46 CFR 11.463: National towing vessel officer endorsements

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section lists the national endorsements the Coast Guard issues for towing vessels and explains what Master and Limited mean. It also sets paths for mariners with earlier towing service and says when deck officers must meet STCW requirements.

Applies toMariners seeking national endorsements as Master or Mate on towing vessels, and deck officers serving on the seagoing towing vessels listed in paragraph (f).

What it says

  1. The Coast Guard issues five towing vessel endorsements: Master of Towing Vessels, Master of Towing Vessels-Limited, Mate (Pilot) of Towing Vessels, Apprentice Mate of Towing Vessels, and Apprentice Mate of Towing Vessels-Limited.

    46 CFR 11.463(a)“The Coast Guard issues the following endorsements for towing vessels:”

  2. A Master of Towing Vessels endorsement is for operating towing vessels not restricted to local areas designated by OCMIs. This also applies to a Mate (Pilot) of Towing Vessels.

    46 CFR 11.463(b)“An endorsement as Master of Towing Vessels means an endorsement to operate towing vessels not restricted to local areas designated by OCMIs.”

  3. For this section, "Limited" means an endorsement to operate a towing vessel of less than 200 GRT only within a local area on the Great Lakes, inland waters, or Western Rivers designated by the OCMI.

    46 CFR 11.463(c)““Limited” means an endorsement to operate a towing vessel of less than 200 GRT only within a local area on the Great Lakes, inland waters, or Western Rivers designated by the OCMI.”

  4. Mariners who met the towing training and service requirements before May 21, 2001, and kept a valid Coast Guard-issued credential, may obtain a towing endorsement if they meet the conditions in paragraphs (d)(1) through (d)(3).

    46 CFR 11.463(d)“Mariners who met the training and service requirements for towing vessels before May 21, 2001, and have maintained a valid Coast Guard-issued credential may obtain a towing endorsement”

  5. Mariners who operated towing vessels in the offshore oil and mineral industry before October 15, 2010, may obtain a towing endorsement until December 24, 2018, under the conditions in paragraph (e).

    46 CFR 11.463(e)“Mariners who operated towing vessels in the offshore oil and mineral industry prior to October 15, 2010, may obtain a towing endorsement until December 24, 2018 as follows:”

  6. Deck officers on a towing vessel on an oceans voyage beyond near-coastal waters, on an international voyage, or of 200 GRT or more on a domestic, near-coastal voyage must comply with §§ 11.309 and 11.311 for the appropriate STCW endorsement.

    46 CFR 11.463(f)“Deck officers who serve on the following seagoing vessels must comply with the requirements of §§ 11.309 and 11.311 of this subpart for the appropriate STCW endorsement:”

  7. Mate (Pilot) or Master of Towing Vessels endorsements may be issued with a restriction to specific types of towing vessels or towing operations.

    46 CFR 11.463(g)“Endorsements as Mate (Pilot) or Master of Towing Vessels may be issued with a restriction to specific types of towing vessels and/or towing operations”

Common questions

What does a Limited towing endorsement allow?

It allows operating a towing vessel of less than 200 GRT only within a local area on the Great Lakes, inland waters, or Western Rivers designated by the OCMI.

““Limited” means an endorsement to operate a towing vessel of less than 200 GRT only within a local area on the Great Lakes, inland waters, or Western Rivers designated by the OCMI.”

Which towing officers need an STCW endorsement?

Deck officers on seagoing towing vessels listed in paragraph (f) must comply with §§ 11.309 and 11.311 for the appropriate STCW endorsement. These include vessels on oceans or international voyages.

“Deck officers who serve on the following seagoing vessels must comply with the requirements of §§ 11.309 and 11.311 of this subpart for the appropriate STCW endorsement:”

Can a towing endorsement be restricted?

Yes. Mate (Pilot) or Master of Towing Vessels endorsements may be issued with a restriction to specific types of towing vessels or towing operations.

“Endorsements as Mate (Pilot) or Master of Towing Vessels may be issued with a restriction to specific types of towing vessels and/or towing operations”

The text of 46 CFR 11.463

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of March 31, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

General requirements for national endorsements as Master, Mate

(a) The Coast Guard issues the following endorsements for towing vessels:

(1) Master of Towing Vessels.

(2) Master of Towing Vessels-Limited.

(3) Mate (Pilot) of Towing Vessels.

(4) Apprentice Mate of Towing Vessels.

(5) Apprentice Mate of Towing Vessels-Limited.

(b) An endorsement as Master of Towing Vessels means an endorsement to operate towing vessels not restricted to local areas designated by OCMIs. This also applies to a Mate (Pilot) of Towing Vessels.

(c) For this section, “Limited” means an endorsement to operate a towing vessel of less than 200 GRT only within a local area on the Great Lakes, inland waters, or Western Rivers designated by the OCMI.

(d) Mariners who met the training and service requirements for towing vessels before May 21, 2001, and have maintained a valid Coast Guard-issued credential may obtain a towing endorsement if they meet the following:

(1) Demonstrate at least 90 days of towing service before May 21, 2001;

(2) Provide evidence of successfully completing the Apprentice Mate exam, its predecessor exam, or a superior exam' and

(3) Meet the renewal requirements in § 10.227(e)(6)(i) of this subchapter.

(e) Mariners who operated towing vessels in the offshore oil and mineral industry prior to October 15, 2010, may obtain a towing endorsement until December 24, 2018 as follows:

(1) Mariners who held an officer endorsement as Operator of Uninspected Towing Vessels (OUTV) or Mate or Master of Inspected Self-propelled Vessels may qualify for a towing endorsement if they meet the following:

(i) Provide evidence of at least 90 days of service on towing vessels in the offshore oil and mineral industry prior to October 15, 2010;

(ii) Provide evidence of successfully completing the Apprentice Mate of Towing Vessels examination, its predecessor exam, or a superior exam; and

(iii) Meet the renewal requirements in § 10.227(e)(6) of this subchapter.

(2) Mariners who have not held any of the officer endorsements listed in paragraph (e)(1) of this section may qualify for an endorsement as Master of Towing Vessels if they meet the following:

(i) Provide evidence of at least 48 months of service on towing vessels in the offshore oil and mineral industry prior to October 15, 2010; and

(ii) Successfully complete the appropriate Apprentice Mate of Towing Vessels exam.

(3) Mariners who have not held any of the officer endorsements listed in paragraph (e)(1) of this section may qualify for an endorsement as Mate of Towing Vessels if they meet the following:

(i) Provide evidence of at least 36 months of service on towing vessels in the offshore oil and mineral industry prior to October 15, 2010; and

(ii) Successfully complete the appropriate Apprentice Mate of Towing Vessels exam.

(f) Deck officers who serve on the following seagoing vessels must comply with the requirements of §§ 11.309 and 11.311 of this subpart for the appropriate STCW endorsement:

(1) A towing vessel on an oceans voyage operating beyond near-coastal waters.

(2) A towing vessel on an international voyage.

(3) A towing vessel of 200 GRT or more on a domestic, near-coastal voyage.

(g) Endorsements as Mate (Pilot) or Master of Towing Vessels may be issued with a restriction to specific types of towing vessels and/or towing operations such as vessels that do not routinely perform all of the tasks identified in the Towing Officer Assessment Record (TOAR).

(h) Figure 11.463(h) illustrates the towing officer endorsement structure, including crossover points. The section numbers on the diagram refer to the specific requirements applicable.

Figure 1 to § 11.463(h)—Structure of Towing Officer Endorsements

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 March 31, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.