Entry & progression
There is no route to Engineer Class 1 that skips Engineer Class 2. Not through extra sea service, not through a course, not through seniority. You must hold or have held an EC2 - or a foreign III/2 that AMSA accepts as at least equivalent.
MO72 Schedule 2 states the Engineer Class 1 prerequisite plainly: you must hold or have held an Engineer Class 2 certificate of competency, or a certificate AMSA considers at least equivalent. Every one of the four sea service routes in Lesson 1.3 then counts time while holding that EC2. The prerequisite is not a formality you can argue around with a thick portfolio of sea time.
The ladder underneath you
| Rung | What it permits | How you get on it |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Safety Training (CoST) | Nothing on its own - it is the gate | AMSA-approved provider, in Australia. Only AMSA can issue one. |
| Engineer Watchkeeper | Watchkeeper at any power (of the kind), any area. If endorsed: second engineer <3000 kW; chief engineer <3000 kW near-coastal. | One of three training programs - cadet, trainee engineer, or engineering experience - plus short courses and an oral. |
| Engineer Class 2 | Second engineer or watchkeeper at any power. Chief engineer <3000 kW, any area. | 12 months on vessels >=750 kW while holding an EWK (>=9 of them on propulsion of the kind) - or 24 months from an EC3 near-coastal. |
| Engineer Class 1 | Chief, second or watchkeeper - any propulsion power, any area | EC2, plus one of four sea service routes. Lesson 1.3. |
Two ways into Class 2 - and one of them surprises people
The ordinary route to EC2 is 12 months of qualifying seagoing service on vessels >=750 kW while holding an Engineer Watchkeeper certificate, of which at least 9 months on propulsion of the kind. The second route runs from an Engineer Class 3 near-coastal: 24 months on vessels >=750 kW while holding it, again with 9 months on the kind. Note what that route does not require - you do not have to hold the Engineer Watchkeeper certificate itself. You must complete the approved Engineer Watchkeeper course (STCW A-III/1) and the short courses. An EC3 near-coastal holder can go straight to Class 2.
CAUTION — Do not assume your foreign III/2 is accepted MO72 lets an AMSA-recognised equivalent foreign certificate stand in for the Engineer Class 2 prerequisite. Whether your certificate qualifies is a decision only AMSA makes, on your paperwork. Ask AMSA in writing before you plan a career around the assumption.
The gate you must not walk past
AMSA is unambiguous: "You will need a Certificate of safety training (CoST) before you get any other qualification." Only AMSA can issue a CoST, and if you completed basic safety training overseas you cannot use it to obtain one. You must train in Australia with an AMSA-approved provider.
WARNING — Sea service before the CoST may not count AMSA states that sea service completed before your CoST is issued may not count as qualifying sea service. For a yacht engineer who has been running machinery for years before deciding to certificate, that single sentence can erase the lot. Get the CoST first. Then start logging.