Marine Deck

Our ships are ships! And ships need seafarers to make them work and keep them afloat. Our Deck department is crewed by professional seafarers volunteering to use their maritime skills to bring hope and healing in Africa.

Our Deck department are never without work to do, keeping the ships looking as good as they can possibly be. There’s rarely a day when the Deck department aren’t needle gunning or painting, scrubbing or washing. Looking after a ship that stays in port for 10 months at a time is a different job, especially in ports that are often dusty. Other duties include cargo operations, loading and treating water, pest control, navigation, fire and safety, and security.

The Captain of the ship works closely with the ship Managing Director in leadership of the whole Crew, leading in matters of safety and security for the ship and our host country. The Captaincy of the vessel is a very important role in maintaining a special culture onboard, and preserving the thriving community that makes our ships so special.

The Chief Officer leads the Deck department in their daily duties, and oversees the different elements of the Deck departments’ responsibilities, tasking the Deck Officers with different roles including safety and navigation. We have Second Officers, Third Officers, Bosun, Able Seaman, Deck Ratings, Deck Hands and Deck Cadets.

The Deck department align some of their tasks with the Marine Engineering department, especially on fire drills, engine tests, and sailing plans and preparations. The ship must drill fire response every two weeks, and the whole Crew is involved in these activities. Some Crew who work outside of the marine departments are trained in Basic Safety, enabling them to serve on a fire team, and other Crew are assigned responsibilities relevant to their level of training.

The Deck department also includes a team of Carpenters.