Chief Mate & Master Unlimited
The management-level merchant tickets, with no tonnage or area limit. These are the requirements in MSN 1856 Amendment 1 and the oral syllabus in MIN 653 Amendment 1. If you work on yachts and mean to stay there, the separate Yachts Unlimited route under MSN 1858 may be the one you want.
The top two merchant deck Certificates of Competency in MSN 1856, issued under STCW Regulation II/2 with no tonnage or area limit. Both are management-level certificates: navigation, cargo handling and stowage, and controlling the operation of the ship and care for persons on board are all at management level ('M' on the certificate), while radiocommunications stays at operational level.
They are different certificates. The merchant ones on this page come from MSN 1856 and build on an OOW Unlimited CoC, watchkeeping service as OOW (part of which can be served as Chief Mate), and the MCA Chief Mate/Master's Safety Examinations.
Chief Mate and Master (Yachts Unlimited) come from section 4 of MSN 1858 Amendment 2: yacht certificates, limited to yachts and sail training vessels, qualified to the STCW standard for Chief Mate or Master Unlimited 'with the exception of cargo-specific competencies', and reached through academic modules, MCA assessments in Chief Mate Navigation and Stability (Yacht Unlimited), and MCA orals, ending in the Master Unlimited GT Yacht oral. Our Chief Mate (Yachts) and Yachts Unlimited page covers it, including how a Chief Mate Unlimited holder can join it.
Yes, with an unlimited area, in section 4 of MSN 1856. Chief Mate (less than 3,000 GT) asks for a valid OOW Unlimited CoC, 6 months' watchkeeping as OOW Unlimited, NAEST and HELM at management level, the courses, an ENG1 and the oral.
Master (less than 3,000 GT) asks for a valid Chief Mate Unlimited CoC and 36 months' watchkeeping as OOW Unlimited (24 if at least 12 months of seagoing service were as Chief Mate), plus the courses and an ENG1. Section 4.2 lists no separate oral, and MIN 653 has one syllabus for 'Chief Mate Unlimited and Master Ships less than 3000 GT'. Chief Mate (less than 3,000 GT) has its own oral syllabus, section 6 of MIN 653.
Under section 3.3 of MSN 1856: hold a valid OOW Unlimited (II/1) CoC; complete 12 months' watchkeeping service as OOW Unlimited; hold the ancillary and safety course certificates; complete an MCA-approved education and training programme meeting section A-II/2 of the STCW Code; pass the MCA Chief Mate/Master's Safety Examinations in Navigation and in Stability and Structure at an MCA-approved exam centre; hold a valid ENG1 or accepted equivalent; and pass the MCA oral.
The safety exams and the oral must both be passed within the 3 years before your CoC is issued.
No. MSN 1856 says all Chief Mate Unlimited candidates must pass the Safety Examinations in Navigation and Stability and Structure. The old exemption for degree cadets who enrolled before 1 September 2015 ran only until 1 September 2022.
Time as the duty officer in full charge of a navigational watch for at least 4 hours in every 24 while the ship is on a voyage. For an unlimited-area Chief Mate or Master CoC, at least 6 months of seagoing service in a watchkeeping capacity must be on ships of more than 500 GT, or on voyages beyond the UK near-coastal area (beyond harbour limits, outside the UK).
The service must be on merchant ships of at least 24 metres load line length or not less than 80 GT proceeding to sea, under any flag. You prove it with discharge book entries or certificates of discharge, backed by the Master's testimonials, which include your watchkeeping.
The II/2 column of the table in section 10: the four STCW basic safety courses, Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats, Advanced Fire Fighting, Medical First Aid, Medical Care, NAEST (Operational) and NAEST (Management), EDH, HELM (Management) and GMDSS (GOC).
Personal Survival Techniques, Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting, Survival Craft and Advanced Fire Fighting must have been completed or updated within the preceding 5 years. If your NAEST did not cover ECDIS, take an MCA-approved ECDIS course before NAEST (Management).
Under section 3.4: hold a valid Chief Mate Unlimited (II/2) CoC, having met all of its requirements; complete 36 months' watchkeeping service as OOW Unlimited, which drops to 24 months if at least 12 months of that seagoing service was as Chief Mate while holding the Chief Mate Unlimited CoC; hold the ancillary and safety course certificates; hold a valid ENG1; and pass the MCA oral.
Section 3.4 does not list further safety exams.
The summary chart in Annex A of MSN 1856 says the 36 months' watchkeeping is counted from when you obtained your II/1 CoC. As we read the chart, that means 24 more months after the 12 you served for Chief Mate — or 12 more, if those are served as Chief Mate.
Chief Mate Unlimited starts from a valid OOW Unlimited CoC, so that comes first: section 13.3 of MSN 1856 lets an OOW (Yachts <3000 GT) holder convert, as our OOW Unlimited page sets out. Then come the 12 months' watchkeeping as OOW Unlimited and the rest of section 3.3.
Yes. Annex F counts seagoing service on yachts of 24 metres or more load line length, or 80 GT or more, in full towards an unlimited II/1 or II/2 CoC, as a combination of actual seagoing, stand-by and yard service. Stand-by can't exceed the previous voyage or 14 days in each period, so it can never exceed your actual sea service. Yard service is capped at 30 days in total for Chief Mate or Master (90 for OOW).
If you hold OOW Unlimited or Chief Mate Unlimited and serve on yachts, the service for the next certificate must include at least 6 months' seagoing service either on yachts of 500 GT or more beyond UK categorised waters (beyond harbour limits, outside the UK), or on vessels of at least 24 metres on voyages of more than 300 nautical miles. It goes on yacht service testimonials, broken down into actual, stand-by and yard time.
For these certificates MIN 653 Amendment 1 sets two syllabuses: one for Chief Mate Unlimited and Master less than 3000 GT, and one for Master Unlimited. Both follow STCW table A-II/2 at management level across three functions: navigation; cargo handling and stowage; and controlling the operation of the ship and care for persons on board.
The competences cover voyage planning, position fixing, compass errors, search and rescue, weather, navigational emergencies and ship handling; cargo; and trim, stability and stress, legislation, emergency and damage control plans, leadership and medical care.
Both ask for a 'thorough knowledge of content, application and intent' of the COLREGs. The Chief Mate syllabus is set on the basis that a chief mate 'shall be in a position to assume' the master's responsibility at any time.
No. MIN 690 Amendment 6 says only OOW Unlimited and Master (Code <200 GT) / OOW (Yachts <500 GT) candidates currently sit a Part A. Other orals are booked from the NOE email and held online on Microsoft Teams. Resits, fees and appeals are on our MCA oral exam page.
On form MSF 4274, with the fee and the documents it lists: an ENG1 or accepted equivalent, an attested passport copy, the photos, and proof of your seagoing service. When you meet the requirements, the MCA issues your Notice of Eligibility, valid for 5 years, which lets you book the oral.
At least 6 months of your qualifying seagoing service must fall within the 5 years before the MCA receives your application, before your NOE is issued, and before your CoC is issued.
Your oral pass is valid for 3 years and must be in date when the CoC is issued; the CoC is valid for 5 years. Check you still meet the current requirements when you submit your NOE pass, as MSN 1856 tells you to.
The notices change. Always check the current version on GOV.UK before you apply or book.
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