This, and the following papers by Mr. Stanier, Mr. Ottaway, and Mr. Gouge, were to have been read at the Joint Meeting of the Institution with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in New York, which was cancelled owing to the outbreak of war. The problems of mechanical engineering in marine transport are concerned with the steam engine and, in recent years only, with the oil engine. The problems vary from one type of service to another and the relative merits and cost of the various types of machinery available are compared. It is necessary for the engineer to satisfy the requirements of the shipowners and the surveyors in the most economic manner. The drawbacks and advantages of the two fuels, oil and coal, are contrasted and their effects assessed. The problems concerned with turbines, boilers, and oil engines are summarized. Electric transmission of power and mechanical gearing are reviewed, and the paper concludes by considering large handling plant and stating the position of the mechanical engineer with respect to problems of marine transport.