Junior Engineer
Engine-room officer below 4/E rank, typically holding a partial CoC or completing on-board training; assists the watchkeeping engineer.
In practice
Entry-level engine officer rank, typically Fourth Engineer. Watch-keeping under chief or second engineer's overall responsibility. Career progresses to Third, Second, Chief Engineer over 8-12 years.
Regulatory detail & full definition
A junior engineer is an entry-level engine-room officer ranking below the Fourth Engineer, found mainly on cruise ships, passenger vessels and naval ships rather than on conventional merchant vessels. It is not a formal STCW certificate-of-competency grade in its own right; it sits between the engine cadet and the Fourth Engineer, letting a partly-qualified engineer build supervised watchkeeping and maintenance experience while completing the sea time and training needed for a full watchkeeping CoC. Junior engineers keep watch under the close supervision of a certificated watchkeeping engineer — usually the Fourth or Third — and handle routine rounds, maintenance and log-keeping.
Related
Source: Industry usage
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