The first mate is the administrative person in charge of the daily work of the driving department under the leadership of the captain, and is the first agent of the captain. The second mate is second only to the captain and the first mate, and under the leadership of the captain and the first mate, he performs the duty of navigation and berthing, and is in charge of the driving equipment. The third mate is in charge of the ship's life-saving and fire-fighting equipment.
The first mate is the main assistant of the captain. Under the captain's leadership, he presides over the daily work of the deck department. He performs the duty of navigation watch and assists the captain in safe navigation. In charge of cargo allocation, loading and unloading, handover and other transportation management, as well as the maintenance of the equipment belonging to the deck department.
The second mate, under the leadership of the captain and the first mate, performs the duty of navigation and berthing, and is in charge of driving equipment. The planning and implementation of routes and the correction of charts are usually done by the second mate. Some foreign ships, the second mate also has the captain entrusted with the ship's security officer, as well as responsible for the management of the ship's medical equipment, as the ship's doctor's duties.
The third mate is in charge of the ship's life-saving and fire-fighting equipment. Under the leadership of the captain and the first mate, he conscientiously carries out the provisions of the company's comprehensive management system and performs the duties of the ship's navigation and berthing watch.