Manning: Introduction

Ships crews may be sourced from a variety of labour supply countries. The Isle of Man subscribes fully to the requirements of STCW95, the detailed requirements of which are set out in the Merchant Shipping (Manning and Training) Regulations 1996.

Ratings

Ratings may be from any country provided that they have completed the STCW95 basic training in the four key elements:

• Personal Survival
• Basic First Aid
• Basic Fire Fighting
• Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities

Each rating must have documentary evidence of this training which can be issued by any country that is a signatory to the Convention.

Watch Ratings

Every rating forming part of a watch must hold a valid Deck or Engine Room Watch Rating Certificate. Certificates issued by the ratings home country, provided that it is a signatory to the Convention, are acceptable.

In the case of ratings who do not have certificates but who can demonstrate the required competence in line with the competencies set out in the Convention, it is possible for the ship’s Master or Chief Engineer to make the assessment of competence and issue a Provisional Isle of Man Watch Rating Certificate. A provisional certificate is valid for three months.

Once a provisional certificate has been issued a copy of it can be sent to the Isle of Man Ship Registry along with supporting documents to prove the ratings sea service, identity, and age. The Ship Registry will then issue a full term Watch Rating Certificate.

There is a charge of £57 for the issue of a full term certificate.

Officers

Every Officer, unless holding a UK issued certificate of competency, must have an Isle of Man endorsement as required by Regulation I/10 of STCW95 to accompany the national certificate of competency.

For an Isle of Man ship the period of grace between application for an endorsement and the absolute requirement to have it on board is 30 days (the Convention requirement is 3 months). (Click here to see procedure for obtaining endorsements).

Applications for endorsements are only accepted from the Isle of Man ship manager or owner and are only valid on ships operated by that manager or owner. If an officer changes employers and still requires to sail in an Isle of Man flag ship they will be required to obtain a new endorsement.

Accepted Nationalities

The Isle of Man has undertakings in place with a number of countries, and Certificates of Competency from any of these countries can be accepted for the issue of an Isle of Man Endorsement. (Click here to see a list of current countries that are accepted).