USCG-STCW-COURSES-L1.1

STCW endorsements on the MMC

USCG-STCW-COURSES-M1 · How the NMC issues STCW endorsements · USCG-STCW-COURSES-M1-A STCW endorsements on the MMC, when they attach to a yacht, and the approved-course system that proves them.

The US does not issue a separate STCW certificate for each course. It prints **endorsements** on the MMC, each tied to a national endorsement, a CFR section and an NMC checklist.

Entry & progression

Governing: 46 CFR 10.205, 10.227, 10.231; 11.301; 12.601. The US model: one credential, many endorsements.

One book, many pages

The US issues a single Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC). National endorsements (Master less than 500 GRT, Able Seafarer, QMED) and STCW endorsements (OICNW, Basic Training, PSC, VPDSD) are printed on it. The NMC STCW guidance puts the rule plainly: “an applicant for any STCW endorsement must hold the appropriate national endorsement unless otherwise specified.”

  • 10.205(a) – an MMC is valid for 5 years.
  • 10.205(b) – “All endorsements, unless otherwise noted, are valid until the expiration date of the MMC on which they appear.”
  • 10.227 – “STCW endorsements may not be placed in continuity.” A mariner who shelves national endorsements in continuity loses the STCW endorsements that hang on them.

The STCW rating-type endorsements (12.601(a))

# Endorsement CFR STCW
1 Able Seafarer-Deck 12.603 II/5
2 Ratings Forming Part of a Navigational Watch 12.605 II/4
3 Able Seafarer-Engine 12.607 III/5
4 RFPEW 12.609 III/4
5 Electro-technical Rating 12.611 III/7
6 PSC 12.613 VI/2
7 PSC-Limited 12.615 VI/2
8 Fast Rescue Boats 12.617 VI/2
9 Medical First-aid Provider 12.619 VI/4
10 Person in Charge of Medical Care 12.621 VI/4
11 GMDSS At-sea Maintainer 12.623 IV/2
12 VPDSD 12.625 VI/6
13 Security Awareness 12.627 VI/6

Basic Training (12.602 and 11.302), Advanced Firefighting (11.303), VSO (11.337) and GMDSS Radio Operator (11.604) complete the set. The deck and engine officer endorsements are covered in the existing officer courses.

Names changed in 2024

The 25 November 2024 rule (89 FR 93034) rewrote Parts 10–15. Current text uses Lifeboat Operator (formerly Lifeboatman), Lifeboat Operator-Limited and Ordinary Seafarer (formerly Ordinary Seaman). Older MMCs and NMC checklists still use the old names; the PSC checklist of January 2025 accepts “Lifeboatman, Lifeboat Operator, or Lifeboatman Limited” as the prerequisite.

How competence is proved

11.301(a) and 12.601(b) accept the methods in column 3 of the STCW Code tables. The Coast Guard turns each into a document:

  • Approved course – a completion certificate from a Coast Guard-approved course or programme.
  • In-service experience – assessments approved or accepted by the Coast Guard, signed by a Qualified Assessor.
  • Examination – a Coast Guard exam.
  • Company training – assessment within an accepted safety or quality management system.

Knowledge may be shown by the Coast Guard exam for the endorsement, an approved course or an approved programme (12.601(b)(2)).

CAUTION – The certificate is the evidence NMC evaluators do not assess you. They check paper. A course certificate that lacks the approval number, or a QA assessment that is not on a Coast Guard-approved form, is the commonest reason an STCW endorsement is held up.

Adding an endorsement

Adding STCW endorsements to an existing MMC is a new-endorsement transaction under 10.231: application, TWIC proof, supporting evidence, fee, and a medical certificate or application. If you also meet renewal requirements for every endorsement, you can take a fresh 5-year MMC in the same transaction (10.231(b)). Fees and forms are covered in USCG The MMC Application.

TIP – Line up the dates Time STCW additions to coincide with an MMC renewal. You pay once, and every endorsement starts a new 5-year clock together.

Practice questions

5 questions

recall · core

Under 46 CFR 10.205(b), how long is an STCW endorsement on an MMC valid, unless otherwise noted? (a) Until the expiration date of the MMC on which it appears (b) Two years (c) For life (d) Until the course certificate is five years old

recall · core

A mariner places her national officer endorsements into continuity. What happens to her associated STCW endorsements? (a) They convert to rating endorsements (b) They remain valid for one year (c) They cannot be placed in continuity and are no longer valid (d) They go into continuity too

recall · core

For what term is a Merchant Mariner Credential valid under 46 CFR 10.205(a)? (a) 5 years (b) For life (c) 2 years (d) 1 year

recall · core

Following the November 2024 rule, what is the current name for the former Lifeboatman endorsement? (a) PSC Operator (b) Boat Handler (c) Lifeboat Operator (d) Survival Craft Rating

scenario · core

A deckhand applies to add PSC and submits a course certificate that does not show the course approval number. What is the most likely result? (a) The application is likely to be held up, because evaluators check the paper evidence (b) The endorsement is issued with a limitation (c) The NMC contacts the school and issues it anyway (d) The NMC evaluator assesses her practically instead

AI-drafted catalogue content pending SME review. STCW endorsements are issued against current NMC checklists, several of which pre-date the November 2024 credentialing rule and may have been revised; verify with the National Maritime Center before enrolling in a course or submitting an application.