REG-END-L2.3

Yacht-Restricted and Non-STCW Certificates

REG-END-M2 · Which Certificates Can Be Recognised · REG-END-M2-A The UK CEC trap, the common REG country list and the per-flag lists of foreign yacht CoCs.

Foreign yacht-limited CoCs are accepted only from a handful of countries, and **the lists differ between flags and even within one notice**.

Eligibility: yacht certificates

Governing: MPM Rev 14 §9.1–9.3 and Annex A; MSN 051 §2 and App. 1; IoM Crew FAQ; BVI MC 01/2024; Gibraltar Yachtmaster's Handbook §1.2. Builds on: L2.2.

A merchant CoC from a listed country is straightforward. Yacht-limited CoCs from outside the UK are not: each flag keeps its own list, and the lists disagree.

Foreign yacht-limited STCW CoCs

Issuing country Cayman (MPM Annex A) Isle of Man (MSN 051) BVI (web page) Bermuda / Gibraltar
France Deck: Master 3000/500/200 GT (Yacht), Chief Officer 500/200 GT (Yacht), Yacht 500 GT Watchkeeping Officer, Master 200 GT (Sailing Yacht); engineering case by case "Some", per MCA MSN 1867 Annex A "Some"; Annex A not published No list found
Italy All yacht or sailing-ship CoCs All All No list found
Netherlands All All All No list found
New Zealand Master (Y) <3000, Master (Y) <500, Chief Mate (Y) <3000, OOW (Y) <3000 "Some", per MSN 1867 Annex A (Master 3000, Master 500, OOW 3000) "Some" No list found
Malta OOW (Y) <3000, Chief Mate (Y) <3000, Master <3000, Master <500; Maritime MT or XONE only, plus course completion certificate OOW (Y) <3000, Master <3000, Master <500; Maritime MT or XONE only No yacht note No list found

Two traps. First, a Maltese or NZ Chief Mate (Yachts) is on Cayman's list but not the IoM's. Second, IoM MSN 051 contradicts itself: §2 says it accepts yacht CoCs only from France, Italy, the Netherlands and New Zealand, while Appendix 1 of the same notice accepts certain Maltese ones.

Non-STCW yacht qualifications

Flag Treatment
Cayman Not endorsed, but recognised for certain yachts: RYA Yachtmaster Coastal/Offshore/Ocean (commercially endorsed), IYT Master of Yachts Coastal/Limited/Unlimited; engine AEC I, MEOL, MEOL(Y) (MPM §9.1–9.3)
Isle of Man Yachtmaster Offshore/Ocean not endorsed but recognised within limits, e.g. master up to 200 GT, YM Offshore under 150 miles from a safe haven (Crew FAQ)
BVI "Non-STCW Recognition" of commercial Yachtmaster certificates to command a BVI-registered or BVI-based commercial vessel under 24 m carrying up to 12 passengers (MC 01/2024)
Gibraltar RYA yacht CoCs accepted if endorsed for commercial operations (Handbook §1.2)
Bermuda Not found

Where those qualifications can be used on 24 m+ yachts is a manning question, covered in Manning Rules on Red Ensign Yachts: Cayman, Manx, Bermuda, BVI and Gibraltar.

CAUTION — Malta needs the paper trail For Cayman, a Maltese yacht CoC holder must also submit a course completion certificate from Maritime MT or XONE Superyacht (MPM Annex A.4). Keep a scan with the CoC.

TIP — Check the title, not the country "Malta is on the list" is true. "My Maltese Chief Mate (Yachts) is accepted everywhere" is not. Match the exact certificate title against the flag's list before accepting a contract.

Practice questions

5 questions

recall · core

Which Maltese yacht CoC does Cayman accept that the Isle of Man list does not include? (a) OOW (Yachts) <3000 GT (b) Master of Yachts <500 GT (c) Chief Mate (Yachts) <3000 GT (d) Master of Yachts <3000 GT

recall · core

From which training centres must Maltese yacht CoCs come to be accepted by Cayman and the IoM? (a) Any MCA-approved centre (b) Maritime MT or XONE Superyacht (c) Warsash or UKSA (d) Any Transport Malta centre

recall · core

How does Cayman treat French engineering yacht CoCs? (a) Assessed case by case (b) None accepted (c) All accepted (d) Accepted up to 3000 kW

recall · core

A BVI Non-STCW Recognition of a commercial Yachtmaster certificate entitles the holder to command: (a) A BVI-registered or BVI-based commercial vessel under 24 m carrying not more than 12 passengers (b) Any yacht under 3000 GT in the Caribbean (c) Only pleasure yachts (d) Any BVI yacht under 500 GT

scenario · core

A New Zealand officer holding Chief Mate (Yacht) <3000 GT is offered a chief mate post on an IoM commercial yacht. What should he expect? (a) Acceptance for 3 months only (b) Difficulty: IoM accepts only the NZ yacht CoCs in MSN 1867 Annex A, which lists Master 3000, Master 500 and OOW 3000, not Chief Mate (c) Acceptance only with a UK CEC (d) Automatic acceptance, since NZ is on the list

Independent study. xplor is not affiliated with the Red Ensign Group or any of its registries and awards no certificate, endorsement or Certificate of Competency. Only the relevant registry can decide whether your certificate is recognised, and every endorsement application must go through that registry's own process. AI-drafted content pending subject-matter-expert review.