46 CFR 11.497: Mate-OSV endorsement service requirements

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section sets the minimum service an applicant needs for an endorsement as Mate-OSV. An applicant may qualify through deck service or through an approved or accepted Mate-OSV training program. It also covers STCW endorsements and possible Coast Guard exemptions.

Applies toApplicants for an endorsement as Mate-OSV.

What it says

  1. An applicant may qualify with twenty-four months of total service in the deck department of ocean or near-coastal self-propelled, sail, or auxiliary sail vessels.

    46 CFR 11.497(a)(1)“Twenty-four months of total service in the deck department of ocean or near-coastal self-propelled, sail, or auxiliary sail vessels.”

  2. Service on Great Lakes and inland waters may substitute for up to 1 year of the required service.

    46 CFR 11.497(a)(1)“Service on Great Lakes and inland waters may substitute for up to 1 year of the required service.”

  3. Under the twenty-four month path, one year of the required service must have been on vessels of more than 100 GRT.

    46 CFR 11.497(a)(1)“One year of the required service must have been on vessels of more than 100 GRT; or”

  4. Alternatively, an applicant may qualify with one year of total service as part of an approved or accepted Mate-OSV training program.

    46 CFR 11.497(a)(2)“One year of total service as part of an approved or accepted Mate-OSV training program.”

  5. A person holding an endorsement as Mate-OSV may qualify for an STCW endorsement, according to § 11.309.

    46 CFR 11.497(b)“A person holding an endorsement as Mate-OSV may qualify for an STCW endorsement, according to § 11.309.”

  6. The Coast Guard may exempt an applicant from any STCW Regulation II/1 requirement it determines is inappropriate or unnecessary for service on an OSV, or that the applicant meets under Article IX of STCW equivalency provisions.

    46 CFR 11.497(c)“The Coast Guard may exempt an applicant from meeting any requirement under STCW Regulation II/1”

Common questions

How much service do I need for a Mate-OSV endorsement?

You need twenty-four months of total service in the deck department of ocean or near-coastal self-propelled, sail, or auxiliary sail vessels, with one year on vessels of more than 100 GRT. The other path is one year of total service as part of an approved or accepted Mate-OSV training program.

“Twenty-four months of total service in the deck department of ocean or near-coastal self-propelled, sail, or auxiliary sail vessels.”

Can Great Lakes or inland service count toward Mate-OSV?

Yes. Service on Great Lakes and inland waters may substitute for up to 1 year of the required service.

“Service on Great Lakes and inland waters may substitute for up to 1 year of the required service.”

Can a Mate-OSV get an STCW endorsement?

A person holding an endorsement as Mate-OSV may qualify for an STCW endorsement, according to § 11.309.

“A person holding an endorsement as Mate-OSV may qualify for an STCW endorsement, according to § 11.309.”

The text of 46 CFR 11.497

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of October 1, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Mate-OSV

Link to an amendment published at 91 FR 60883, Sept. 25, 2026.

(a) The minimum service required to qualify an applicant for an endorsement as Mate-OSV is—

(1) Twenty-four months of total service in the deck department of ocean or near-coastal self-propelled, sail, or auxiliary sail vessels. Service on Great Lakes and inland waters may substitute for up to 1 year of the required service. One year of the required service must have been on vessels of more than 100 GRT; or

(2) One year of total service as part of an approved or accepted Mate-OSV training program.

(b) A person holding an endorsement as Mate-OSV may qualify for an STCW endorsement, according to § 11.309.

(c) The Coast Guard may exempt an applicant from meeting any requirement under STCW Regulation II/1 (incorporated by reference, see § 11.102 of this part) that the Coast Guard determines to be inappropriate or unnecessary for service on an OSV, or that the applicant meets under the equivalency provisions of Article IX of STCW.

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 October 1, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.