Entry & progression — deck, unlimited
Governing: 2021 Regulations, regs 2(2) and 24 to 28; STCW II/1 and II/2. Builds on: L1.3.
SAMSA's seagoing deck ladder mirrors STCW closely. The names are plain: no "Deck Officer Class 3" any more, although you will still meet older officers who hold one.
The certificates
| SAMSA certificate | STCW level | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
| Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch (OOW) | II/1, operational | OOW, any tonnage, unlimited |
| Chief Mate (<3 000 GT) | II/2, management, tonnage-limited | Chief mate under 3 000 GT; OOW any tonnage |
| Master (<3 000 GT) | II/2, management, tonnage-limited | Master under 3 000 GT; OOW any tonnage |
| Chief Mate | II/2, management | Chief mate any tonnage |
| Master | II/2, management | Master any tonnage, unlimited |
| Master (Special Grade) | National | Approved training only |
Sea service at a glance
All service below is on trading ships on unlimited voyages.
| Target | Must hold | Sea service |
|---|---|---|
| OOW (standard entry) | age 18 or over | 36 months deck service, ships ≥500 GT, incl. 6 months supervised bridge watchkeeping, training record book |
| OOW (accelerated) | age 18 or over, accredited programme | 12 months, ships ≥500 GT, record book, incl. 6 months supervised watchkeeping |
| Chief Mate (<3 000 GT) | OOW | 12 months as OOW, ships ≥500 GT |
| Chief Mate | OOW | 12 months as OOW, ships ≥1 600 GT |
| Master (<3 000 GT) | Chief Mate or CM (<3 000 GT) | 24 months, of which 12 as chief mate, ships ≥500 GT |
| Master (<3 000 GT) | OOW | 36 months as OOW, ships ≥500 GT |
| Master | Chief Mate | 24 months, of which 12 as chief mate, ships ≥1 600 GT |
| Master | OOW | 36 months as OOW, ships ≥1 600 GT |
Each also requires approved education and training at an accredited institution and the Level 3 oral.
Reading the numbers
Two routes to Master exist. The conventional one goes OOW, then 12 months as OOW for Chief Mate, then 24 months (12 as chief mate) for Master: 36 months of officer time after OOW. The other skips the Chief Mate certificate but demands 36 months as OOW. Same total; the difference is whether you sit the Chief Mate oral on the way.
CAUTION — The 1 600 GT line Unlimited Chief Mate and Master service must be on ships of 1 600 GT or more. Service on a 1 200 GT vessel counts only towards the <3 000 GT certificates, whose threshold is 500 GT.
Watchkeeping evidence
Regulation 11 requires watchkeeping certificates signed by the Masters you served under, stating you kept a watch for at least eight hours in every 24 claimed. A first deck officer certificate needs watchkeeping testimonials from Masters. MN 20 of 2016 adds that watchkeeping time is calculated from the last six months of service, and that at least one-third of claimed service must be eight-hour watches for a higher certificate. Check the current Notice before relying on that detail.
Where yachts fit
The table says "trading ships" throughout. Service on a yacht used solely for pleasure does not meet that description. A commercially operated yacht may be accepted under the commercial-gain test, but a certificate built mainly on non-trading service can be limited to non-trading vessels. Lesson 4.2 deals with this properly.
TIP — The ex-cadet advantage South Africans who came through a cadetship on bulk carriers or tankers often hold an unlimited OOW or Chief Mate CoC before joining yachts. That certificate, with a UK FSE, can let them start on a yacht as a watchkeeper rather than deckhand. See Lesson 4.3 and From South Africa to Superyachts.