46 CFR 11.323: STCW engineer officer endorsement types and limits

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section lists the STCW engineer officer endorsements by propulsion power and level. It says endorsements may be restricted to propulsion modes or limited as to certain equipment. It also says who may serve without an STCW endorsement and what limited-grade endorsements allow.

Applies toEngineer officers and applicants for STCW engineer officer endorsements.

What it says

  1. Specific requirements for all STCW engineer officer endorsements are detailed in the applicable sections in this part.

    46 CFR 11.323(a)“Specific requirements for all STCW engineer officer endorsements are detailed in the applicable sections in this part.”

  2. A Chief Engineer Officer endorsement at the management level applies to vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of 3,000 kW/4,000 HP propulsion power or more.

    46 CFR 11.323(a)(1)“Chief Engineer Officer on vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of 3,000 kW/4,000 HP propulsion power or more (management level).”

  3. An Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch endorsement at the operational level covers a manned engineroom, or a Designated Duty Engineer in a periodically unmanned engineroom, on vessels with main propulsion machinery of 750 kW/1,000 HP propulsion power or more.

    46 CFR 11.323(a)(3)“Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch (OICEW) in a manned engineroom, or as a Designated Duty Engineer in a periodically unmanned engineroom, on vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 kW/1,000 HP propulsion power or more (operational level).”

  4. An Electro-technical Officer endorsement at the operational level applies to vessels with main propulsion machinery of 750 kW/1,000 HP or more.

    46 CFR 11.323(a)(6)“Electro-technical Officer on vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 kW/1,000 HP or more (operational level).”

  5. Endorsements issued under §§ 11.325, 11.327, 11.329, 11.331, 11.333, and 11.335 of this subpart will be restricted to specific propulsion modes for steam, motor, or gas turbine-propelled vessels as appropriate.

    46 CFR 11.323(b)(1)“will be restricted to specific propulsion modes for steam, motor, or gas turbine-propelled vessels as appropriate.”

  6. Endorsements for motor or gas turbine-propelled vessels may be limited to vessels without auxiliary boilers, waste-heat boilers, distilling plants, oily water separators, or sewage treatment plants. An applicant may qualify for removal of any of these limitations by demonstrating the appropriate competencies.

    46 CFR 11.323(b)(2)“An applicant may qualify for removal of any of these limitations by demonstrating the appropriate competencies.”

  7. An engineer officer without an STCW endorsement may serve on seagoing vessels propelled by machinery of less than 750 kW/1,000 HP, the vessels specified in § 15.105(f) and (g) of this subchapter, and vessels on the Great Lakes or inland waters of the United States.

    46 CFR 11.323(c)“An engineer officer who does not hold an STCW endorsement may serve on seagoing vessels propelled by machinery of less than 750 kW/1,000 HP”

  8. A Chief Engineer-Limited or Assistant Engineer-Limited endorsement allows service within any propulsion power limitations on vessels of unlimited tonnage on inland waters, on vessels of less than 3,000 GT in Great Lakes service, and on the vessels specified in § 15.105(f) and (g) of this subchapter.

    46 CFR 11.323(d)“allows the holder to serve within any propulsion power limitations on vessels of unlimited tonnage on inland waters, on vessels of less than 3,000 GT in Great Lakes service”

Common questions

Can an engineer serve without an STCW endorsement?

Yes, on certain vessels. These are seagoing vessels with machinery of less than 750 kW/1,000 HP, the vessels specified in § 15.105(f) and (g) of this subchapter, and vessels on the Great Lakes or inland waters of the United States.

“An engineer officer who does not hold an STCW endorsement may serve on seagoing vessels propelled by machinery of less than 750 kW/1,000 HP”

Can limitations on an STCW engineer endorsement be removed?

Yes. An applicant may qualify for removal of any of the equipment limitations by demonstrating the appropriate competencies.

“An applicant may qualify for removal of any of these limitations by demonstrating the appropriate competencies.”

What can a Chief Engineer-Limited or Assistant Engineer-Limited endorsement be used for?

The holder may serve within any propulsion power limitations on vessels of unlimited tonnage on inland waters, on vessels of less than 3,000 GT in Great Lakes service, and on the vessels specified in § 15.105(f) and (g) of this subchapter.

“allows the holder to serve within any propulsion power limitations on vessels of unlimited tonnage on inland waters, on vessels of less than 3,000 GT in Great Lakes service”

The text of 46 CFR 11.323

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

STCW engineer officer endorsements

(a) Specific requirements for all STCW engineer officer endorsements are detailed in the applicable sections in this part.

(1) Chief Engineer Officer on vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of 3,000 kW/4,000 HP propulsion power or more (management level).

(2) Second Engineer Officer on vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of 3,000 kW/4,000 HP propulsion power or more (management level).

(3) Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch (OICEW) in a manned engineroom, or as a Designated Duty Engineer in a periodically unmanned engineroom, on vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 kW/1,000 HP propulsion power or more (operational level).

(4) Chief Engineer Officer on vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of between 750 kW/1,000 HP and 3,000 kW/4,000 HP propulsion power (management level).

(5) Second Engineer Officer on vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 kW/1,000 HP to 3,000 kW/4,000 HP propulsion power (management level).

(6) Electro-technical Officer on vessels powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 kW/1,000 HP or more (operational level).

(b) Limitations. (1) STCW engineer officer endorsements issued in accordance with §§ 11.325, 11.327, 11.329, 11.331, 11.333, and 11.335 of this subpart will be restricted to specific propulsion modes for steam, motor, or gas turbine-propelled vessels as appropriate.

(2) STCW engineer officer endorsements issued in accordance with §§ 11.325, 11.327, 11.329, 11.331, 11.333, and 11.335 of this subpart for motor or gas turbine-propelled vessels may be endorsed as limited to serve on vessels without auxiliary boilers, waste-heat boilers, distilling plants, oily water separators, or sewage treatment plants. An applicant may qualify for removal of any of these limitations by demonstrating the appropriate competencies.

(c) An engineer officer who does not hold an STCW endorsement may serve on seagoing vessels propelled by machinery of less than 750 kW/1,000 HP, the vessels specified in § 15.105(f) and (g) of this subchapter, and vessels operating on the Great Lakes or inland waters of the United States.

(d) An officer endorsement issued in the grade of Chief Engineer-Limited or Assistant Engineer-Limited allows the holder to serve within any propulsion power limitations on vessels of unlimited tonnage on inland waters, on vessels of less than 3,000 GT in Great Lakes service, and on the vessels specified in § 15.105(f) and (g) of this subchapter.

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.