Seafarer skills and training

You must get training to work on a seagoing ship, yacht or other vessel. You’ll also need a certain amount of experience at sea.

You’ll need to:

Get seafarer training

Find out about careers at sea and where to get training.

You’ll need special training to work on a fishing vessel.

You may need additional training to work on tankers, high-speed craft and passenger ships.

Training to be an engineer officer of the watch

You’ll need to apply for a letter of initial assessment (LIA) before you can begin training as an engineer officer of the watch (EOOW) unless you’re doing the approved cadetship. It might take up to 12 weeks to get your LIA.

Apply for seafarer certificates

Download application forms for certificates if you want to work as:

You can apply for certificates of equivalent competency (CEC) if you qualified outside the UK and you want to serve on a UK-flagged vessel.

Fees

How much you’ll pay will depend on your situation, for example whether you’re sitting exams or getting your certificates revalidated.

Get help with seafarer training

Contact the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) if you need more information on training and skills.

MCA helpline
023 8032 9231
Find out about call charges