The course is essentially a practical one, consisting of a series of exercises structured around the operation of a ship’s machinery installation and carried out in conjunction with a TECH SIM 5000 engine room simulator. The exercises are controlled by an instructor and, initially, allow the trainees to become familiar with the instrumentation and controls used in the engine rooms of modern merchant ships, as well as develop the ability to become skilled in the scanning of instruments displays when assessing the normal operational conditions of engineering plant. The exercises increase in complexity as the course progresses, as the trainee work through and become familiar with the procedures used for starting up auxiliary and propulsion plants, setting the normal operating condition and keeping an engine room watch. The final exercises deal with the procedures and techniques needed for the location and troubleshooting of faults and mal functions that can occur in an operational plant.