In ships not underway, the commanding officer may authorize the standing of a days duty in lieu of the continuous watch of the engineering officer of the watch. When authorized, the duties of the engineering officer, of the watch are assigned in port to the engineering department duty officer. However, when not at the station of the engineering officer of the watch, the duty officer must always be ready for duty the moment he/she is summoned or notified that his/her presence is required. The engineering department duty officer, assigned by the engineer officer, must be a qualified engineering officer of the watch. On some ships, chief petty officers may be assigned as the engineering department duty officer.

In the temporary absence of the engineer officer, the duties of the engineer officer may be performed by the engineering department duty officer. If the engineer officer is on board, the duty officer reports the condition of the depart-ment to him/her prior to the eight oclock reports. In the absence of the engineer officer, the duty officer makes the eight oclock reports for the department to the executive officer (or command duty officer).

The engineering duty officer, in addition to such other duties as may be properly assigned to him/her, is responsible for:

1. The alertness and proper performance of all personnel of the engineering watches.

2. The safe and economical operation of all engineering machinery and systems in use.

3. The elimination of fire and flooding hazards and the prevention of sabotage.

4. The security of all engineering spaces. In order to determine the actual conditions that exist in the engineering space and to evaluate the performance of watch personnel, the duty officer must make frequent inspections of the engineer-ing spaces.

5. The proper maintenance of all machinery operating logs, and for writing and signing the engineering log for the period he/she is on duty.

The engineering department duty officer makes reports in the same manner as the engineering officer of the watch, except that when acting in place of the engineer officer, he/she is responsible for making the reports required of that officer. Engineering watch supervisors and the duty petty officers of the engineering divisions report to the duty officer during the performance of their duties.

A chief petty officer who is a qualified engineroom watch supervisor underway may be assigned a watch as the engineering department duty chief petty officer to assist the engineering department duty officer. The duty chief petty officer is normally assigned duty for the same period as the duty office, and reports to that officer. and that the prescribed pressure is maintained in the firemain.