46 CFR 11.101: Purpose of officer endorsement regulations

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section states the purpose of this part. It provides a means of determining qualifications for officer endorsements and competence under the STCW Convention. It also says officers must become familiar with a vessel's characteristics, and that training rules moved to 46 CFR part 10, subpart C.

Applies toApplicants for officer endorsements, and officers credentialed under this part.

What it says

  1. This part provides a means of determining the qualifications an applicant must have to be eligible for an officer endorsement as a staff officer, deck officer, engineer officer, Pilot, or Radio Officer on merchant vessels, or for an endorsement to operate uninspected passenger vessels.

    46 CFR 11.101(a)(1)“A means of determining the qualifications an applicant must possess to be eligible for an officer endorsement as a staff officer, deck officer, engineer officer, Pilot, or Radio Officer on merchant vessels”

  2. This part also provides a means of determining that an applicant is competent to serve in the listed STCW positions, in accordance with the STCW Convention and other laws, and to receive the appropriate endorsement as required by STCW.

    46 CFR 11.101(a)(2)“A means of determining that an applicant is competent to serve as a Master, Chief Mate, Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch, Chief Engineer Officer, Second Engineer Officer (First Assistant Engineer)”

  3. With few exceptions, these regulations do not specify or restrict officer endorsements to particular types of service such as tankships, freight vessels, or passenger vessels.

    46 CFR 11.101(b)“With few exceptions, these regulations do not specify or restrict officer endorsements to particular types of service such as tankships, freight vessels, or passenger vessels.”

  4. Each officer credentialed under this part must become familiar with the relevant characteristics of a vessel before assuming their duties, as required in § 15.405 of this subchapter.

    46 CFR 11.101(b)“each officer credentialed under this part must become familiar with the relevant characteristics of a vessel prior to assuming their duties as required in the provisions of § 15.405 of this subchapter.”

  5. The rules on approved training courses, training for a particular officer endorsement, and training and assessment for STCW standards of competence have been moved to 46 CFR part 10, subpart C.

    46 CFR 11.101(c)“have been moved to 46 CFR part 10, subpart C.”

Common questions

What is the purpose of 46 CFR part 11?

It provides a means of determining the qualifications an applicant must have for an officer endorsement, and of determining competence under the STCW Convention.

“A means of determining the qualifications an applicant must possess to be eligible for an officer endorsement as a staff officer, deck officer, engineer officer, Pilot, or Radio Officer on merchant vessels”

Are officer endorsements limited to particular vessel types?

With few exceptions, these regulations do not specify or restrict officer endorsements to particular types of service. Officers must still become familiar with a vessel's relevant characteristics before assuming their duties.

“With few exceptions, these regulations do not specify or restrict officer endorsements to particular types of service such as tankships, freight vessels, or passenger vessels.”

Where did the training course requirements from subpart C of part 11 go?

They have been moved to 46 CFR part 10, subpart C.

“have been moved to 46 CFR part 10, subpart C.”

The text of 46 CFR 11.101

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Purpose of regulations

(a) The purpose of this part is to provide—

(1) A means of determining the qualifications an applicant must possess to be eligible for an officer endorsement as a staff officer, deck officer, engineer officer, Pilot, or Radio Officer on merchant vessels, or for an endorsement to operate uninspected passenger vessels; and

(2) A means of determining that an applicant is competent to serve as a Master, Chief Mate, Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch, Chief Engineer Officer, Second Engineer Officer (First Assistant Engineer), Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch, Designated Duty Engineer, or Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Radio Operator, in accordance with the provisions of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (the STCW Convention or STCW), and other laws, and to receive the appropriate endorsement as required by STCW.

(b) With few exceptions, these regulations do not specify or restrict officer endorsements to particular types of service such as tankships, freight vessels, or passenger vessels. However, each officer credentialed under this part must become familiar with the relevant characteristics of a vessel prior to assuming their duties as required in the provisions of § 15.405 of this subchapter.

(c) The regulations previously found in subpart C of this part that prescribe the requirements applicable to approved training courses, training for a particular officer endorsement, and training and assessment associated with meeting the standards of competence established by the STCW Convention have been moved to 46 CFR part 10, subpart C.

Sections it refers to

The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.