Captain VS Chief Engineer

Captain Todd and our class in the Bridge of Mein Schiff 6.

Myself, Captain Luis, and Bryan in the control room of the engine.

One of the two main engines aboard the ship.

The Vessel Operations seniors had the honor of touring TUI's cruise ship the Mein Schiff 6. Mein Schiff is a brand new cruise ship that had its first voyage in May. We received an extensive tour of the vessel which included the bridge and the massive engine room. Both the Captain and Chief Engineer had many years in the Maritime Industry under their belts. They each gave us a run down of their background and it made me further curious about the difference in responsibilities of a  chief engineer and captain on a cruise ship. Both hold large, respected, titles and seem worth the while. The chief engineer takes most of the command in the engine room while the captain takes full command of the bridge. Captain Todd and the Chief Engineer both were passionate about their jobs and were eager to answer our questions. Captain Todd is one of few American cruise ship captains while the Chief Engineer was from Germany. Although their backgrounds were different, the worked together to run a massive cruise ship with over 2,000 passengers and over 1,000 other crew members. This by far has been one of my favorite experiences in Vessel Operations. It was a great eye opener for my classmates and myself. We all walked away with so many great new ideas for our future and even more great memories to add to our list.