Entry & progression
46 CFR 11.325. The top of the pathway. 36 months as OICEW on ships of 750 kW / 1,000 HP or more — reduced to not less than 24 months if you have 12 months as Second Engineer Officer on ships of 3,000 kW / 4,000 HP or more.
The sea service, verbatim
11.325(a)(1): "not less than 36 months of service as Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch on ships powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 kW / 1,000 HP or more. This period may be reduced to not less than 24 months if the applicant has served for not less than 12 months as Second Engineer Officer on ships powered by propulsion machinery of 3,000 kW / 4,000 HP or more."
Read the two numbers against each other. The default is three years of watchkeeping. The discount is one year of being the number two on a big boat — and it buys you back a year. It is the single best-value year on the whole ladder, and the reason people fight for the First Assistant's berth on a large vessel rather than a comfortable watch on a small one.
| Route | Service required | On vessels of |
|---|---|---|
| Default | 36 months as OICEW | 750 kW / 1,000 HP or more |
| Reduced | not less than 24 months as OICEW | 750 kW / 1,000 HP or more |
| ...conditional on | not less than 12 months as Second Engineer Officer | 3,000 kW / 4,000 HP or more |
NOTE — The floor for the service and the floor for the certificate are different numbers The certificate is for 3,000 kW / 4,000 HP or more. But the qualifying OICEW service is counted on ships of 750 kW / 1,000 HP or more — a much lower bar. You can build the 36 months on modest vessels.
Do not relax. The national side has its own power gate, and it is the wall this whole course is built around. See Lesson 2.3.
The competence
STCW Code Section A-III/2. The same standard of competence serves both the Chief and the Second Engineer Officer at this band — the ranks differ in service and in responsibility, not in the competence table.
Approved training — 11.325(a)(3)
- Engineroom Resource Management (ERM) — if not completed at the operational level. Most engineers will already have it from OICEW; if you do not, you sit it now.
- Leadership and managerial skills.
- Management of electrical and electronic control equipment.
Three courses. Module 3 of this course takes each one in turn, because they are not box-ticking — they are the actual difference between an officer of the watch and a person who runs a department.
What it does not tell you
11.325(a) sets out sea service, competence and approved training. It does not, on its own, tell you which national endorsement you must be holding while you do all this — and that is where most applications die. Table 1 to 11.325(d) answers it, and the answer is unforgiving: you need a chief-grade national endorsement. A First Assistant Engineer, however good, cannot reach this certificate. Lesson 2.1.
CAUTION — Assessments, and the 2029 deadline The competences at A-III/2 are demonstrated through assessment, and NVIC 15-14 (CH-6) carries the model task sheets. The guidelines are not mandatory — alternatives may be used, but must be approved by the National Maritime Center before use.
And the clock: all assessments must be signed by a Qualified Assessor approved by the Coast Guard. A non-approved assessor meeting 46 CFR 10.405(a)(3) is accepted only until 31 December 2028. After that date, QAs must be NMC-approved. Check the signature on every sheet before you file.