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THE ROLES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN

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Conference Paper November 2013
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THE ROLES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN MERCHANT SHIPPINGS

COMMUNICATION: THE TRAINING NEEDS OF DECK WATCHKEEPING
OFFICERS
Shamsul Rizal bin Haji Mohd Rosedi
Akademi Laut Malaysia
Batu 30, Tanjung Dahan, 78200 Kuala Sungai Baru
Melaka, Malaysia
shamsulrizal@alam.edu.my

English is mandatorily used by seagoing professionals as it has been set to prioritize

on ship operations and safety culture which have become the integral parts of the merchant
shipping industry itself. To achieve this, there is a strong emphasis on training particularly
on the fundamental and professional competencies of English language. For the training of
ships navigators or deck watch-keeping officers, the language is of paramount needs. This
paper highlights the English language requirement for the training of navigation cadets in
order to meet the objectives of IMO (International Maritime Organisation) and MarDep
(Marine Department of Malaysia).

Keywords:

Maritime communication, Maritime English, merchant shipping, deck watchkeeping officers, safety and ship operations, navigation cadets

1.0 Introduction
English has been made the official language of the merchant shipping by IMO and the
STCW 2010 (Standard Training, Certification and Watch-keeping) requires every mariner
to possess adequate proficiency in the language and also in the pursued expertise before
they go to sea (Pritchard, 2005). Moreover, there is a legislation concerning the
importance of English proficiency on board of merchant vessels particularly in matters
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relating to operations and safety at sea. According to the legislation, English in the
shipping industry is known as Maritime English and the teaching of the subject at all
maritime colleges, institutes and universities worldwide is governed by the IMO Model
Course 3.17 (Maritime English). Consequently, this world-class standard document for
training has set a standard for the English language to be taught and mastered so as to
comply to the regulation at sea (Trenkner, 2002; Pritchard, 2005 & Takagi et al., 2007).
Short (2006) highlighted that thousands of crew on board merchant vessels nowadays
receive intensive training in Maritime English communication before going to sea (p. 2).
This is because ships were manned by seafarers from different nationalities and cultures
and it is vital that they share a common language on board while working and living at sea.
Trenkner (2002) added that trainee seafarers need to learn common seafaring idiom such
as port, starboard, boatswain, forecastle and etc. to prevent confusion when attending
technical classes conducted in English or going to sea for the first time into an English
speaking work environment.
This paper highlights the training needs in the English language, particularly in Maritime
English for deck watch-keeping officers or more professionally known as ship navigators.
More importantly, it looks at the urgent need to equip Malaysian students with the
fundamental English skills as they embark on enriching career in the maritime industry.

2.0 Scope of discussion

The discussion in this paper is limited to Ships English or Maritime English and IMO SMCP
(Standard Marine Communication Phrases) as per used by navigation/watch-keeping
officers and as per taught to navigation/deck cadets in the Malaysian Maritime Academy.
Maritime English subject as being taught to navigation cadets of the Diploma in Nautical
Studies at Malaysian Maritime Academy. It covers the content as per outlined by the IMO
Model Course 3.17 for Maritime English and could be extended to other related
professions such as marine engineer, deck rating (crew), navigation rating (crew), harbor
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pilot, coast station operators, ship administrative officer, coast guards and radio operators.
However, suffice to mention that the focus is on communication so as to comply with the
requirement.
3.0 Maritime English
The most practical definition of Maritime English was provided by Short (2006). She
stated that Maritime English is the English language that is necessary to function within
the maritime industry, with its widely diverse activities. (p. 8). She further explained that
Maritime English is full with idiomatic expressions used by contemporary seafarers and
these terminology need to be understood nowadays as they are relevant to many
specialized ships, gas and oil tankers, communications at sea, loading and discharging of
cargo and other ships routine operations.
In the teaching-learning discipline, Maritime English is placed at the same level with other
forms of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) but is quite different in emphasis from English
as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL). In simpler words,
Maritime English is defined as English that is being used in the maritime industry that
covers not only ship operations but also other operations that are related with it such as
port state control, harbor authority, oil and gas, power generation, marine transportation
and etc.

4.0 The Training Needs of Deck Watch-keeping Officers

According to Yakushechkina (2007), Maritime English training can be divided into 4 main
levels:
1. Basic Marine Vocabulary (BMV) that covers the introduction to shipping English.
2. Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) used by officers and crew dealing
with navigation, safety communications, cargo operations and everything used for
work of the deck department.
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3. English used by engineers and crew dealing with the main and auxiliary engines,
the electric, the electronics, operations and maintenance and everything used for
work of the engineering department (on board communications).
4. Maritime English used by administrative officers and those concerned with the
commercial business of the merchant marine, Maritime Law procedures, insurance
etc.

However, in educating ships navigators, Trenkner (2002), Pritchard (2005) and Takagi et
al. (2007) asserted that the first two would be relevant. The following sections present the
two stages for better understanding.
4.1 Basic Marine Vocabulary (BMV)
This is an introductory stage that requires cadet officers/navigators to learn
and be skillful in recognizing the basic operations of the vessel, ship terminologies,
ship functions and safety procedures. Among the topics covered in this stage are:
a. Parts of ship
b. Types of ship
c. Names and functions of equipment on board of merchant ship
d. Routine operations on board such as bunkering, alongside, maintenance,
loading and unloading of cargo, watch-keeping, mustering and etc.
e. Ship movement and directions
f. Basic ship communication in English
g. Ship organization
h. Duties and responsibilities on board
Suffice to mention here that the specialty of this stage lies on the emphasis of the
trainers to review previously taught English language skills/lessons so that a
common platform will be formulated for basic English proficiency. In other words,
at this stage, the trainer will ensure that cadet officers are capable of performing
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fundamental English skills such as listening to main ideas and specific details
(listening), provide appropriate responses and explanation to questions (speaking)
question and sentence construction (oral and written), tenses and subject-verbagreement (grammar) and paragraphing (essay composition). Win (2012) also
believed that these essential skills must be taught and nurtured so that students
will not face any language difficulty later as per encountered by his students in
Myanmar. Moreover, students at least have the golden opportunity to improve their
English under the watchful eyes of their experienced trainers. The best is that, all
the introductory lessons on ships operations are conducted with the emphasis of
one or two language items so as to be more effective and relevant.

Figure 1: Screenshots of BMV lessons

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4.2 SMCP for Navigation Officers

After acquiring the proficiency in Basic Marine Vocabulary (BMV) and also essential
English language skills, navigation cadet officers are introduced to the SMCP
(Standard Marine Communication Phrases). This stage involves many situations
that they will encounter while manning the bridge (ship command center) and
while conducting deck operations such as cargo loading and unloading, anchoring,
ship

maneuvering,

bunkering,

approaching

harbor/port,

emergency

drills/situations and etc. In this stage, the usage of previously English language
skills is highly required and anticipated.
Officers must lead and take charge of the situations and as such, they must be
proficient in the language to be able to proceed with the operations. Moreover,
officers must show the right procedure and manner of work in order to ensure the
safety of the crew, the cargo and also the ship. Therefore, precise and correct
information is paramount in all communications with the deck crew, ship master
(captain), coast station, harbor authorities, ship pilot, other vessels and coast
guards. Among the topics covered in this stage are:
a. Introduction to Radio Communication
b. Routine Communication
c. Distress, Urgency and Safety Messages (GMDSS & VHF)
d. Message Markers
e. Bridge Operations such as Navigation Watch-keeping, Wheel Command,
Situation Reports, Changing of Watch, Navigation Commands and Rules of the
Road (ROR).
f. Ship Operations such as Entering & Leaving Port, Pilot Service, Ship Movement,
Anchoring, Cargo Loading & Unloading and etc.
g. Emergency Situations: Shipboard Fire, Man Over-Board (MOB), Collision,
Grounding, Flooding, Mechanical Failures, Abandon Ship and etc.

At this stage, navigation cadets are required to perform many communication tasks
concerning situations that might happen in daily life when they are steering the ship at
sea. For example here is the VHF (Very High Frequency) radio communication between
two merchant vessels. The basic skills in communicating daily ideas and thoughts are
further tested when they call other vessels in vicinity for establishing contact or coast
stations as depicted in the figure below.

Figure 2: Slides on VHF Radio Communication lessons/drills

5.0 Overview of SMCP (Standard Marine Communication Phrases)

In 1973, at its twenty-seventh session the Maritime Safety Committee agreed that where
language difficulties arise, a common language should be used for navigational purpose,
and that language should be English. The consequence was the 1977 adoption and
development of Standard Marine Navigational Vocabulary (SMNV), and it was amended in
1985. SMNV was widely used to train the seafarers communication abilities for quite a
good period. Sea Speak, also by Fred Weeks and collaborators, was born in 1984. It was
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later introduced and recommended for use particularly in communication at sea by VHF
(Very High Frequency Radio). Though being one of the best publications at the time, the
latter was much less influential in the maritime community.
A number of sea accidents came directly of language inabilities resulting in the serious
consequences of loss of lives and properties and ocean environment. The "Scandinavian
Star" incident in 1990 and the "Sea Empress" accident, led to the revision and extension of
SMNV, under IMO, making it more useful and offering a considerably wider and updated
range of phrases. Thus, at its sixtieth session, in 1992 the Maritime Safety Committee
instructed the Sub-Committee on Safety of Navigation to develop a more comprehensive
standardized safety language than SMNV 1985, taking into account the changing
conditions in modern seafaring and covering all major safety-related verbal
communications. The IMO-SMCP was adopted by the Assembly in November 2001 as
resolution A. 918(22) and the usage of these Phrases is required by the International
Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping for Seafarers (STCW
78/95).
Therefore, Governments are recommended to give the IMO-SMCP a wide circulation to all
prospective users and all maritime education authorities, in order to support compliance
with the standards of competence as required by table A-II/1 of the STCW Code.
The intended SMCP is compiled to assist in the greater safety of navigation and of the
conduct of the ship, to standardize the language used in communication for
navigation at sea, in port approaches, waterways and harbors, and on board vessels
with multilingual crews, and to assist maritime training institutions in meeting the
objectives mentioned above.
5.1 SMCP in Maritime English training at ALAM
At ALAM, SMCP have been a prominent part of Maritime English subject for
navigation cadets. This is because the teaching of SMCP is governed by the STCW
(International Convention on Standards for Training, Certification and Watch8

keeping for Seafarers) and the ability of understand and apply the SMCP is
mandatorily required for the certification of Officers of the Watch (OOW) on vessels
of 500 Gross Tonnage or more (international voyage vessels).
5.2 Some current methods of teaching SMCP
The SMCP cannot be taught solely by lecture and classroom discussion as per
university studies (Pritchard, 2007). This is because of the nature of its usage on
board of vessel that requires each cadet to practice and be familiar with the
standard phrases/register/words. Moreover, navigation cadets must demonstrate
their ability of using the precise command/phrases in specific situations. So the
followings are some of the existing methods in facilitating SMCP in class:
a. Role-plays (selected situations for each incident e.g. fire on board, routine
communication etc.)
b. Ship simulator (Ship to ship & ship to coast communication)
c. Ship practical training (on board ALAM training ship, MT Pernas Propane: ship
familiarization and on-board communication)
d. Real life training at the bridge/communication console as in cadets 12 months
of sea training on board of merchant vessels on international voyage.
Role-plays are crucial in the teaching of SMCP. It starts with the lecturer
demonstrating the correct phrases in selected situations via scripts and actual ship
communication recordings (sound clips). Each cadet is given ample time to demonstrate
their ability in recognizing and using the phrases. The lecturer could intervene and make
immediate correction should any of the phrases or words need correction. Takagi et al
(2007) stressed the need for navigation cadets to acquire practical use of Maritime English
through hands-on simulator and lab sessions and on board training (pp. 2). He further
asserted that classroom instructions alone cannot go anywhere without practical support
from the bridge environment (pp.6). As such, cadet officers need this kind of exposure to be
able to master SMCP effectively.

Figure 3: Role-plays with VHF radio/walkie-talkie

5.3 Assessment tools for SMCP/Maritime English
Currently, there are two major assessment tools to evaluate the competency and
skills in Maritime English for all maritime colleges and universities. However, they
are only recommended to be used as there still no provision of law/regulations by
IMO to enforce these two examinations into the certification of Officers of the
Watch (OOW) on vessels of 500 Gross Tonnage or more (international voyage
vessels).
The two measurement tools are:
1. TOMEC (Test of Maritime English Competency)
2. MARTEL (Maritime Test of English Language)
However, many maritime colleges, institutions or universities have already
integrated major parts of these two assessments into their final evaluations for their cadet
officers. As for ALAMs case, major sections from TOMEC had already been integrated since
2008 final examination for cadets.
5.4 Further support for SMCP
Further support for SMCP in teaching-learning could be gained from the following:
1. Sea trainings for Maritime English Instructors
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2. Interviews with Seagoing professionals (Ship Officers)

3. Coaching by Master Mariners (Ship Captains)
4. Seminars/courses locally and internationally
5. Computer software (Marlins Study Pack)
6. Internet resources (Safe Sailing)
These resources are proven to be very beneficial as they provide enrichment tools for
lecturers especially teaching materials and drills/exercises. Moreover, by using computer
program, a self-assessment learning environment could be provided to cadets in order to
reinforce their mastery of SMCP.
6.0 Conclusion
It is highly anticipated that these training methods and tools will be sufficient to enhance
the mastery of English, particularly Maritime English and IMO SMCPs by the navigation
cadets. As their noble aim is to promote safe navigation that ensures the safety of crew,
cargo, vessels and environment, there should also be more effective methods in facilitating
these needs so as to provide more enhancements. Getting the TOMEC/MARTEL well
underway in Malaysia as the measuring tools of Maritime English requirement is not an
easy task for MARDEP (Malaysian Marine Department), MISC (Malaysian International
Shipping Corporation) and ALAM. But with consideration to the international safety of
lives and property at sea and the clean ocean environment, there is no reason to delay the
enforcement of internationally recognized examinations for SMCP and Maritime English in
Malaysia. This paper also welcomes more collaborations and ideas from the English
language teaching fraternity in order to further improve the teaching and learning of
English.

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References
Pritchard, B. (2005). Maritime English instruction-ensuring instructors competence, 123148. Iberica 14. Retrieved from International Maritime English database.
Short, V. (2006). Maritime English: valuing a common language. The Journal of the Nautical
Institute. October, pp.2-12.
Takagi et al. (2007). Maritime English initiatives at TUMSAT. Retrieved from World Wide
Web: http://home.planet.nl/~ekluijven/
Trenkner, P. (2002) Some Issues in the Standardization of Maritime English. Proceeding of
International Seminar on Maritime English, pp. 51-62.
Win, H.H. (2012). Proceedings of International Maritime English Conference, 29-35.
Sharing experiences and ideas in teaching Maritime English to Myanmar Maritime
University students
Yakushechkina, Y. (2007). Proceedings of International Association of Maritime
Universities (IAMU) Eight General Assembly and Conference, 12-17. Maritime English
training for non-native speaking mariners. Southampton: WIT Press.
IMO Conventions:
Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping: STCW (78/95)
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea: SOLAS (1960)
IMO Publications:
Model Course 3.17 Maritime English (2000)
Standard Marine Communication Phrases: SMCP (2002)
Standard Marine Navigational Vocabulary: SMNV (1977)

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