Can a Marine Engineering Student Be Expelled for Fabricating Main Engine Indicator Diagram Calculations?

A university or maritime academy will summarily expel a marine engineering undergraduate or cadet, cancel all marine diesel engine and propulsion laboratory credits, and report the student to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for professional debarment for fabricating marine two-stroke main propulsion diesel engine indicator diagrams, faking mean indicated pressure ($P_i$) and indicated horsepower (IHP) calculations, or forging marine engineering workshop instructor verification signatures without running physical engine indicator testing. In marine engineering curricula accredited by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW), engine power balancing and combustion diagnostic evaluation—such as mounting mechanical or electronic engine indicators on cylinder test cocks, taking power and draw diagrams, and measuring cylinder peak combustion pressures—represent a life-critical technical competency; fabricating indicator diagram data subverts ship propulsion reliability, conceals dangerous cylinder thermal overloading, and violates professional maritime engineering ethics.

Marine engineering examination boards and propulsion laboratory superintendents utilize engine test bench data logs to detect fabricated indicator submissions.

1. The marine diesel engine course lecturer audits submitted practical portfolios and identifies mathematically idealized pressure-volume ($P-V$) loops that lack typical cylinder injection lag and compression blowby characteristics.
2. The chief workshop technologist checks the marine engineering engine room sign-in register and confirms that the cadet never signed out mechanical engine indicators, planimeters, or electronic indicator sensors.
3. The technologist checks fuel and lubricating oil consumption logs and confirms that the propulsion training diesel engine was not run under high-load conditions during the claimed testing hours.
4. The cadet is formally issued a disciplinary query requiring them to perform a live indicator diagram tracing on a running diesel engine and calculate cylinder mean indicated pressure using a mechanical planimeter.
5. Inability to demonstrate indicator mounting and area planimetry leads to a formal charge of scientific fabrication and maritime logbook forgery.
6. The Head of Department forwards an investigative report to the School of Marine Engineering Board and the Institutional Cadet Disciplinary Committee.
7. The cadet appears before the disciplinary committee to defend their submissions under constitutional principles of fair hearing.
8. The Academic Board considers the committee’s findings and ratifies an order of rustication or summary expulsion, notifying NIMASA to bar watchkeeping certification.

Acquiring hands-on competency in marine propulsion diagnostics is essential for marine engineers who will balance cylinder power, tune fuel injection systems, and maintain propulsion machinery on ocean-going vessels.

• Standardized marine diesel engine laboratory manual with approved engine indicator protocols.
• Raw bench workbook recording engine RPM, cylinder exhaust temperatures, scaffold pressures, and planimeter vernier readings.
• Marine engine test bed sign-in register confirming equipment allocation and engine running hours.
• Plotted cylinder indicator diagrams displaying compression, combustion, and expansion curves with calculated indicated power.

Cadets must record actual experimental measurements honestly, accounting for mechanical indicator cord stretch and calibration spring offsets, rather than manufacturing idealized power data.

Under IMO STCW regulations and national maritime training standards, fabricating marine propulsion diagnostic logs is classified as severe maritime fraud, carrying mandatory expulsion and total debarment from marine engineer officer certification nationwide.

Maintaining rigorous laboratory ethics ensures that marine engineering diplomates and graduates develop sound technical judgement required to operate high-power shipboard propulsion systems safely.