Entry & progression
46 CFR 11.331 and 11.333. Chief and Second Engineer Officer on vessels between 750 kW/1,000 HP and 3,000 kW/4,000 HP. Both are MANAGEMENT level. This is not a junior certificate — it is a smaller boat.
WARNING — III/3 is management level. Do not file it as a step below OICEW. The 10.107 definition of management level names Chief Engineer Officer and Second Engineer Officer without qualifying by power band. All four Chief and Second endorsements — 11.325, 11.327, 11.331 and 11.333 — are management level. OICEW is operational. A III/3 chief outranks, in level terms, an unlimited watchkeeper.
Chief Engineer Officer, 750–3,000 kW — 11.331(a)(1)
You must first meet the requirements for OICEW. Then: "not less than 24 months of service on seagoing vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of not less than 750 kW / 1,000 HP, of which not less than 12 months must be served while qualified to serve as Second Engineer Officer. Experience gained in the deck department may be creditable for up to 2 months."
Note the phrasing: while qualified to serve as Second Engineer Officer. Not while holding the berth. The regulation asks what you were qualified for, and the 12 months run from the point you were.
Second Engineer Officer, 750–3,000 kW — 11.333(a)(1)
OICEW, plus "not less than 12 months as Assistant Engineer Officer or engineer officer on vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of not less than 750 kW / 1,000 HP. Experience gained in the deck department may be creditable for up to 1 month."
| III/3 endorsement | OICEW first? | Then | Deck credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Engineer Officer (11.331) | Yes | 24 months on vessels of 750 kW+; 12 of them while qualified as Second Engineer Officer | up to 2 months |
| Second Engineer Officer (11.333) | Yes | 12 months as Assistant Engineer Officer or engineer officer on vessels of 750 kW+ | up to 1 month |
CAUTION — Deck credit is a different number at every rung 2 months toward the III/3 chief. 1 month toward the III/3 second. 3 months toward OICEW (11.329(b)). 3 months toward Third Assistant Engineer, on vessels of 100 GRT or more (11.516(b)). 25% or 6 months, whichever is less, toward the Limited grades and DDE (11.504). One number will not cover them all. Look it up for the rung you are on.
11.331(c) — the cross-serve provision
"A Second Engineer Officer qualified for 3,000 kW / 4,000 HP or more may serve as Chief Engineer Officer on vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 kW / 1,000 HP or more and less than 3,000 kW / 4,000 HP provided the certificate is so endorsed."
Read the last five words twice. The entitlement exists — but only if the certificate says so. Do not sail on an assumption. If you hold a III/2 Second Engineer Officer endorsement and you are being offered a chief's berth on a 2,000 kW boat, look at the face of your document. If the endorsement is not there, ask the NMC to put it there before you take the job, not after.
That is the honest shape of III/3: a real management certificate, a real chief's job, and a real career — on a boat that is measured in kilowatts rather than metres.