gas engineer training is mandatory for all aspiring candidates. Training for this job can be attained from a training center, university, academy, or online programs.
Work Experience
Most companies look for at least 2 – 4 years of work experience before entrusting someone with a highly responsible job as a Gas Engineer.
The field of Gas Engineering is still relatively unknown in the maritime industry. However, there is a huge scope for Gas Engineers both onboard and in offshore jobs throughout the world.
Apart from Gas Engineer, there are Marine Engineer who are responsible for the safe working of the heart of the ship which is the Engine, wanna know more about them check out this blog:Â
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Rank : Gas Engineer ( DF )
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