THE TRAINING NEEDS OF DECK WATCHKEEPING OFFICERS

THE ROLES OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN MERCHANT SHIPPING’S 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

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 ship’s navigators or deck watch-keeping of�icers, the language is of paramou nt 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 of�icers, safety and ship operations, navigation cadets

1.0 Introduction

English has been made the of�icial language of the merchant shipping by IMO and the STCW 2010 (Standard Training, Certi�ication and Watch-keeping) requires every mariner to possess adequate pro�iciency 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 pro�iciency on board of merchant vessels particularly in matters