A skilled engine room rating who performs mechanical repairs and maintenance on machinery, pipework, and deck equipment.
In practice
Fitters are particularly valuable during planned maintenance intervals when machinery must be opened up, cleaned, measured, and reassembled to original tolerances. Under the ISM Code planned maintenance system (PMS), fitters record all work completed on job cards or in the electronic PMS, ensuring a traceable maintenance history for each item of equipment. STCW Chapter III does not prescribe a specific certificate for the fitter role, but STCW III/4 establishes minimum competency standards for ratings forming part of an engineering watch, which most fitters also satisfy. Classification societies may require that certain overhaul work is attended or verified by a surveyor.
Regulatory detail & full definition
A fitter is a skilled engine department rating who performs mechanical maintenance and repair work on the main engine, auxiliary engines, pumps, valves, pipework, and deck machinery. Unlike watchkeeping ratings such as the oiler, the fitter typically works daywork hours at sea and is assigned specific repair and maintenance jobs by the second engineer. The role requires extensive practical experience — usually demonstrated through apprenticeship or vocational training — and proficiency with engineering tools, measuring instruments, and metal fabrication techniques.
Fitters are particularly valuable during planned maintenance intervals when machinery must be opened up, cleaned, measured, and reassembled to original tolerances. Under the ISM Code planned maintenance system (PMS), fitters record all work completed on job cards or in the electronic PMS, ensuring a traceable maintenance history for each item of equipment. STCW Chapter III does not prescribe a specific certificate for the fitter role, but STCW III/4 establishes minimum competency standards for ratings forming part of an engineering watch, which most fitters also satisfy. Classification societies may require that certain overhaul work is attended or verified by a surveyor.