Objective
- Guarantees that marine deck officers are qualified and competent for their shipboard functions.
- Ensures safety of life, property at sea, and protection of the marine environment.
- Requires compliance with standards of competence in the relevant STCW Convention regulations.
Coverage
- Applies to candidates for certification as marine deck officers (management and operational levels).
- Categories include officers with service on ships:
- 500 gross tonnage or more, commencing service, education, and training after August 1, 1998.
- 250 to less than 500 gross tonnage.
- Certain ship types under STCW Regulations V/1, V/2, and V/3.
- Officers with revalidated STCW '78 certificates for service beyond January 31, 2002.
- Excludes personnel serving on warships, naval auxiliaries in non-commercial service, fishing vessels, pleasure yachts not in commercial trade, and primitive wooden ships.
Definitions
- Board: Board of Marine Deck Officers.
- Commission: Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
- Marine Deck Officers Licensure Examination: Written and oral/practical exams for registration.
- Certificate of Registration: Issued after passing exams and meeting requirements, may have limitations.
- Certificate of Competency: Confirms qualification and authority to serve at specific officer levels.
- Endorsement Certificate: Recognizes certificates issued by the Board or other flag states per STCW standards.
- Management Level: Responsibility as Master or Chief Mate, overseeing designated areas.
- Operational Level: Responsibility as Officer-in-Charge of Navigational Watch, under supervision.
- STCW '95 Certificates: Certificates issued on or after February 1, 1997, conforming with amended conventions.
- Seagoing Service: Actual service aboard a ship relevant to the certificate.
- Seagoing Ship: Ships navigating beyond inland or sheltered waters, excludes inland-only vessels.
- STCW Convention: International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended.
Policies
- Applicants generally must be BS Marine Transportation graduates from CHED-accredited institutions, unless already registered officers with other qualifications.
- Must be at least 20 years old and medically fit (good eyesight, hearing), certified by DOH-accredited clinics per STCW standards.
- Relevant courses must be from government or Maritime Training Council-accredited institutions.
- Service on ships 250–499 GT accepted but results in certificates valid only for near-coastal voyages unless upgraded.
- Certificates valid for five years unless revoked or suspended.
- Certificates are recorded as per STCW Regulation I/9.
- Assessors and Board members evaluating competence must have relevant knowledge, training under IMO Model Course 3.12, and practical experience, including simulator experience if applicable.
Documentary Requirements
- Certificate of Registration (original and photocopy).
- Medical Certificate valid within six months prior to application (DOH form).
- Approved sea service certificates and supporting documents for 500 GT+ ships within the past five years.
- Training certificates for required courses.
- Documentation fee and three recent ID pictures in proper uniform.
- Training Record Book.
Qualification Requirements
- Differentiated by category (A-D) and officer level (third mate, second mate, chief mate, master).
- Candidates must hold Certificates of Registration and General Operator's Certificates (G.O.C.) as required.
- Management level officers must complete an IMO Course 7.01-based management level training.
- Special provisions apply to ships less than 500 GT with near-coastal voyage limitations.
Special Training for Certain Ship Types
- Tankers (Regulation V/1): Requires minimum six months relevant service and courses in firefighting, tanker familiarization, and specialized tanker types.
- RO-RO Passenger Ships (Regulation V/2): Requires training in crowd management, crisis management, safety onboard, and hull integrity.
- Operational level officers require appropriate knowledge, shorter service periods allowed with conditions.
Upgrading Procedure from 250–499 GT to 500 GT+
- Third mates: minimum three months approved supernumerary sea service on 500 GT+ ships.
- Second mate, chief mate, and master: same service requirement or service in a lower rank immediately before promotion.
Application and Evaluation Procedure
- Applications filed personally or through authorized company representatives at PRC.
- Applicants fill out Application for Certificate and Endorsement (ACE) form and submit with documents.
- Evaluators verify completeness and authenticity, recommend issuance with proper fee assessment.
- Questionable documents referred to legal section for action.
- Qualified assessors or Board members evaluate applicant competence against STCW standards.
- Approved applications forwarded for certificate issuance; disapproved cases are returned with notice.
Issuance of STCW '95 Certificates
- Certificates issued to qualified applicants per Section 28 of Board Resolution No. 1, s. 1999.
- Certificates include any applicable limitations and are recorded in PRC registry.
Effectivity
- The memorandum circular takes effect fifteen days after publication.
Note: One year of approved sea service required for mates and chief mates; two years for master mariners. Limitation "valid only on near coastal voyages" applies to applicants with sea service on ships of 250 to less than 500 GT.