Employers of seafarers and the operators/owners of commercial vessels have a legal obligation to ensure that their vessels are adequately manned by qualified seafarers. If a minimum safe manning document has been issued to the vessel this will specify the minimum numbers and grades of certificated seafarers required to be onboard to ensure the vessel is safely manned.
It is an offence to:
- Send a vessel to sea without the correct manning onboard.
- Act in a position onboard for which a Certificate of Competency is required without having that certificate.
Certificate of Equivalent Competency
Seafarers that hold a Certificate of Competency issued by another country who are going to work on an Irish ship must have an ‘endorsement of recognition’ of that certificate, issued by Ireland. This is known as a Certificate of Equivalent Competency.
Seafarers making an application to work on an Irish ship must have
- An offer of employment on an Irish ship
- A Certificate of Competency from a country that we have a mutual agreement with
- A sufficient command of the English language to sail on an Irish ship
- Completed an application form for a Certificate of Equivalent Competency
Read more [+]
Watch Rating Certificates
Navigational Watch Rating Certificates and Engine Room Watch Rating Certificates may be issued by Irish shipping companies that are approved by the Department of Transport to issue watch rating certificates.
All Watch Rating Certificates must be issued through the Seafarer Information System.
Read more [+]