r/MarineEngineering

Hello everyone,

I’m in a difficult situation academically. I was unable to complete high school, and I’ve exhausted all my chances to finish it.

Despite that, I’m extremely serious about building a career in marine engineering. My goal is to start from the very bottom as a wiper and work my way up through experience, sea time, and required certifications. Ideally, I’d like to progress step by step to become a 3rd Engineer, then 2nd Engineer, and eventually Chief Engineer.

My question is:

is this actually possible without a completed high school diploma, or will the lack of one eventually block me from obtaining the necessary licenses and advancing further?

I’m asking specifically about the practical career progression route rather than attending a maritime academy.

I’d really appreciate honest answers from people working in the industry or anyone familiar with maritime licensing requirements.

Wondering about this... I'd like to work on cruise ships when I'm out of school (Georgian College in Ontario), but I feel like cruise ships being foreign flagged may only hire people from cheaper countries.

Hello! Good day friends and seniors!

I want to discuss and hear experiences out about our very first ships as a 4th engineer ( 3E in korean companies) after your cadet contract.

- How was your first month?

- any breakdowns and emergencies happened during ur first month?

- Socials and relationships with good/bad people?

- any unfair treatment, biased workplace, good appreciations, accusations, breaking of MLC related, happy moments , parties ,etc

- How do u finish assigned jobs by C/E and 2/E

- mistakes we have done during that first ship

And anything u wanna share ..😊

Greetings,

I've been working on the same ship since I got my license, it's been over two years now. I started as a 4/E and quickly moved up to 3/E. For the past few rotations I've been feeling kind of dull. I have gotten pretty comfortable and I don't seem to have the drive I used to have when I first started. I am not pretending to know everything on the ship, that's never going to be the case. But after having gone through the whole PMS many times, I'm slowly losing interest in learning new things. I'm wondering if it is a sign that I might just need to transfer ship for the sake of novelty and starting from scratch, or is that a deeper indication that I'm getting tired of the job. Has anyone experienced something like that ? I'm curious to hear other people's perspectives and what some have done to remedy similar situations.

Cheers

Hey folks, stumped on this issue. Just finished an 8k hour overhaul on a purifier and it started up great on test run. Later I shut it down, and used the supply pump to add some lube oil to a generator sump. In theory, the three way valve should recirculate the oil back and the purifier should have no oil sent to it. well to my suprise the lube oil was dumping out the sludge ports. Later I start it up but before the separator has barely spun up the oil is dumping out the sludge ports before the bowl can even close. super confused, three way valve not recirculating? any help appreciated

Hello everyone, I am a Metallurgical and materials science Engineer with a Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Production Engineering from Cairo University, specializing in the field of petroleum and mining. I have a strong interest in transitioning to the maritime engineering field. I would like to ask all of you: at a global level, are the entry requirements for the maritime academy in Egypt the same as in other countries? If I want to enter this field, are there courses or pathways that can lead me to become a marine engineer (3th engineer), then 2nd, then 1st, and ultimately Chief Engineer? What would be the best route or advice you have for pursuing a career in marine engineering? Thank you in advance!

Hi dear seafarers, please help me with collecting data for my research on improving shore leave procedures for seafarers.

Hey all wonderful Engineers out there.

I have question, if anybody have experienced water leakage to the oil sump on a Alfa Laval P615 separator? What the reason could be?

Good day fellow seafarers. I am an engineer on board an LNG carrier. New to company. I made this new account to stay as anonymous as possible.

I have seen (and have evidence) of illegal bilge discharge overboard through a makeshift pipeline.

My dilemma is that I am new to the company and don't trust the head office as they belong to a specific nationality. The big 4 on board are of the same nationality. We are set to arrive in port in eleven to twelve days.

I am just a month and a week on board. I came from a company that is one of the oil majors and after I moved into this new company, I can say that I've seen more than enough anomalies in the way they do things (Safety standards are abysmally low).

Someone please give a detailed advice on how to alert the authorities because as I've said, I don't trust the company. If I alert the company, the head office might just try to fix the situation by telling their people here on board. And if they do, this concerns my safety.

I’m a Master Sailor with the Royal Canadian Navy seeking information on marine‑rated bracing and restraint systems for securing equipment (e.g., printers, electronics, small cabinets) onboard ships.

Key design and performance requirements:

• Rated for heavy seas and dynamic accelerations
• Resistance to shock and vibration
• Fire‑rated materials or compatibility with fire‑rated compartments
• Non‑metallic construction preferred, or electrically isolated/coated metal components
• Adjustable/reconfigurable for different equipment sizes

Additional requirement for some applications:

• Quick‑release mechanisms that remain secure under dynamic loading
• Usable with gloves, no tools, suitable for emergency access (damage control/safety gear)

I’m looking for:

• Existing commercial or defence maritime solutions
• Typical load cases and design standards used in marine restraint systems
• Relevant class society rules, MIL‑STD, or NATO guidance
• Vendors, integrators, or engineering groups working in this space

Any pointers to proven designs or suppliers would be very helpful.

I’m a 27-year-old from Sri Lanka and recently completed my BSc in Marine Engineering. My first love was actually software engineering, but due to the government university selection system, I was placed in the Marine Engineering stream.

However, I committed to the path and finished my degree. I’m now eager to learn the practical side of the engine room under the guidance of experienced seniors. The challenge I’m facing is that many local shipping agents have exclusive agreements with private maritime academies, making it difficult for government university graduates to find cadet vacancies. Does anyone have advice on international companies or agencies that value government-sector degrees?

I recently went through the Coast Guard officer training interview but didn’t make it through. But, I did get accepted into the Marine Engineering program at Memorial University’s Marine Institute.

I’m planning to leave a career in software engineering to pursue this, but I’m a bit worried about interviews down the line. I think part of what affected me before was my communication under pressure, and I also have a slight lisp, and I’m wondering if that could impact future interviews in the maritime field. However, at the Marine Institute, I’ve already completed the marine medical, and the doctor assessed my speech, noted no issues, and cleared me.

I was wondering how difficult are marine engineering interviews? One of the reasons I’m leaving software is the brutal 5 - 7 rounds of interviews and I’ve cleared them before, but I don’t think I can go through that again. The Coast Guard interview was one round of behavioural, which was pretty intense, and I couldn't answer some of the questions in the STAR format. Also, would you recommend going with the Marine Institute path or trying again for the Coast Guard?

I’d really appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Hi lads,

Our manual holds no information on how to deduce correct head gasket thickness for yanmar 6n165l en engine.

Yanmar informs that there is no head skimming procedure and is not done for this engine in the case of wear.

Is it dependent on cylinder protrusion/wear of sealing surface of liner?

Tia