Chief Cook

Primary qualification

• Ship's cook certificate under MLC 2006 (Regulation 3.2 and Standard A3.2): mandatory on ships with a prescribed manning of 10 or more; requires being 18 and training approved by the flag Administration. It descends from ILO Convention C.69 (1946) on the certification of ships' cooks.
• Spain: regulated culinary training (Technician in Cuisine and Gastronomy, RD 1396/2007) or equivalent professional experience, plus the sign-on requirements for catering personnel: A-VI/1 Basic Training, medical certificate and seaman's book (verify the Spanish implementation of the MLC ship's cook certificate).

Basic STCW

• STCW A-VI/1 Basic Safety Training and ship safety familiarisation.
• Valid seafarer medical certificate.

Specific courses

• Food hygiene and handling per Regulation (EC) 852/2004 and HACCP applied to the shipboard galley.
• Allergen management (the 14 of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011) in crew menus.
• Provision store and cold chain management: temperature records, FIFO and stowage for long passages.
• MARPOL Annex V applied to food waste (comminution, special areas and the garbage record book).

Indicative experience

As a guide: 2-4 years as galley assistant or cook ashore or afloat before taking charge of a merchant ship's catering; the real test is sustaining three services a day, seven days a week, with the stores available. Each company and flag sets its own minimums.

Observations

MLC 2006 does not require a fully qualified cook below 10 crew, but anyone processing food must be trained or instructed in food hygiene (Standard A3.2 — wording as a guide). Port State Control and flag inspections check the provision store, potable water, temperature records and menu variety: catering is an inspectable matter of the maritime labour certificate, not a courtesy. Progression: steward (camarero-mozo) → Cook → Chief Cook → passenger-ship brigades (executive chef) or offshore catering (MODU chief cook). Beware the common error of citing STCW certificates of competency for this role: the cook is certified via the MLC/flag route, not under STCW chapters II/III.

Typical watches

• Food service hours

Key responsibilities

• Plan and prepare the crew's meals, three services a day, with balanced menus adapted to a multicultural crew.
• Manage the provisions store: voyage ordering, cold chain, expiry dates and consumption control.
• Apply food hygiene and safety in the galley, stores and mess rooms, with temperature records.
• Segregate and manage food waste per MARPOL Annex V.

Operational scope

• Catering
• Hygiene
• Supply management