46 CFR 15.865: Qualified Member of the Engine Department endorsements

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section covers the Qualified Member of the Engine Department (QMED) rating. Anyone serving under a QMED rating endorsement on a U.S. vessel requiring QMED must hold a QMED endorsement. On vessels subject to STCW, certain seafarers must also hold an additional STCW endorsement.

Applies toEvery person serving under the authority of a QMED rating endorsement on any United States vessel requiring QMED, and certain seafarers on vessels subject to STCW.

What it says

  1. Every person serving under the authority of a QMED rating endorsement on a United States vessel requiring QMED must hold an endorsement as QMED.

    46 CFR 15.865(a)“Every person serving under the authority of a rating endorsement as Qualified Member of the Engine Department (QMED) on any United States vessel requiring QMED must hold an endorsement as QMED.”

  2. On vessels subject to STCW, certain seafarers meeting the requirement of this section must also hold an STCW endorsement as Able Seafarer-Engine or Rating Forming Part of an Engineering Watch (RFPEW), or be designated to perform duties in a periodically unmanned engineroom, according to § 15.404(c) and (d).

    46 CFR 15.865(b)“certain seafarers meeting the requirement of this section must also hold either an STCW endorsement as Able Seafarer-Engine or Rating Forming Part of an Engineering Watch (RFPEW)”

  3. The additional STCW requirement has an exception noted in § 15.105(g) for vessels on domestic near-coastal voyages.

    46 CFR 15.865(b)“except as noted in § 15.105(g) for vessels on domestic near-coastal voyages.”

Common questions

Do I need a QMED endorsement to serve as QMED?

Yes. Every person serving under the authority of a QMED rating endorsement on a United States vessel requiring QMED must hold an endorsement as QMED.

“must hold an endorsement as QMED.”

Do QMEDs on STCW vessels need any other endorsement?

On vessels subject to STCW, certain seafarers meeting the requirement of this section must also hold an STCW endorsement as Able Seafarer-Engine or RFPEW, or be designated for duties in a periodically unmanned engineroom.

“On vessels subject to STCW, certain seafarers meeting the requirement of this section must also hold either an STCW endorsement as Able Seafarer-Engine”

Is there an exception for domestic near-coastal voyages?

Yes. The additional STCW requirement has an exception noted in § 15.105(g) for vessels on domestic near-coastal voyages.

“except as noted in § 15.105(g) for vessels on domestic near-coastal voyages.”

The text of 46 CFR 15.865

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Qualified Member of the Engine Department

(a) Every person serving under the authority of a rating endorsement as Qualified Member of the Engine Department (QMED) on any United States vessel requiring QMED must hold an endorsement as QMED.

(b) On vessels subject to STCW, certain seafarers meeting the requirement of this section must also hold either an STCW endorsement as Able Seafarer-Engine or Rating Forming Part of an Engineering Watch (RFPEW) or designated to perform duties in a periodically unmanned engineroom (according to § 15.404(c) and (d)), except as noted in § 15.105(g) for vessels on domestic near-coastal voyages.

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.