Orientation
Governing: MI-118 §4.0, §5.0 and §7.1–7.3; MI-280 Section 3. Builds on: L3.1.
What the SIRB is
The Seafarer's Identification and Record Book (SIRB), form MI-272, does three jobs: it is an identity document for travel to and from the vessel (it is not a passport), a continuous record of your sea service on RMI vessels, and the book into which your Special Qualification Certificates (SQCs) are fixed. The current version (Rev. 12/20) carries a hologram number and a QR code for online verification.
MI-118 §7.1 requires it for every officer and crew member with safety, security or environmental duties on a commercial yacht, PAXY, PYLC or YET. The IRI manning page is shorter still: all masters, officers and crew need STCW basic training and an RMI SIRB.
Applying
Use form MI-273, submitted in person to an authorised filing agent (or the yacht's Master, if the Master holds RMI documentation as Master). You need:
- one colour photo, 45 mm x 45 mm, taken within a year;
- medical (MI-105M or equivalent) within 24 months;
- a valid identity document, not the document being applied for (driving licences are not accepted);
- proof of STCW basic training and security awareness;
- a letter of commitment from the employer for a first SIRB;
- the SQCs you want, listed in Block 12 — anything not listed there will not be issued.
You keep a signed copy of the application, or the online MI-273OR acknowledgement. It is valid for 90 days as authority to serve in the capacity applied for.
Validity and renewal
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Validity | Five years from issue |
| Expired book | Keep it; its sea service pages stay valid |
| Renewal window | Three months to one year before expiry |
| Expired less than a year | Renewed |
| Expired more than a year | Treated as a new application |
| SQCs | Expire with the SIRB; supporting documents needed to reissue each one |
| Replacement (lost or stolen) | Same expiry date as the original |
Ratings' certificates
Ratings are certified by SQCs in the SIRB, based on the national certificate of proficiency:
| SQC | Sea time | National document | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary Seafarer (II/4) | 6 months deck | II/4 CoP | 16 |
| Able Seafarer Deck (II/5) | 18 months deck | II/5 CoP | 18 |
| Oiler/Motor (III/4) | 6 months engine | III/4 CoP | 16 |
| Able Seafarer Engine (III/5) | 12 months engine | III/5 CoP | 18 |
| Bosun (optional) | 3 years as AB, 2 on vessels over 500 GT | ASD | 21 |
Ratings do not revalidate watchkeeping certificates; they are renewed with the SIRB (§5.10.5). On yachts under 3,000 GT, the MN 7-038-2 manning tables ask for deckhands with "STCW BST"; on 3,000 GT and above they ask for II/4 or II/5 deck ratings and III/4 or III/5 engine ratings.
Cooks
Galley SQCs (GSU, Cook, Chief Cook) are optional, but MLC, 2006 requires cooks to be trained, and the SQC is prima facie evidence of that (§7.3). MN 7-038-2 notes that the MSMC does not list cooks, but ships with a prescribed manning of ten or more must carry a fully qualified cook.
Private-yacht certificates
MI-118 §7.2.6–7.2.8 provides non-STCW Certificates of Qualification for private yachts only: Private Yacht Master, Private Yacht Mate, and yacht engine ratings based on courses such as the Yacht Engineer Course or YMEOL. All need STCW basic training and security awareness. They are not valid on commercial yachts, PAXYs or YETs.
CAUTION — Dual-use yachts A CoQ that is fine on a private yacht in July is useless on the same yacht in August if she is chartering as a YET. Plan the crew list for the most demanding status the yacht will hold.