crew

shipping personnel

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Last updated

June 25, 2026

Quick Summary

The term "crew" in the context of shipping refers to the personnel who operate and maintain a vessel. Historically, crews were divided into distinct departments: deck, engine, and stewards. The deck department handled navigation, lookout, and hull maintenance, while the engine department managed machinery. The stewards department provided services for passengers and crew, akin to a hotel staff.

Technological advancements, such as oil fuel, diesel engines, and autopilots, have significantly reduced crew sizes over time, particularly in the engine and deck departments. Modern ships can operate with much smaller crews, sometimes as few as 10 individuals, by integrating machinery monitoring and control into the wheelhouse and utilizing specialized maintenance teams. However, legal requirements in some regions still mandate minimum crew numbers and departmental distinctions.1

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ship
17th-century developments
…to be manned by a crew of 50 sailors. The crew of a square-sailed cog of the same size was only 20 sailors. Thus began an effort that has characterized merchant shipping for centuries—to reduce crews to the minimum. This was particularly true of oceanic navigation, because larger crews were…
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…to be manned by a crew of 50 sailors. The crew of a square-sailed cog of the same size was only 20 sailors. Thus began an effort that has characterized merchant shipping for centuries—to reduce crews to the minimum. This was particularly true of oceanic navigation, because larger crews were…
Read More

ship
Crewing
As powered ships developed in the 19th century, their crews evolved into three distinct groups: (1) the deck department, which steered, kept lookout, handled lines in docking and undocking, and performed at-sea maintenance on the hull and nonmachinery components, (2) the engine department, which…
Read More
As powered ships developed in the 19th century, their crews evolved into three distinct groups: (1) the deck department, which steered, kept lookout, handled lines in docking and undocking, and performed at-sea maintenance on the hull and nonmachinery components, (2) the engine department, which…
Read More