Where candidates go wrong
Most candidates can recite their sea time. Far fewer can say which law creates the certificate they are about to hold. At management level the examiner is entitled to ask, and the honest answer for this ticket has a gap in it. Know the gap rather than bluff through it.
What S.L. 234.17 actually lists
The Merchant Shipping (Training and Certification) Regulations, S.L. 234.17, implement STCW in Malta. Regulation 4 sets out a table of grades. The consolidated text (L.N. 153 of 2013 as amended by L.N. 26 of 2021) shows these yacht grades:
| Grade | STCW regulation | In the reg. 4 table? |
|---|---|---|
| OOW on yachts <3000 GT | II/1 | Yes (First Schedule 2A.2) |
| Master on yachts <500 GT | II/2 | Yes (First Schedule 2A.5) |
| Chief Mate on yachts <3000 GT | II/2 | No |
| Master on yachts <3000 GT | II/2 | No |
The Merchant Shipping Act, Cap. 234 art. 91, says the Minister prescribes certificate grades by regulations. That is why a missing line matters: a grade normally lives in the regulations.
Why a Chief Mate capacity exists anyway
Paragraph 2A.5.3 requires a Master (Yachts) <500 GT candidate to meet the STCW Code A-II/2 standard for masters and chief mates on ships of between 500 and 3000 GT. The competence tested is therefore the chief mate standard for that tonnage band. That may be why TM pairs the two capacities. TM has not published that reasoning, so treat it as a likely explanation, not a rule.
Other evidence that the grade exists in practice:
- A Maltese training provider [secondary] describes the certificate as "Master on Yachts less than 500 GT / Chief Mate on Yachts <3000 GT – Unlimited Area, STCW Reg II/2".
- TM Model Course 2.01 (2022) accepts "a recognised Certificate of Competency as Chief Mate on yachts less than 3000 GT" as entry to Master (Yachts) <3000 GT.
- The TM Framework and Syllabus (2020 edition) for OOW <3000 / Master <500 does not mention Chief Mate at all.
WARNING — Unresolved legal basis No amending Legal Notice adding Chief Mate (Yachts) <3000 GT or Master (Yachts) <3000 GT to S.L. 234.17 was found. Before relying on the Chief Mate capacity for a Minimum Safe Manning position, read the wording on your certificate and get written confirmation from the MSD Yachting Section.
What the certificate does on board
The CYC 2025 manning scales (s.17) are written as positions: Master, Chief Officer, OOW. A yacht of 500 GT or more needs a Master and a Chief Officer in every navigation band. Your certificate must match the position on the MSMC, and like every Maltese CoC it must be revalidated at intervals not exceeding five years (reg. 12). Foreign officers serving alongside you need a Malta endorsement under MS Notice 92 Rev.2.
What the examiner wants to see
- The certificate named correctly, with its STCW regulation (II/2) and tonnage limits.
- S.L. 234.17 and Cap. 234 art. 91 named as the legal framework.
- A plain statement that the Chief Mate capacity is not visible in the consolidated table, and what you would do about it.
- The link between the certificate and the MSMC position, not the yacht's length alone.