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When you鈥檙e hiring crew for a ship or yacht, you must:

• check crew members鈥� discharge books to make sure they have the qualifications and certificates of competency for their jobs
• check that all crew members have the necessary medical certificates for the work they鈥檒l be doing
• make sure everyone has the necessary travel documents
• check that all crew can speak the ship鈥檚 common working language
• draw up a crew agreement
• send a full crew list to the owner of the ship or yacht

You must check crew members鈥� discharge books to make sure everyone has the necessary qualifications and experience.

Crew members doing specialist jobs or working on particular types of craft may need special training.

Officers

Officers in your crew must have the necessary certificates of competency (CoCs).

Check that officers鈥� CoCs are valid.

Officers may need special training if working on tankers, high-speed craft or passenger ships.

Merchant navy ratings

Make sure that all crew have the correct rating for the work they鈥檒l be doing. Watch ratings need a CoC if they鈥檙e performing navigation or engine room duties.

Crew on large yachts (24 metres long or over)

You must make sure your crew have a MCA Yacht Rating Certificate or other MCA recognised qualification, for example:

• an able seaman (AB) certificate issued under the International Labour Organisation (ILO) AB Convention
• a UK efficient deck hand (EDH) certificate
• a navigational or engine room watch rating certificate issued under Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW)

You must follow international regulations from Standards in Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) if you have a commercial vessel going to sea.

Some crew members need a certificate of competency (CoC) or certificate of equivalent competency (CEC) to carry out certain duties.

Deck officers

Masters and other deck department officers need a CoC if they鈥檙e performing:

• bridge watch-keeping duties
• navigational duties

CoCs for deck officers are restricted depending on:

• the size of the ship or yacht
• the area of sea where it will operate

Download an application for a CoC for:

• masters, chief mates and deck officers in the merchant navy
• masters, chief mates and deck officers on yachts

You can use a Certificate of Service instead, if you have one. These were issued until 1998.

Engineer officers

Engineer officers on a ship or yacht with a power output of 750 kilowatts or more need a CoC. There are different CoCs for engineer officers, depending on:

• the power output of the ship or yacht
• the area of sea where it will be operating

Download an application for a CoC for:

• a merchant navy engineering officer
• a yacht engineering officer

Revalidating CoCs

Deck and engineering officers must revalidate their certificate every 5 years. They do this by showing they鈥檝e completed either:

• 12 months鈥� sea service in the last 5 years
• 3 months鈥� sea service in the last 6 months
• 2.5 years in a relevant job - contact the MCA for advice

Use form MSF 4258 if someone you want to hire can鈥檛 revalidate their CoC because they don鈥檛 meet the requirements.

Watch ratings

Watch ratings on merchant ships need a CoC if they鈥檙e performing navigation or engine room duties.

Radio operators

Radio operators need CoCs if they handle distress and safety radio-communications. All radio personnel serving on UK-registered ships must have either:

• a Restricted Operator鈥檚 Certificate (ROC)
• a General Operator鈥檚 Certificate (GOC)

Other crew

Ships鈥� cooks and security officers may also need a CoC.

More information

To find out more about the certification structure and examination and training requirements, read:

• MSN 1856 (M+F) for merchant navy deck officers
• MSN 1857 (M+F) for merchant navy engineer officers

Contact the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to find out which members of your crew need a CoC.

Certificate of equivalent competency (CEC)

A CEC allows officers holding Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) certificates issued by some non-UK countries to work as officers on UK-registered merchant ships.

To get a CEC, your crew member must complete the CEC application form. As part of the application process they may be asked to prove their:

• standards of competency
• ability to use the English language (this may include an oral exam)
• knowledge of UK law relating to their job

Read more about CECs or download part 19 of the MCA鈥檚 training and certification guidance for more information.

A crew agreement is an employment contract between a ship or yacht鈥檚 owners and its crew.

All crew agreements must have:

• a cover with details of the ship and its owners
• an up-to-date crew list with names, dates of birth and addresses
• a list of anyone on board who is under 18 or exempt from a crew agreement
• contractual clauses for each crew member

What goes in a contractual clause

Clauses must include:

• the name of the crew member
• a description of the journey(s) that the agreement relates to
• the crew member鈥檚 job description
• details of their pay, hours and leave
• details of required notice and how the crew agreement can be terminated

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) gives guidance on drawing up crew agreements for merchant ships and yachts:

• download MGN 148 鈥楢pproval of crew agreements: merchant ships
• download MGN 149 鈥楢pproval of crew agreements: yachts

Contact MCA for advice on drawing up a crew agreement.

What to do once you鈥檝e drawn up a crew agreement

1. Get every crew member to sign the agreement when they join the ship and at the end of the journey.

2. File the agreement with the shipping registry in the ship鈥檚 鈥榝lag state鈥� (the country where it鈥檚 registered).

3. Display a copy on board the vessel.

4. Send a copy (with the official log book, if a merchant ship) to a superintendent or proper officer within 3 days of its expiry.

Who signs a crew agreement

Most of the people on board a ship or yacht must sign the crew agreement. However, certain personnel will have separate employment contracts and won鈥檛 have to sign, like:

• captains
• bodyguards
• nannies
• entertainment staff

All crew members must have either:

• a valid passport
• a Seafarers Identity Document (SID) containing a photograph, signature (or fingerprints) and a description of the holder, including their nationality

The standard seafarer鈥檚 identity document for British citizens is the British seaman鈥檚 card.

The master or skipper of a UK-registered ship must provide the ship鈥檚 owner with a copy of an up-to-date crew list at the start of each journey. They must also tell the owner if there are any changes of crew during the journey.

If a ship is lost at sea, the crew list will be used to find out who is missing. The ship鈥檚 owner should hand the crew list in to a local Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Marine Office or post it to: