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

Youll need to:

• be over the minimum age
• meet health and fitness standards
• get certificates of competency (CoC) - these are qualifications that allow you to do specialist tasks as part of your job
• get a seamans discharge book - this will show your sea service and qualifications

Get seafarer training

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

Youll 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

Youll need to apply for a letter of initial assessment (LIA) before you can begin training as an engineer officer of the watch (EOOW) unless youre 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:

• able seaman or merchant navy or yacht ratings, for non-officer members of the crew who help officers in day-to-day tasks
• deck officer - this includes being a master or chief mate in charge of a vessel
• engineer officer
• vessel traffic operator, supervisor or instructor
• radio operator

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 youll pay will depend on your situation, for example whether youre 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.