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NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN MARCH 2003 53 The aim of reducing watchkeeping numbers and instituting a greater watch rotation is to release more maintainers to undertake organisational level and corrective maintenance. It will also align the watchkeeping requirement with the technology currently employed in our more modern platforms, and prepare for the reduced manning levels and more advanced technologies anticipated in Ships entering service over the next decade. The New Operator Qualifications The demise of Steam Propulsion in the RAN forced a critical review of Marine Engineering operator qualifications, some aspects of which were written with steam Ships specifically in mind and have remained virtually untouched ever since. To avoid confusion, rather than making major amendments to the existing qualifications, it was decided to devise new qualifications which truly reflected the current and anticipated role of the MT sailor in propulsion and machinery plant operation, as well as making better use of the skills and knowledge of the more experienced technicians. Not all qualifications will change; the AMOC and MTCC will remain in their current form. The Marine Systems Technician (MST) The Marine Systems Technician equates to a watchkeeping position, (i.e. you will be known as the ‘on-watch Marine Systems Technician). It encompasses the duties of the old Third Hand/ASM, with an emphasis on reduced manual data recording enabling an increased achievement of on-watch OLM. The Marine Systems Controller (MSC) The Marine Systems Controller Qualification formally recognises the shift to console operation invoked by the newer propulsion plant technology. The MSC will be in charge of the operation of the machinery plant for the duration of his watch. His core duties and functions are as follows: a. conduct on watch flash-up and shut-down procedures for all aspects of the propulsion plant; b. operate the plant as required; c. conduct initial response to engineering casualties i.a.w. EOSS or SOP, to make the plant safe and meet Command priorities; d. will not be required to recover from a casualty while on watch after taking that initial response. The Marine Systems Manager will provide back-up support to the on-watch MSC for engineering casualties and will manage the defect rectification process; e. act as higher-level technical support for the duty Engineering Harbour Watchkeeping sailor when alongside on full shore services, providing advice by phone, and f. undertake EOOD duties when the Ship is not on full shore services. The MSC qualification loosely equates to the old MWC and in some platforms there will be very little difference between the MWC and MSC syllabus. However, in some Ship classes, notably the FFG, there is significant additional content in the MSC compared to the MWC, to provide the MSC sailor with the level of proficiency required to operate the PCC alone, a function not previously undertaken by MWC qualified sailors in FFG. The MSC qualification will be a pre-requisite for promotion to Petty Officer. It will also attract a consolidation period of 1000 hours of console operation, however the consolidation period will not be a pre-requisite for promotion – just the award of the qualification itself. The Marine Systems Manager (MSM) The Marine Systems Manager Qualification loosely equates to the ERWC. Technicians at this level possess comprehensive systems knowledge and
54 NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN MARCH 2003 maintenance management acumen, therefore, employing them as simple console operators is a wasteful and inefficient use of an extremely valuable resource. These technicians are more effectively employed as maintenance managers, facilitating the progress of the increased OLM inherent in minimum manned, highly automated platforms, and able to react promptly and effectively to address defects. One of the fundamental principles in establishing the MSM qualification was to divorce it from it from a watchkeeping role, thereby affording the MSM sailor the opportunity to manage and progress maintenance while providing advanced technical support for the on-watch MSC sailor. The roles of the MSM sailor are defined as follows: a. will not keep watches on consoles during cruising watches; b. will be required to be in attendance during SSD/Mod SSD but will not necessarily be required to operate the console; c. will manage planned and corrective maintenance in his or her workcentre; d. will respond to the on-watch MSC sailors needs; and e. will recover and restore plant after an engineering casualty. The period that the MSM sailor is ‘on watch’ or ‘on duty’, (i.e. the period that he/she is nominated as on call to assist the MSC sailor as required) may vary from Ship to Ship and may not necessarily adhere to the traditional four hour periods. It may be more appropriate for the MSC sailor to be ‘duty’ for a 24 hour period, or in shifts of eight hours each. This will be an individual Ship management decision, and it is envisaged that a number of varying routines will be trialed before arriving at the most appropriate and effective arrangement. The MSM Qualification will be a promotion pre-requisite for Chief Petty Officer. Engineering Harbour Watchkeeping Certificate (EHWC) Another common cause of dissatisfaction among technicians, identified in attitude surveys and arising from interviews with discharging sailors, is the requirement to keep frequent, nugatory duties when the Ship is alongside in home port. In response to this, the concept of the EHWC has evolved. The aim is to reduce the duty watch requirement (in those Ships that can support it) such that the EHWC qualified sailor comprises the Engineering Duty Watch in situations where the Ship is alongside on full shore services. Technical support for the EHWC sailor will be provided by an MSC qualified sailor, who will not be required on board but will be contactable via mobile phone or pager. The EHWC Sailor will act as technical adviser to the Officer of the Day in the event of a Damage Control incident. He will not be required to flash up or shut down the propulsion plant and his responsibilities will be limited to maintaining the minimal level of systems required to support a Ship berthed alongside in a secure port, with full shore services supplied. For example, in the event of a failure of Shore Power, he will be responsible for establishing Ship’s Power and taking the necessary action to have the shore service provider restore Shore Power. He will not be required to rectify engineering defects that do not affect these minimum essential services. The EHWC will be a competency based, platform specific qualification, consisting of those elements of the AMOC considered necessary to allow a sailor to keep a duty alongside with the support of full shore services. These competencies are currently under development and will differ between Ship classes due to their varying requirements. The competencies will be listed in ABR 5225 when completed. For some vessels, particularly the Minor War Vessels, MHC and Submarines, introduction of the EHWC will have no effect on the composition of their MT Duty Watch in home port, as this duty is presently undertaken by only one sailor. The benefit of the EHWC for these vessels will be to formalise the competencies, and therefore the training, required to qualify a sailor as proficient to undertake this duty. The EHWC will be a promotion pre-requisite to Leading Seaman. So when does it all happen? The overarching management authority for these changes is the Marine Engineering Advisory Group (MEAG). Due to the magnitude of the changes and their impact on the way we operate Ships, the MEAG has adopted a close management policy, meeting approximately quarterly to assess the trials of the new watchkeeping practices and formulate the transition period to the new qualifications. The MEAG last met in late November 2002, with the first meeting for 2003 to be convened in early April. At the last meeting, the MEAG directed DNPR(E&L) to promulgate the competencies and syllabi for the EHWC, MST, MSC and MSM by April 2003. Subsequently, migration to the new qualifications is planned to occur on a platform by platform basis, beginning with the ANZAC Class. It was also proposed that a project team should be established to assist Ships in implementing the changes. This
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