46 CFR 15.1107: Owner or operator maintenance of mariner records
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026
This section covers records for credentialed mariners on U.S.-documented seagoing vessels. The owner or operator must ensure the listed information is maintained and readily accessible to those in management positions responsible for safety, legal compliance and pollution prevention.
Applies toIt applies to owners and operators of U.S.-documented seagoing vessels, for every credentialed mariner employed on those vessels.
What it says
For every credentialed mariner employed on a U.S.-documented seagoing vessel, the owner or operator must ensure the listed information is maintained and readily accessible to management.
“For every credentialed mariner employed on a U.S.-documented seagoing vessel, the owner or operator must ensure that the following information is maintained and readily accessible”
The information must be readily accessible to those in management positions, including the Master, who are responsible for vessel safety, compliance with laws and regulations, and prevention of marine pollution.
“to those in management positions, including the Master of the vessel, who are responsible for the safety of the vessel, compliance with laws and regulations, and for the prevention of marine pollution”
The owner or operator must maintain a record of the mariner's experience and training relevant to assigned shipboard duties, meaning training completed, ship-specific familiarization and relevant on-the-job experience acquired.
46 CFR 15.1107(a)“Experience and training relevant to assigned shipboard duties (i.e., record of training completed, ship-specific familiarization and of relevant on-the-job experience acquired).”
The owner or operator must maintain copies of the mariner's current credentials.
46 CFR 15.1107(b)“Copies of the mariner's current credentials.”
Common questions
What mariner records must an owner or operator keep?
The owner or operator must keep a record of the mariner's relevant experience and training, and copies of the mariner's current credentials.
“Copies of the mariner's current credentials.”
Who must be able to readily access mariner records?
Those in management positions, including the Master of the vessel, who are responsible for vessel safety, legal compliance and pollution prevention must have ready access.
“to those in management positions, including the Master of the vessel, who are responsible for the safety of the vessel, compliance with laws and regulations, and for the prevention of marine pollution”
What counts as training and experience records under this section?
They include a record of training completed, ship-specific familiarization and relevant on-the-job experience acquired.
“Experience and training relevant to assigned shipboard duties (i.e., record of training completed, ship-specific familiarization and of relevant on-the-job experience acquired).”
The text of 46 CFR 15.1107
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR
Maintenance of merchant mariners' records by owner or operator
For every credentialed mariner employed on a U.S.-documented seagoing vessel, the owner or operator must ensure that the following information is maintained and readily accessible to those in management positions, including the Master of the vessel, who are responsible for the safety of the vessel, compliance with laws and regulations, and for the prevention of marine pollution:
(a) Experience and training relevant to assigned shipboard duties (i.e., record of training completed, ship-specific familiarization and of relevant on-the-job experience acquired).
(b) Copies of the mariner's current credentials.
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.