Suggestions on the Development of Standard Engineering Communication Phrases

Under the STCW Convention, marine engineers are required to have a satisfactory level of maritime English proficiency so that they can successfully perform their duties on board or maintain and operate the various equipment and facilities installed in the ship. More specifically, the importance of the engineers' written communication skills has been highlighted since their documents (for instance, post-work records, legal, and/or internal reports) have a significant legal impact in the event of a marine casualty or maritime crime. To suggest the necessity of developing standard engineering logbook phrases (SELP), therefore, this paper will closely analyse three-month authentic marine engineers' work records written by Korean officers. From the analysis, the problems and errors in the logbook will be analysed, and considerations to be taken into account in the development of SELP will be illustrated. Finally, the future actions for this standardised written communication for the logbook entry will be sought.