MAJ EOOW Engineer Exam study guide
MAJ EOOW Engineer Exam · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Engineer Officer of the Watch (EOOW) certificate issued through the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) is the first watchkeeping qualification on the marine engineer officer ladder. It certifies that the holder can stand a safe engine-room watch in charge of a manned or periodically unattended machinery space, and it is the stepping stone toward Second and Chief Engineer certification. The MAJ EOOW Engineer Exam study guide has 10 sections and about 2,674 words.
01Propulsion Plant and Machinery Operation
This domain tests whether you can run the main propulsion plant within its design limits, explain the systems that support it, and diagnose abnormal behaviour. Expect questions on starting and reversing, fuel injection and scavenging, turbocharging, load-up programmes and the relationship between power, speed and fuel consumption.
295 words, about 1 min02Engine Room Watchkeeping, Procedures and Record Keeping
This domain tests the STCW watchkeeping framework and the paperwork that proves it was followed: standing orders, handover, rounds, alarm response, and the log book and Oil Record Book entries a port state inspector reads first. STCW VIII/2 requires watches arranged so that fitness for duty is maintained; in a periodically unattended machinery space the officer must be immediately available.
267 words, about 1 min03Maintenance and Repair of Shipboard Machinery and Systems
This domain tests planned maintenance, condition monitoring, defect control and the survey regime that keeps certificates valid. It expects you to know what is critical, how to measure it, and when a reading becomes a defect rather than a data point.
261 words, about 1 min04Auxiliary Machinery and Systems
Auxiliary machinery questions test whether you can explain how pumps, compressors, boilers, purifiers, steering gear and deck machinery work, why they fail, and what is required for the safety-critical ones. Centrifugal pumps: flow varies with speed, head with speed squared.
278 words, about 1 min05Electrical, Electronic and Control Engineering
This domain tests generation, distribution and control of ship's power: paralleling, protection, insulation, alarms and the automatic systems that keep the plant running after a fault. Parallel operation: generators share load through governor droop and excitation.
254 words, about 1 min06Ship Construction
Ship construction questions test the structural and subdivision features that matter to an engineer: watertight boundaries, tank and cofferdam arrangements, the collision bulkhead, and how machinery spaces are protected and accessed. Collision bulkhead: SOLAS II-1/12 places it not less than 0.05L (or 10 m, whichever is less) and not more than 0.08L from the forward perpendicular, often stepped where a bulbous bow is fitted.
261 words, about 1 min07Stability and Damage Control as Applied to Machinery Spaces
This domain applies stability to the machinery spaces: what happens when a tank or the engine room floods, how free surface reduces stability, and how damage control is organised before the water arrives. Intact stability: IMO criteria include area under the GZ curve to 30 degrees of at least 0.055 m.rad, to 40 degrees of at least 0.09 m.rad, maximum GZ of at least 0.2 m at an angle of at least 30 degrees, and initial GM of at least 0.15 m.
295 words, about 1 min08Maritime Law, STCW and Flag State Regulations
This domain covers the legal framework an engineer works inside: SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW, MLC and the flag-state and port-state control that enforce them. SOLAS: construction, fire, life-saving and machinery requirements, including periodically unattended machinery space provisions.
243 words, about 1 min09Shipboard Safety, Pollution Prevention and Emergency Response
This domain covers safety, pollution prevention and emergency response in machinery spaces: enclosed spaces, hot work, firefighting systems, and the MARPOL discharge rules. Enclosed space entry: permit, atmosphere test for oxygen (about 20.9 %), hydrocarbon, H2S and CO, continuous ventilation, attendant at the entrance, rescue equipment and communications.
263 words, about 1 min10Human Element, Leadership and Team Management in the Engine Room
This domain tests human element and leadership in the engine room: how errors happen, how teams communicate, and how a chief or watchkeeper builds a culture where defects and near-misses surface early. Situational awareness: monitor the plant, the team and the task.
257 words, about 1 min