Question 260General Subjects - 1st Asst/Chief

The correct answer is C) Chief Engineer. In the event of a fire in the engine room, the Chief Engineer would ordinarily report immediately to the engine control room and assume command of the engine room. This is because the Chief Engineer is the officer in charge of the engineering department and has the primary responsibility for the safe operation and maintenance of the engine room and all engineering systems on board the vessel. The other options are incorrect because the Second Assistant Engineer and First Assistant Engineer are subordinate to the Chief Engineer in the engineering department hierarchy, and the Chief Mate is the officer in charge of the deck department, not the engineering department.