SIRE 2.0 · Human factors

SIRE 2.0 questions by rank: what inspectors ask in the human-factors interview

Under SIRE 2.0 the inspector does not just read records — they ask people to explain their job. “Show me”, “talk me through”, “what would you do if…”. Below are practice questions for every rank, written by SeaReady in our own words, with what a good answer sounds like. They are the kind of questions you will hear; they are not OCIMF’s wording.

Updated 7 October 2026 · Written by SeaReady in our own words. Not affiliated with OCIMF, RightShip, CDI, any MoU or any administration — always check the current official documents.

How the interview works

Every SIRE 2.0 question is looked at through three lenses: hardware (is the equipment right), process (is there a procedure and is it followed) and human (do the people understand and do the job well). Most questions have a human part, so the inspector will talk to a cross-section of the crew, one person at a time.

Answers are graded on a four-step scale — exceeds expectation, as expected, largely as expected, not as expected. When something falls short, the inspector links it to what made it happen — the performance influencing factors:

Recognition of safety criticality · custom and practice · procedures accessible and understood
Team dynamics and communication · stress, workload and fatigue · morale, motivation and nervousness
Workplace ergonomics · the human–machine interface · opportunity to learn and practise

Questions everyone on board should be ready for

If you needed the procedure for the job you are doing tomorrow, where would you find it — and is it in a language you read easily?
The abandon-ship signal sounds now. Tell me exactly where you go, what you take, and what your job is when you get there.
Smoke fills the alleyway outside your cabin. Where is the nearest EEBD, and how do you use it?
How do you record your hours of rest — and who checks that what you wrote is true?
Before the last job you did that could hurt someone, what was said at the toolbox talk — and who was there?

Practice questions by rank

Master

Tell me about your last Master’s review of the safety management system. What did you tell the company was not working?
Talk me through your standing orders — what are the three things you most want an officer of the watch to understand?
Look at your officer matrix. Where is the experience on this ship thin, and how do you manage it?

Chief Officer

Who is on the cargo team for this operation, and how did you decide that was enough people?
Explain how the tanks breathe during loading on this ship — and what protects them if the vent line is blocked.
Pick one cargo on board. How did you check it is compatible with its neighbours and with the tank coating?

2nd and 3rd Officer

On your watch, when would you call the Master? Give me real examples, not just “when in doubt”.
How do you know every chart and publication for this voyage is up to date? Show me.
As the officer looking after fire-fighting and life-saving equipment, show me how you know it is all ready today.

Chief Engineer and 2nd Engineer

Talk me through your standing orders for the engine room. When must the duty engineer call you?
Show me the planned maintenance system. Which critical jobs are overdue, and how is that risk managed?
The oil mist detector alarms on the main engine. What do you do, and what must you NOT do?

3rd/4th Engineer and ETO

The switchboard earth-fault lamp shows a low insulation reading. What does it mean, and how do you find it?
Dead ship, no power. How do you start the first generator or the emergency compressor?
During bunkering, what is your job, where do you stand, and how do you talk to the person in charge?

Deck ratings (Bosun, AB, OS, Pumpman)

Show me where the snap-back danger zones are at your mooring station — and where you stand when a line is under load.
Rig the pilot ladder for me — talk me through every check from the deck to the water.
You are the attendant at the entrance to an enclosed space. What is your job, and what must you never do?

Engine ratings (Fitter, Oiler, Wiper)

Take me on your engine room round. What do you look at, listen to and touch — and what would you report?
The CO2 release alarm sounds in the engine room. What does it mean, and what do you do?
You see fuel spraying from a pipe onto a hot engine. What do you do in the next ten seconds?

Cook and catering

Walk me through the dry store and freezer. How do you rotate food, and what do you do with damaged or out-of-date stock?
Bad weather is forecast tonight. What do you do to the galley so nothing moves, burns or falls?
What time did you start and finish yesterday? Does your rest record show that?

Ship Security Officer

The port moves to security level 2. What changes on this ship in the next hour?
Before sailing from a high-risk port, how do you make sure there are no stowaways on board?

What a good answer sounds like

Weak answer	Strong answer
“It’s in the SMS.”	Names the manual and section, or walks the inspector to it.
“We follow the procedure.”	Explains the steps in their own words, and what to do if the procedure does not fit the job.
“Zero tolerance.”	Describes what really happens: when they were last tested and what they would do if a shipmate was unfit for watch.
A recited script	A real example from this contract — the drill that went badly, the job they stopped, what changed afterwards.

Calm, honest answers from your own experience score better than perfect textbook wording. If you do not know, say so and say where you would find out — that is a better answer than guessing.

How to prepare the crew

Five minutes of questions at the end of a watch handover, one scenario at the evening meeting — every day for weeks, not the night before.
Ask ratings the same way an inspector would: kindly, one at a time, away from their supervisor.
Coach weak answers, never punish them. Nervous crews freeze; practised crews answer calmly.
Practise the drills inspectors ask about — see drill intervals — and know your own rest record (rest-hour rules).

Questions seafarers ask

Does the SIRE 2.0 inspector interview ratings and the cook?

Yes. Inspectors talk to people across the ship one by one — an AB, an oiler, the ETO or the cook can be called, not only senior officers. Each person is asked about their own job and their emergency duties.

How are SIRE 2.0 human-factors answers graded?

Human responses are graded on a four-step scale: exceeds expectation, as expected, largely as expected, or not as expected. A not-as-expected grade becomes a negative observation, often linked to a performance influencing factor such as fatigue, procedures that are hard to use or not enough chance to practise.

Can I download SIRE 2.0 questions and answers as a PDF?

Lists of “answers” to memorise do not help much, because inspectors ask follow-up questions and change the wording to test real understanding. Practise explaining your own job on your own ship out loud — that is what is graded.

How many SIRE 2.0 questions involve the crew?

In the Question Programming Attributes (version 2.0, January 2023), 300 of the 385 questions carry a human response — so most of the library is checked partly by talking to people.

Practise with the mock inspector

SeaReady’s mock inspector asks the questions for your rank, follows up like a real inspector and scores the answer — by voice or text. The offline question bank works without a signal.

Create your free account Already signed up? Open it in the app

Free toolkit, no card. Works offline at sea once installed.

Related guides

All 13 guides →