Engineering ladder
Governing: décret n° 2015-723, art. 1 and annexe II, tableau IV. Builds on: your own STCW engineering background.
No yacht ticket, one ladder
If you grew up on MCA yacht tickets, drop the habit now. France has no yacht engineer ladder. The ministry's own training site says it in one line: the engine titles "ne sont pas spécifiques au yachting". A chief on a French-flag 50 m yacht holds exactly the same brevet as a chief on a ferry of the same power.
There was once a brevet de chef mécanicien yacht 3 000 kW (arrêté of 30 Mar 2007). It could be issued until 1 Sep 2016; holders are moved onto the general titles when they revalidate (L4.2). Nobody starts one today.
The table that runs your career
Décret 2015-723, annexe II, tableau IV, sorts ships into five bands of puissance propulsive: under 250 kW, under 750 kW, under 3 000 kW, under 8 000 kW, and 8 000 kW or more. In each band there are three capacities: officier chargé du quart à la machine (engineer OOW), second mécanicien and chef mécanicien. Read across for your title:
| Brevet | Engineer OOW | Second engineer | Chief engineer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mécanicien 250 kW (and Capitaine 200 / 200 yacht) | < 250 kW | < 250 kW | < 250 kW |
| Mécanicien 750 kW | < 750 kW | < 750 kW | < 750 kW |
| Officier chef de quart machine (OCQM) | any power | — | — |
| Second mécanicien 3 000 kW | < 3 000 kW | < 3 000 kW | < 750 kW |
| Chef mécanicien 3 000 kW | < 3 000 kW | < 3 000 kW | < 3 000 kW |
| Second mécanicien 8 000 kW | < 8 000 kW | < 8 000 kW | < 3 000 kW |
| Chef mécanicien 8 000 kW | < 8 000 kW | < 8 000 kW | < 8 000 kW |
| Second mécanicien (unlimited) | any | any | < 3 000 kW |
| Chef mécanicien (unlimited) | any | any | any |
Two variants carry the note "limité à 200 milles des côtes": the OCQM and the second/chef 3 000 kW. The polyvalent officer titles (officier chef de quart de navire de mer, second polyvalent, capitaine de 1re classe) also appear in the table; you will rarely meet them on yachts.
TIP — read the capacity, not the name "Second mécanicien 3 000 kW" sounds like a big ticket. As chief it covers you only under 750 kW. It is an easy mistake to sign as chief on the strength of the name and learn otherwise at the first inspection.
What counts as power
Article 1 defines puissance propulsive as the maximum continuous rated output, total, of all the main propulsion machinery, in kW. Two engines are added together; generators that do not drive the yacht are not. L3.2 works through the arithmetic.
Diplôme, brevet, level
Each rung has two documents. The diplôme proves you passed the modules; it is an attestation and gives no right to work (arrêté of 21 Aug 2015 art. 2). The brevet is the licence, issued by the DIRM once age, medical, support certificates and sea service are in order.
The decree also fixes three levels of responsibility (art. 1 II): appui (ratings), opérationnel (watchkeeping officers) and direction (chief and second engineer). The OCQM is operational; the 3 000 and 8 000 kW titles are management level. The 250 and 750 kW brevets cover all three levels within their small band.
CAUTION — the brochure is not the permis Take the power from the ship's own papers, not from a sales sheet. A yacht re-engined or re-rated since build can change band, and your title with it.