Per-flag rule
Governing: MPM Rev 14 §9(g); MSN 051 §2; BSN 2025-015 §2(3)–(4); Gibraltar seafarers page and Yachtmaster's Handbook §1.2. Builds on: L1.2, L1.3.
A South African, Australian or American officer who has worked on UK-flagged yachts usually holds a UK CEC (now FSE) on top of a national CoC. It is tempting to treat the UK document as the passport to the rest of the Red Ensign. It is not.
Flag by flag
| Flag | UK CEC accepted as-is? | What you present |
|---|---|---|
| Gibraltar | Yes | Nothing more: "Officers holding United Kingdom issued Certificate of Equivalent Competency (CEC) do not require a Gibraltar endorsement" |
| Isle of Man | No | An IoM endorsement: a UK CEC holder is "required to apply for an Isle of Man endorsement" (MSN 051 §2) |
| Cayman | No, and it cannot be the basis | Your underlying national CoC (MPM §9(g)) |
| Bermuda | No, and it cannot be the basis | Your underlying national CoC (BSN 2025-015 §2(3)–(4)) |
| BVI | Not stated | Plan on the national CoC; confirm with VISMA |
Gibraltar's position appears in three places: the seafarers page, the recognised-countries list of 14 Dec 2023 (officers "require a UK CoC, UK CEC or a Gibraltar Endorsement") and the Yachtmaster's Handbook §1.2. They agree.
Why the others refuse
A CEC is itself a recognition. Bermuda puts it plainly: UK CECs "are in fact the equivalent of the UK's STCW endorsements hence, they cannot be used for obtaining Bermuda Endorsements". The flag wants to see the certificate you earned and check it against its own list.
Practical consequences
- Your national CoC must be valid. If you let it lapse because the UK CEC was all your UK yacht needed, you have nothing for Cayman or Bermuda to endorse.
- Your country must be on that flag's list. The UK FSE list and the REG lists differ (Lesson 2.2).
- Scope may differ. The UK may have limited your CEC, for example to yacht service; the flag endorsement mirrors your national CoC instead, so compare the two.
- UK LAP is not flag LAP. For yacht FSEs the MCA requires masters to pass UKLAP 1 or complete an approved Business and Law Master Yachts module (MSN 1867 Amdt 1, Annex A). That satisfies the UK, not Cayman or Bermuda.
Worked example
A South African chief engineer holds a SAMSA CoC and a UK CEC. On a Gibraltar yacht he serves on the CEC alone. Moving to a Cayman yacht, he applies on the SAMSA CoC; South Africa is on the CISN 01/2024 list with "Evidence of English not required". Moving on to a Manx yacht, his company files in MAVIS on the same SAMSA CoC. At no point after Gibraltar does the CEC do any work.
WARNING — The IoM double step A UK CoC is exempt on the Isle of Man; a UK CEC is not. The company must still file an IoM endorsement application for you through MAVIS.
TIP — Keep a one-page certificate map National CoC (number, expiry); UK CEC/FSE (number, expiry); each flag endorsement (number, expiry). When the national CoC is revalidated, every line below it needs attention.