STCW 95 Questions

Correct, each module comes with its own certificate of completion, and the "S" in STCW stands for Standardization, so it matters not if you get each certificate from a different institution.

Fred,

Have you applied to the MCA for a Letter of Initial Assessment (LIA)yet? This will lay out exactly what you need to get to where you want to be and costs about £56 and takes a minimum of 6 weeks to arrive.

Yes you will need the 4 basic STCW95 modules, but if you are joining a larger vessel as an officer, the MCA may require you to have done more advanced modules also, ie. Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats (1 week).

If you know that you don't need anything further than the basic set, your plan may well work. I don't know if Warsash Maritime College near Southampton runs any courses over the weekend, but if I were you, I'd take a weeks unpaid leave and crack all the courses in the standard week. It would likely work out cheaper and less hassle in the long run, especially as you are leaving the job you have anyway.

Good Luck

Hi,

Is the ETO really considered an Officer? He will not be doing an engineering or navigational watch without something above just STCW 95 which in itself as referred to here is not a qualification itself.

An ENG 1 Medical will also be required.

Hi,

You are correct in the meaning of the abbreviation but I am yet to see one listed on the safe manning document on a yacht.

This means that this position is not regarded as being needed for safe navigation with the lights on.

There are a few of the big ones out there where the Skippers and C/E or 2nd Eng run things without an ETO.

Further to Kiwi's question about whether ETOs are considered officers as they will not stand engineering or deck watches; I don't know whether the MCA has a Certificate of Competency (CofC) for ETOs so my advice to apply for an LIA maybe incorrect. I do know however, that all officers requiring a CofC are required to gain the extra certification before the CofC will be issued. As an engineer I had to get Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats, Advanced Fire Fighting and Medical First Aid onboard.

If you are aware of peers who have gained employment with the basic STCW95 and an ENG1, You should go for it. That said you will need a CV which lays out relevant training and experience in maintaining in some of the following if you wish to stand apart from other applicants with sea time experience: electro-mechanical controls, Radar, Satellite comms, VHF comms, LANs, AV, IT, surveillance systems, reading circuit diagrams, diagnostics, 415V switchgear, transformers, 3 phase motors and starters (star and delta wound) etc etc etc.

I regret I don't know any ETOs to refer to for direct advice.

As mentioned previously Good Luck.

Hi,

What CoC did you have when you were asked to do the courses above?

When I renewed my UK Ticket from STCW 78 to STCW 95 I also had to to the CPSCRB but nothing else as I already had the other two from my original certification.

That is what the letters mean. An ETO is considered an operational level (junior) engineering officer.

There is not now an ETO license. An ETO won't be found on a safe manning certificate anytime soon, and there probably never will be an ETO manning requirement for yachts. Sometime in the distant future there may well be an ETO license that meets STCW training and experience standards but like the consideration to add an electrical propulsion mode to existing marine engineer licenses, it isn't going to happen anytime soon. An ETO without an underlying engineers license will remain the Rodney Dangerfield of the officer's mess for a long time.

It is like a refrigeration engineer or other specialty onboard, the shipowner or operator may require certain qualifications or certifications to fill the position but there is no STCW requirement to carry this person, and there is no training requirement beyond the basic safety training required of, for example, a storekeeper or "environmental officer."

As ships automation became much more complex and crew size has been reduced, the work of technical rates such as electrician and reefer engineer has been taken over by licensed marine engineers. The radio officer (who performed additional duties that are now assigned to the ETO) was eliminated by GMDSS. Many of the former radio officers were retained as ETOs because traditional marine engineering license training does not provide the level of sophistication required to maintain the automation and control systems found on modern ships. The radio officer (RO) morphed into a radio/electronics officer (REO) and now we have ETOs.

The ETO is a growing subspecialty of marine engineering and additional coursework has been incorporated in the traditional marine engineering curriculum so that graduates of some marine engineering colleges can now add ETO to their CV along with their recognized STCW license. They are marine engineers first with ETO training added in. As time goes by and crew costs increase, the ETO without an underlying engineering certificate may become a rarity.


If you have an electronics degree with experience in automation, and the licenses required to maintain RF communications electronics (until flag and class rules limit your scope) as well as solid IT skills, you can call yourself an ETO. It is sort of like the guy who calls himself a marine surveyor and taps the hulls of yachts ... there is no specific license requirement. If you have no desire to obtain formal training in marine engineering, your best bet might well be to pursue the yacht route and learn the marine engineering component that way. The expectations are much lower than in the merchant service as you will mostly be involved in keeping the remotes working and the internet connection intact. If you can find a position on a large yacht in the early newbuild stage you will have built a very solid foundation in the specialty by the time sea trials are complete.

Good luck.

I had no CofC already when asked to do the courses, my LIA specified the above requirements for:

Y4 in addition to the basic 4, ENG1 and MCA Oral, or
Y3 in addition to the basic 4, ENG1, Chief Engineers Statutory & Operational Requirements and MCA Oral.

What I did was apply for the Y4 immediately I had the last advanced STCW course, The MCA Oral coverered both Y4 & Y3 (the next available Chief Stat & Ops wasn't until November) so that I could look for work as an Y4. As soon as I had the Stat & Op pass cert I applied for Y3.

I think the lifeboat/rescue boat applied to everyone when 95 came along but I didn't have to do the medical course until the last renewal 2 years ago. Prior to that I think it was just required of mates and all engineers needed was basic first aid from the BST course.

Of course in the real world, the stack of STCW certs (Tanksip, RoRo stability, Crowd and Crisis) required to sail on certain ship types goes way beyond the handful required to get the license. Company requirements and flag state laws (IGS/COW, HazMat, High Speed Craft, EPA refrigerant handling for example) add even more.

Drop the RYA an email they will be able to inform you which teaching establishments operate the weekend courses. there should be quite a choice in and around Southampton area.