46 CFR 11.402: Tonnage experience for unlimited ocean endorsements

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section sets the vessel tonnage experience an applicant needs for a national ocean or near-coastal endorsement on vessels of unlimited tonnage. An applicant who lacks service on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more gets a tonnage limitation on the MMC. The section also explains how limitations may be raised or removed.

Applies toApplicants for a national ocean or near-coastal endorsement for service on vessels of unlimited tonnage, including national endorsements as Master or Mate of unlimited tonnage.

What it says

  1. For an unlimited tonnage endorsement, all the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 100 GRT or more.

    46 CFR 11.402(a)(1)“All the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 100 GRT or more”

  2. For an unlimited tonnage endorsement, at least one-half of the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more.

    46 CFR 11.402(a)(2)“At least one-half of the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more.”

  3. An applicant for a national endorsement as Master or Mate of unlimited tonnage who lacks the required service on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more will have a tonnage limitation placed on the MMC based on the applicant's qualifying experience.

    46 CFR 11.402(b)“a tonnage limitation will be placed on the MMC based on the applicant's qualifying experience.”

  4. The minimum tonnage limitation calculated under paragraph (b) is 2,000 GRT.

    46 CFR 11.402(b)“However, the minimum tonnage limitation calculated according to this paragraph will be 2,000 GRT.”

  5. When the calculated limitation equals or exceeds 10,000 GRT, the applicant is issued an unlimited tonnage endorsement.

    46 CFR 11.402(b)“When the calculated limitation equals or exceeds 10,000 GRT, the applicant is issued an unlimited tonnage endorsement.”

  6. When an applicant provides evidence of 6 months of service on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more in the highest grade endorsed, all tonnage limitations will be removed.

    46 CFR 11.402(c)(1)“When the applicant provides evidence of 6 months of service on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more in the highest grade endorsed, all tonnage limitations will be removed.”

  7. A Third Mate with 12 months of service as Able Seafarer on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more will have all tonnage limitations on the Third Mate's or MMC officer endorsement removed.

    46 CFR 11.402(c)(3)“When the applicant has 12 months of service as Able Seafarer on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more while holding an MMC endorsement as Third Mate”

  8. An applicant holding a national endorsement as Master or Mate of vessels of less than 1,600 GRT, less than 500 GRT, or less than 25-200 GRT may not use paragraph (c) to increase the tonnages of their License or endorsement.

    46 CFR 11.402(d)“No applicant holding any national endorsement as Master or Mate of vessels of less than 1,600 GRT, less than 500 GRT, or less than 25-200 GRT”

Common questions

How much experience on 1,600 GRT vessels do I need for an unlimited endorsement?

At least one-half of the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more.

“At least one-half of the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more.”

What is the minimum tonnage limitation on a limited MMC?

The minimum tonnage limitation calculated under paragraph (b) will be 2,000 GRT.

“However, the minimum tonnage limitation calculated according to this paragraph will be 2,000 GRT.”

How can a tonnage limitation on my MMC be removed?

One way is to provide evidence of 6 months of service on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more in the highest grade endorsed. Then all tonnage limitations will be removed.

“When the applicant provides evidence of 6 months of service on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more in the highest grade endorsed, all tonnage limitations will be removed.”

The text of 46 CFR 11.402

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

Tonnage requirements for national ocean or near-coastal endorsements for vessels of 1,600 GRT or more

(a) To qualify for a national ocean or near-coastal endorsement for service on vessels of unlimited tonnage—

(1) All the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 100 GRT or more; and

(2) At least one-half of the required experience must be obtained on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more.

(b) If an applicant for a national endorsement as Master or Mate of unlimited tonnage does not have the service on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more as required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section, a tonnage limitation will be placed on the MMC based on the applicant's qualifying experience. The endorsement will be limited to the maximum tonnage on which at least 25 percent of the required experience was obtained, or 150 percent of the maximum tonnage on which at least 50 percent of the service was obtained, whichever is higher. However, the minimum tonnage limitation calculated according to this paragraph will be 2,000 GRT. Limitations are in multiples of 1,000 GRT using the next higher figure when an intermediate tonnage is calculated. When the calculated limitation equals or exceeds 10,000 GRT, the applicant is issued an unlimited tonnage endorsement.

(c) Tonnage limitations imposed under paragraph (b) of this section may be raised or removed in one of the following manners:

(1) When the applicant provides evidence of 6 months of service on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more in the highest grade endorsed, all tonnage limitations will be removed.

(2) When the applicant provides evidence of 6 months of service on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more in any capacity as an officer other than the highest grade for which they are endorsed, all tonnage limitations for the grade in which the service is performed will be removed and the next higher grade endorsement will be raised to the tonnage of the vessel on which the majority of the service was performed. The total cumulative service before and after issuance of the limited MMC officer endorsement may be considered in removing all tonnage limitations.

(3) When the applicant has 12 months of service as Able Seafarer on vessels of 1,600 GRT or more while holding an MMC endorsement as Third Mate, all tonnage limitations on the Third Mate's or MMC officer endorsement will be removed.

(d) No applicant holding any national endorsement as Master or Mate of vessels of less than 1,600 GRT, less than 500 GRT, or less than 25-200 GRT may use the provisions of paragraph (c) of this section to increase the tonnages of their License or endorsement.

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.