The Duties of the Able Seaman

An able seaman is someone who works on commercial ships that are either public or privately owned. This is the second step after the entry level position of the ordinary seaman. More so, this can also serve as an apprenticeship if you want to be promoted to the ordinary seaman position. He works both above and below deck, performing maintenance tasks and handling the ship’s operation. They can also work on different ship types from supply ships, tankers and cruise lines.

This article espouses the different duties of the able seaman.

Equipment Handling
All able seamen is responsible for all the line handling that takes place on-board his ship including preparing the ship for docking and departing the port; as well as creating the tows for tugs and systematizing the rigging needed to haul the cargo to and from the ship to the port. The able seaman will break all of the gears out and will stow it away again once it is no longer needed.

Navigation
Although this is not one of the primary duties of the able seaman, he may steer the vessel under the guidance of his commander or another officer. Sometimes, the able seaman will also be responsible for checking that the ship is following its course by testing the ship’s direction with a compass. It’s also his task to look out for other ships nearby and if another ship is getting too close, he should communicate with that vessel using a range of naval signals—blinker lights or other devices, to avoid collision. Additionally, he can also be found watching the sea from the bow of the ship, in order to deliver warning to the crew if potential hazards appear.

Maintenance
Often, it is the able seaman who does the dirty jobs on-board; this often includes cleaning the decks or giving the surfaces a fresh coat of paint once in a while. The interior and exterior parts of the vessel requires washing and checking for potential health and safety risks which requires immediate fixing and the able seaman should supervise this. It is also his task to check if there is on-board rust appearance and to chip and remove it immediately. Ultimately, he a also supervise the ship’s crew in maintenance and cleaning tasks.

Port Operations
Once the Vessel is on-port, the able seaman is responsible in guarding the ship to ensure that no outsiders will get on-board while the vessel is stationary. More so, he should also help out with the removal of the cargoes from the ship and the stowing of new cargo.

These are just some of the tasks of the able seaman and usually, maritime schools offer offshore training and OPITO courses to aid interested individuals who want to have a shipping career.

As the maritime and oil shipping industry rises, so does the need for competent seamen and these maritime schools are doing their best to comply with world standards. And even though the salary is good, it is also worth knowing that these tasks are hard so it is important that you should be disciplined and focused.