The paper provides a proposal of a quantitative interpretation of operation which (as the operation of Hamilton and Maupertius presented in classical mechanics and the operation issuing from change of the body momentum) is considered as a physical quantity with the measurement unit called a joule-second [joule × second]. An original method for analyzing and estimating the engine operation has been demonstrated in the energetic aspect for the operating needs. The homogenous Poison process and semi-Markov process have been herein applied to justify the usability of such interpreted operation. The two processes have made it possible to formulate a model deterioration of the diesel engine operation over time. Thus, the model is a random Poisson process or semi-Markov process. It has also been shown that the integral calculus can be (and should be) applied to identify the energetic properties of an engine. Considerations on the energetic aspect of diesel engine operation are provided on the example of marine engines of a ship’s main propulsion system.