Chapter II - Master and Deck Department
The deck ladder
Ranks are certified in sequence: rating forming part of a navigational watch (II/4) → able seafarer deck (II/5) → officer of the watch (II/1) → chief mate and master (II/2). Near-coastal certificates (II/3) are a limited variant issued at the Administration's discretion and are not automatically valid for other flags.
Standards, not just sea time
Table A-II/1 sets out four functions at operational level: navigation, cargo handling and stowage, controlling the operation of the ship and care for persons on board, and emergency response. Each competence has a knowledge column and an assessment column, and examiners test whether you know that competence must be demonstrated by approved methods - simulator, oral, practical - not by sea time alone.
Numbers that get swapped
- RFPNW: about 6 months seagoing service, including at least 30 days of supervised bridge watchkeeping.
- Able seafarer deck: around 18 months seagoing service, or 12 months where the seafarer completed an approved training programme.
- OOW: approved education and training plus approved seagoing service; the structured programme route trades a longer course for shorter sea time.
The classic distractor gives a candidate six months of sea time with no bridge watchkeeping and asks whether they can be certified - the answer is no, because the 30 days are a separate condition, not part of the six months.
Worked example
A cadet has 190 days at sea, of which 22 days were spent on the bridge under supervision. 190 days clears the six-month threshold, but 22 days fails the 30-day watchkeeping condition; the candidate needs eight more supervised days before the application is valid.
Rule of thumb: sea service is necessary but never sufficient - every certificate also demands demonstrated competence.