46 CFR 15.816: ARPA endorsements for deck officers
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026
This section requires an appropriate STCW endorsement valid for vessels equipped with ARPA. It covers every person in the required complement of deck officers, including the Master, on seagoing vessels equipped with automatic radar plotting aids (ARPA). Vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g) are excepted.
Applies toIt applies to every person in the required complement of deck officers, including the Master, on seagoing vessels equipped with ARPA, except those vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g).
What it says
Every person in the required complement of deck officers, including the Master, on seagoing vessels equipped with ARPA must hold an appropriate STCW endorsement valid for vessels equipped with ARPA, except on vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g).
“Every person in the required complement of deck officers, including the Master, on seagoing vessels equipped with automatic radar plotting aids (ARPA), except those vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g), must hold an appropriate STCW endorsement valid for vessels equipped with ARPA.”
The requirement does not apply to vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g).
“except those vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g), must hold an appropriate STCW endorsement valid for vessels equipped with ARPA”
Common questions
Does the Master need an ARPA endorsement?
Yes, on a seagoing vessel equipped with ARPA, but not on vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g). The Master is included among the required deck officers who must hold an appropriate STCW endorsement valid for vessels equipped with ARPA.
“Every person in the required complement of deck officers, including the Master, on seagoing vessels equipped with automatic radar plotting aids (ARPA), except those vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g), must hold an appropriate STCW endorsement valid for vessels equipped with ARPA.”
Which vessels are excepted from the ARPA endorsement requirement?
Vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g) are excepted from the requirement.
“except those vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g), must hold an appropriate STCW endorsement valid for vessels equipped with ARPA”
The text of 46 CFR 15.816
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR
Automatic radar plotting aids (ARPA)
Every person in the required complement of deck officers, including the Master, on seagoing vessels equipped with automatic radar plotting aids (ARPA), except those vessels listed in § 15.105(f) and (g), must hold an appropriate STCW endorsement valid for vessels equipped with ARPA.
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 April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.