46 CFR 12.905: General STCW passenger vessel training requirements

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section sets general requirements for seafarers who perform duties involving safety or care for passengers on passenger vessels on international voyages. They may serve only after meeting STCW Regulation V/2 and section A-V/2 of the STCW Code and holding documentary evidence. Personnel on small passenger vessels on domestic, near-coastal voyages are not subject to any obligation for this STCW requirement.

Applies toSeafarers serving on passenger vessels on international voyages who perform duties that involve safety or care for passengers.

What it says

  1. A seafarer may serve on a passenger vessel on an international voyage and perform duties that involve safety or care for passengers only after meeting the appropriate requirements of STCW Regulation V/2 and section A-V/2 of the STCW Code.

    46 CFR 12.905(a)(1)“Meeting the appropriate requirements of the STCW Regulation V/2 and of section A-V/2 of the STCW Code”

  2. The seafarer must also hold documentary evidence showing that the mariner meets these requirements through approved or accepted training.

    46 CFR 12.905(a)(2)“Holding documentary evidence to show that the mariner meets these requirements through approved or accepted training.”

  3. Seafarers who are required to be trained in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) must provide evidence of maintaining the standard of competence at intervals not exceeding 5 years.

    46 CFR 12.905(b)“must, at intervals not exceeding 5 years, provide evidence of maintaining the standard of competence.”

  4. The Coast Guard will accept onboard training and experience, shown through evidence of 1 year of sea service within the last 5 years, as meeting the requirements of paragraph (a)(2).

    46 CFR 12.905(c)“The Coast Guard will accept onboard training and experience, through evidence of 1 year of sea service within the last 5 years”

  5. Personnel serving onboard small passenger vessels engaged in domestic, near-coastal voyages, as defined in § 15.105(g)(1) of this subchapter, are not subject to any obligation for the purpose of this STCW requirement.

    46 CFR 12.905(d)“are not subject to any obligation for the purpose of this STCW requirement.”

Common questions

How often must STCW passenger vessel competence evidence be provided?

Seafarers who are required to be trained in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) must provide evidence of maintaining the standard of competence at intervals not exceeding 5 years.

“must, at intervals not exceeding 5 years, provide evidence of maintaining the standard of competence.”

Does sea service count as STCW passenger vessel training evidence?

Yes. The Coast Guard will accept onboard training and experience, through evidence of 1 year of sea service within the last 5 years, as meeting the requirements of paragraph (a)(2).

“The Coast Guard will accept onboard training and experience, through evidence of 1 year of sea service within the last 5 years”

Do small domestic passenger vessel crews have STCW passenger obligations?

Personnel on small passenger vessels engaged in domestic, near-coastal voyages, as defined in § 15.105(g)(1) of this subchapter, are not subject to any obligation for the purpose of this STCW requirement.

“are not subject to any obligation for the purpose of this STCW requirement.”

The text of 46 CFR 12.905

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

General requirements

Link to an amendment published at 91 FR 60884, Sept. 25, 2026.

(a) Any seafarer may serve on a passenger vessel on an international voyage and perform duties that involve safety or care for passengers, only after—

(1) Meeting the appropriate requirements of the STCW Regulation V/2 and of section A-V/2 of the STCW Code (incorporated by reference, see § 12.103 of this part); and

(2) Holding documentary evidence to show that the mariner meets these requirements through approved or accepted training.

(b) Seafarers who are required to be trained in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this section must, at intervals not exceeding 5 years, provide evidence of maintaining the standard of competence.

(c) The Coast Guard will accept onboard training and experience, through evidence of 1 year of sea service within the last 5 years, as meeting the requirements of paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(d) Personnel serving onboard small passenger vessels engaged in domestic, near-coastal voyages, as defined in § 15.105(g)(1) of this subchapter, are not subject to any obligation for the purpose of this STCW requirement.

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.