Accepted without endorsement
Governing: CYC 2025 17.2.2, 17.2.5; CY Notice 15. Builds on: L3.1.
What the list is
Paragraph 17.2.5 of the CYC 2025 is headed "List of Commercial Yacht Qualifications accepted onboard Commercial Yachts". It covers the certificates that are not STCW CoCs and so cannot be endorsed. CY Notice 15 puts them on the "written acceptance" branch.
Paragraph 17.2.2 sets the floor for small yachts: a Master of a yacht under 200 GT should hold at least a TM Master on Yachts certificate (MS Notice 165 Rev.1) or an equivalent from the list.
Deck qualifications and their limits
| # | Qualification | Master | Chief Officer | OOW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TM Master on Yachts | <200 GT | ≤150 nm & ≤500 GT | ≤500 GT |
| 2 | RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore (commercial) | ≤200 GT & ≤150 nm | ≤150 nm & ≤500 GT | ≤500 GT |
| 3 | RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean (commercial) | ≤200 GT | ≤150 nm & ≤500 GT | ≤500 GT |
| 4 | IYT Master of Yachts Limited | ≤200 GT & ≤150 nm | ≤150 nm & ≤500 GT | ≤500 GT |
| 5 | IYT Master of Yachts Unlimited | ≤200 GT | ≤150 nm & ≤500 GT | ≤500 GT |
| 12 | Croatia Yacht Master Cat. B | ≤500 GT | ≤150 nm & ≤500 GT | ≤500 GT |
| 13 | Croatia Yacht Master Cat. A | ≤100 GT | ≤60 nm & ≤200 GT; ≤150 nm & ≤200 GT (as printed) | — |
| 14 | Slovenia Yacht Master | <500 GT | — | — |
A note under the list says ranks "marked in red" are equivalent rank concessions allowed on the basis of the original certificate. The colour did not survive in the copy we read, so we cannot tell you which cells are concessions.
Engineering qualifications
Items 6 to 11: TM AEC, MCA Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, the MCA Small Vessel CoC (MIN 524), the MCA "full/new" AEC (AEC 1 + AEC 2), the MCA "old" AEC and MCA MEOL(Y). The list gives no rank or kW limits for these; they carry their own limits. See Engineers on Malta Yachts.
Item 15, the catch-all
STCW CoCs are accepted subject to endorsement. "Other non-STCW/equivalent qualifications may be accepted" by the Administration, via the Yachts Section.
CAUTION — Being on the list does not mean no paperwork CY Notice 15 still asks for written acceptance for non-STCW CoCs. Treat the list as telling you what TM is likely to accept, and the email as how you get that in writing.
WARNING — Area limits catch people out Yachtmaster Offshore and IYT Limited both stop at 150 nm for Master. A 190 GT yacht certified Unrestricted that heads offshore beyond that is outside the skipper's limit, whatever the tonnage.
What is not on the list
No USCG, AMSA or SAMSA non-STCW yacht certificate appears, and nor does any RMI yacht certificate. Holders of those go through item 15 and a written request.
Cross-refer: Yachtmaster and Y-tickets in the MCA library; Malta Commercial Yacht Code 2025 and Safe Manning for how these ranks fit the MSMC tables.