Study on minimum safe manning of engine department in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area based on on board function model

Some ship crew reported that there is deficiency of manning of engine department in The Three Gorges Reservoir Area which results in serious safety risks. To ensure the navigation safety and legal right of crew, it is of great necessity to re-evaluate the minimum safe manning standard of engine department in such area. By applying on board function model, the functions of engine department, which include sub-functions such as main engine operation, auxiliary equipment operation, general operation and daily management, are recognized. Based on statistics of questionnaires, the frequency of on board assignment, crew rank and time needed for completion of assignment are determined and based on which the number of manning of engine department are calculated with different levels. Then the manning standard of engine department in The Three Gorges Reservoir Area are obtained, such as ship with main engine power between 500kW and 1500kW and 10 hours or more continuous working time should be manned with one chief engineer, one second engineer, one third or fourth engineer and one oiler.