Deck

Officer of the Watch (Yachts) <3000 GT

OOW-3000

Modules
3
Lessons
21
Questions
105

AI-drafted catalogue content pending SME review. Verify against current provider materials.

Aligned to the published MCA syllabus. Official syllabus (GOV.UK). MSN 1858 / MIN 580 / MSF 4343.

Rule notes (12)

  1. Recent change

    OneOcean harassment module for all UK CoC holders by 31 March 2027

    MGN 718 requires everyone holding a UK CoC or CoP, and anyone whose PSSR certificate is dated before 1 January 2026, to complete OneOcean module 0900 by 31 March 2027. It reverses MIN 729 (December 2025), which had said existing PSSR holders needed nothing more. The module is free, online, takes about one hour and gives a digital Verification of Training. Do it now: missing it may hold up your next revalidation.

    Sources

  2. Sources disagree

    PSC&RB and AFF refreshers for OOW (Yachts): the notices disagree

    MSN 1865 Amendment 1 Annex A lists only PST and FPFF refreshers for the OOW (Yachts) <3000 GT CoC. MSN 1858 Amendment 2 section 6 lists PSC&RB for that CoC with five-yearly updating, and MSN 1861 Amendment 1 lists PSC&RB and AFF refreshers for every revalidation. Updating PSC&RB also means updating PST, and AFF means FPFF. Until the MCA settles it, keep PSC&RB in date.

    Sources

  3. Not confirmed

    MIN 643 short-course rules expire on 30 September 2026

    MIN 643 sets which foreign short-course certificates the MCA accepts and which courses may be taught online. The December 2022 edition carries an expiry of 30 September 2026 and no replacement had been confirmed. Under it, PST, FPFF, PSC&RB and FRB refreshers cannot be done online or peripatetically. Check gov.uk for the successor before booking a course abroad.

    Sources

  4. Not confirmed

    Y-ticket conversions rest on MIN 642, which expired on 1 December 2025

    MIN 642 sets the routes from Y1–Y4 yacht engineer CoCs to Small Vessel CoCs. Its gov.uk note says it was extended to 1 December 2025; on 26 September 2026 it was still listed, not withdrawn and not replaced. It also cites the Chief Engineer <3000 kW oral as STCW III/2 where MSN 1904 says III/3. An MCA-approved college says Y-tickets can still be revalidated every five years, so conversion is optional for yacht work. Confirm the route with the MCA before paying for modules.

    Sources

  5. Recent change

    Old ML5 form accepted only until 31 December 2026

    The ML5 form MSF 4112 Rev 02/23 is accepted for new referrals only up to and including 31 December 2026; use Rev 01/26 after that. Certificates already issued on the old form stay valid until expiry. A commercial endorsement needs an ML5 or an ENG1.

    Sources

  6. Sources disagree

    GOC or ROC for Chief Mate and Master (Yachts)?

    As printed, the ancillary table in MSN 1858 Amendment 2 marks both GOC and ROC against the Chief Mate and Master (Yachts) columns. The ROC will not satisfy the OOW (Yachts) route. Hold a GOC for any yacht deck CoC until the MCA says otherwise.

    Sources

  7. Recent change

    Sport or Pleasure Vessel Code replaced MGN 280 on 12 December 2025

    The Sport or Pleasure Vessel Code applies from 12 December 2025 and replaces the Yellow, Blue and Red Codes, MGN 280 for sport or pleasure vessels and the Intended Pleasure Vessels code, with a transition for existing vessels. The Master (Code Vessels <200 GT) oral syllabus still names MGN 280 and LY3, so know both old and new references.

    Sources

  8. Recent change

    GMDSS certificates now issued by the MCA directly

    Since 12 May 2025 the MCA approves GMDSS courses and issues certificates itself, on form MSF 4354. Exams are run by the training centre with a separate trainer and assessor, and a failed candidate may be allowed one resit within 2 weeks. The fees in MIN 716 (£77 issue, £54 standalone revalidation) come from a notice that expired on 31 May 2026; check current fees.

    Sources

  9. Recent change

    EPIRB and PLB registration is now mandatory on UK vessels

    MGN 665 Amendment 1 (24 March 2026) makes registration of EPIRBs and 406 MHz PLBs on UK ships and watercraft mandatory, and failing to register is an offence. Check the yacht's beacons and any crew PLBs are registered with the UK Beacon Registry and the details are current.

    Sources

  10. Not confirmed

    MSN 1858 Amendment 2 cites notice amendments not yet published

    MSN 1858 Amendment 2 refers to MSN 1865, MSN 1862 and MSN 1864 Amendment 2, but gov.uk showed only Amendment 1 of each when checked. xplor courses follow Amendment 1. If a later amendment appears, its requirements override what is taught here.

    Sources

  11. Recent change

    Accident reporting: new UK Regulations from 15 May 2026

    The Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/430) came into force on 15 May 2026 and revoke the 2012 Regulations. Serious injury means incapacitation for more than 72 hours starting within seven days. Evidence, including VDR data, must be preserved, normally for 30 days after notification.

    Sources

  12. Recent change

    Mediterranean SOx ECA: 0.10% sulphur fuel since 1 May 2025

    The Mediterranean became a SOx Emission Control Area on 1 May 2025, with a fuel sulphur limit of 0.10% m/m. Engineers bunkering or changing over fuel for Mediterranean passages must plan to that limit.

    Sources

OOW-3000-M1 · Written: Navigation & Radar

10 lessons

OOW-3000-M1-A The IAMI Navigation & Radar written paper (2.5 hr) and its underpinning knowledge.

In preparation
OOW-3000-L1.1Compass workThis lesson explains magnetic variation and deviation, the arithmetic for converting between compass, magnetic and true headings in both directions, and how gyro error arises, is applied, and should be checked each watch.PreviewOOW-3000-L1.2Chartwork, position fixing and passage planningChartwork is the core practical skill tested in the Navigation paper and the daily craft of the watch. The OOW must know the charts and their projections, command the several ways of fixing and estimating position, and tie them together in a disciplined four-stage passage plan.LockedOOW-3000-L1.3Chart correction and Notices to MarinersA chart is only as safe as it is current. The OOW is expected to keep the vessel's paper and electronic charts and publications corrected up to date, and to understand the system of Notices to Mariners that drives it.LockedOOW-3000-L1.4Tides and tidal calculationsTides decide whether there is water under the keel and how the stream will set the ship off track, so tidal calculation is a bread-and-butter skill for the OOW. This lesson covers what causes tides, how to work the height of tide at standard and secondary ports, and how to allow for the tidal stream.LockedOOW-3000-L1.5Keeping a safe navigational watchThe Officer of the Watch is the Master's representative on the bridge and holds sole responsibility for the safe navigation of the vessel throughout the watch. This lesson sets out the principles of watchkeeping from the STCW Code and the ICS Bridge Procedures Guide, and the standing duty to call the Master.LockedOOW-3000-L1.6Buoyage — the IALA systemBuoyage marks safe water, dangers and the sides of channels, and the OOW must recognise every mark instantly by day and by night, on the chart and on the water. The IALA Maritime Buoyage System brings the world's marks into one scheme with just two regional variants.LockedOOW-3000-L1.7Electronic position-fixing aidsModern watchkeeping leans heavily on electronic aids, but each has characteristic errors, and the competent OOW understands those failure modes rather than trusting a number blindly. This lesson covers satellite position fixing and the depth and speed sensors that support it.LockedOOW-3000-L1.8ECDISECDIS is mandatory equipment for the OOW on vessels of this class and is generally the primary means of navigation. Using it safely means understanding its data, its settings and its limitations — not merely following the ship symbol across the screen.LockedOOW-3000-L1.9Radar — principles and plottingRadar is the OOW's primary tool for collision avoidance and for position fixing in poor visibility. This lesson covers how radar works, how to set it up for the conditions, and how to plot a contact to find its closest approach and true motion.LockedOOW-3000-L1.10ARPA and AISARPA automates radar plotting and AIS exchanges vessel data directly, and together they transform situational awareness — but both have real limitations the OOW must respect, and neither replaces the collision regulations or a proper lookout.Locked

OOW-3000-M2 · Written: General Ship Knowledge

6 lessons

OOW-3000-M2-A The IAMI General Ship Knowledge paper (2.5 hr): construction, stability, meteorology and seamanship.

In preparation
OOW-3000-L2.1Ship construction terminology and stressesAn officer must understand the vessel's structure to keep her seaworthy, to work safely on deck, and to talk to shipyards, surveyors and engineers in a common language. This lesson covers the vocabulary of ship construction and the stresses a hull must endure at sea.LockedOOW-3000-L2.2Construction methods, corrosion and classificationThis lesson covers how yachts and small ships are actually built, the plans carried aboard, how corrosion is fought, and the role of the classification society that oversees a vessel's structural life.LockedOOW-3000-L2.3Load lines, watertight integrity and the bilge systemReserve buoyancy and watertight integrity are what keep a damaged or overloaded ship afloat, and the OOW is responsible for maintaining them every watch. This lesson covers the load line, watertight and weathertight closures, and the bilge system that removes water that gets in.LockedOOW-3000-L2.4Stability fundamentalsStability is the ship's ability to return upright after being heeled by wind, sea or a shift of weight. The OOW does not run the full stability calculation — that is the Master's and the loading computer's task — but must understand the principles well enough never to compromise them by careless loading or handling.LockedOOW-3000-L2.5MeteorologyWeather governs the safety, comfort and timing of every passage, and the OOW must be able to read the instruments, the sky and the forecast. This lesson covers the global wind pattern, local effects, how cloud and fog form, and the depressions that bring the worst weather to temperate latitudes.LockedOOW-3000-L2.6Seamanship, SOLAS, MARPOL and the CoSWPThe seamanship section ties the OOW's practical duties to the regulatory framework the ship operates within. This lesson covers pilot boarding and preparing for sea, the key international conventions, and the Code of Safe Working Practices that governs shipboard work.Locked

OOW-3000-M3 · Oral examination preparation

5 lessons

OOW-3000-M3-A The MCA oral: IRPCS, watchkeeping and ship handling, emergencies, and legislation.

In preparation
OOW-3000-L3.1IRPCS — steering and sailing rulesThe collision regulations are the heart of the oral examination, and the examiner expects them close to word-perfect because they are the rules that prevent collisions every day. This lesson covers the conduct rules — how vessels must behave toward one another — and how to apply them at sea.LockedOOW-3000-L3.2IRPCS — lights, shapes and sound signalsRecognising a vessel's lights, shapes and sound signals is how the OOW identifies what is out there at night or in poor visibility, and it is heavily tested in the oral. This lesson covers the key recognition patterns and the signals used to communicate intention and warn of danger.LockedOOW-3000-L3.3Watchkeeping, bridge equipment and ship handlingBeyond the rules, the examiner explores how the OOW actually runs the watch and handles the vessel. This lesson covers the practical conduct of the watch, the bridge equipment the examiner may probe, and the fundamentals of manoeuvring.LockedOOW-3000-L3.4Navigational and other emergenciesThe examiner tests how the OOW responds when things go wrong, because the first minutes decide the outcome. This lesson covers the response to navigational emergencies, to fire and abandonment, and the distress communications that summon help.LockedOOW-3000-L3.5Pollution prevention, legislation and business & lawThe final oral area draws together the OOW's duties on pollution, the regulatory framework the ship lives within, and the elements of law and business that come with running a commercial yacht. The examiner wants to see an officer who knows the duty, the standard, and where the detail is written down.Locked