Electro-technical officer

The Electro Technological Officer (ETO) is a licensed member of the engine department of a merchant ship as per Section A-III/6 of the STCW Code.[1]

The Marine Electrical Engineer is one of the most vital positions in the technical hierarchy of a ship and is constrained for their assigned work under the Chief Engineer's overview. ETO manage a key role in Senior Management Team and reports directly to Chief Engineer.

Unlike other marine engineers, the ETO does not carry out an assigned Engine room "watch" instead they are normally on call 24 hours a day and generally work a daily shift carrying out electrical and electronic maintenance, repairs, diagnosis, installations and testing.

Some shipping companies do not carry Electrical Engineer Officers / ETO on their ship to cut down the manning cost, and the electrical duties are carried by a Marine Engineer - usually the Third Engineer. However, this situation has changed a lot and many companies have realized that modern electrical and electronic systems require an extra attention and therefore require an expert to attend them. This is especially true on diesel-electric ships or vessels equipped with sophisticated systems such as dynamic positioning.

As the technology advances, more automation and electronic circuits are replacing conventional and electrical systems. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) amended STCW 95 (also known as the Manila Amendment) on June 25, 2010, to introduce the certified position of Electro-technical officer in place of Electrical officers in order to make modern Electrical Engineers competent to understand complex and sophisticated electrical systems.

On larger vessels such as cruise ships or specialized offshore DP vessels, Electro-Technical Officers can have ranks within their profession, such position names include, lead ETO, 1st Electrician, chief electrical officer or chief electrical engineer. In this situation, the highest ranked Electro Technical officer will report directly to the chief engineer. On special class ships such as FPSOs the Electro Technical officer can sometimes earn top dollar due to the complexity of systems on board, however generally this person is also expected to have additional qualifications which specialise in process engineering, instrumentation and control.