What you need to perform it
Primary qualification
- Accredited trade: vocational diploma of the mechanical manufacturing family — e.g. Técnico en Soldadura y Calderería (RD 1692/2007) or Técnico en Mecanizado (RD 1398/2007) — or equivalent industrial experience
- Coded welder qualification per EN ISO 9606-1 (steels) in the processes required by the company (SMAW/GTAW usual on board)
- Signing on as engine rating per flag; in Spain, Marinero de Máquinas certificate (Order FOM/2296/2002) — indicative, verify company requirement
Basic STCW
- A-VI/1 Basic Training and a valid medical certificate
Specific courses
- Hot-work permit system and fire watch per the company SMS
- Enclosed-space entry and atmosphere testing; lifting and slinging of heavy parts in the workshop
- Basic verification NDT (dye penetrant, visual weld inspection) — indicative, per company
Indicative experience
Indicative: 3 to 5 years of shipyard or industrial workshop (boilermaking, piping, machining) before the first embarkation as fitter; ISO 9606-1 welding qualifications must be revalidated periodically (2-3 year validity with six-monthly confirmations — indicative, verify certification scheme).
Observations
Progression route: shore workshop → shipboard Fitter → fitter/pumpman in the tanker fleet or fleet workshop foreman; via the academic route it can jump to engine officer. Professional judgement: on board almost every piece of steel is «somebody's structure» — before cutting or welding, confirm with the officer whether the part is structural, class-related or on a live circuit. Hot work without a permit or fire watch is one of the shortest routes to a serious shipboard fire.
What this role does
Specialised engine rating with workshop trade: welding, cutting, machining and fitting. Executes the structural and machinery repairs that cannot wait for port — piping, supports, exhausts, fenders — under the hot-work permit system. There is no dedicated STCW certificate for fitter: the post rests on the trade qualification (coded welding) plus the flag's safety certificates. Its value is measured in the quality of the bead and the respect for permits.
Typical watches
- Day job/repair projects
Key responsibilities
- Welding, cutting and metal fabrication.
- Repair of structures and machinery elements.
- Compliance with hot work and safety procedures.
Operational scope
- Manufacturing
- Repair work
- Safety in hot work
Profile reviewed by HydroAbyss (2026). Cited rules and timeframes are indicative: the final requirement is set by the flag State, the Administration and each company.