Environmental Officer

Primary qualification

• There is no specific STCW certificate of competency for environmental officer: the usual profile is a deck (STCW II/1) or engine (III/1) officer with environmental training, or an environmental science/engineering graduate ranked as an officer by the company (as a guide).
• Working command of MARPOL 73/78 (Annexes I to VI), the BWM Convention 2004 (D-1/D-2 standards) and the associated mandatory plans: SOPEP, Garbage Management Plan (MARPOL Annex V) and SEEMP (Annex VI).
• Knowledge of the US regime: APPS, the EPA Vessel General Permit/VIDA and the Alaska passenger vessel compliance programme, plus the court-imposed Environmental Compliance Plans (ECP) at several cruise companies (varies by company).
• Valid seafarer medical certificate per flag requirements.

Basic STCW

• Full STCW A-VI/1 (basic safety training) with five-yearly refresher.
• STCW V/2 passenger ship training: crowd management and crisis management per the muster list.

Specific courses

• Advanced MARPOL Annexes I-VI and record books course (oil, garbage).
• Ballast water management (BWM Convention 2004, D-2 treatment systems).
• ISO 14001 internal auditor (company environmental management system).
• Operation of AWTS plants, scrubbers (EGCS) and washwater control (MEPC Guidelines).
• Emissions and efficiency reporting: EU MRV/maritime ETS, FuelEU Maritime and CII (as a guide, by flag and trade).
• Incident investigation and sampling/chain-of-custody techniques.

Indicative experience

As a guide: 3-5 years as a deck/engine officer or environmental technician before the position, plus 1-2 contracts as deputy or training alongside a senior EO. One EO per ship is usual; the largest ships add an assistant.

Observations

It is not a position required by SOLAS or STCW: it grew out of cruise-line policy and, above all, of the Environmental Compliance Plans imposed by US courts after the illegal-discharge cases (Caribbean Princess, 2016-2017 — as a guide), which required carrying environmental officers with an independent reporting line. The EO reports to the Master/Staff Captain on board and in parallel to the shore compliance department; in several schemes issues can be escalated without going through the ship's command. In the US, APPS rewards whistleblowers with up to half the fine: the documentary traceability this officer maintains is also the ship's legal defence. Progression: fleet senior EO or shore environmental management; on board, towards Staff Captain if holding a deck CoC.

Typical watches

• Administrative shift with environmental incident response

Key responsibilities

• Monitor MARPOL compliance (Annexes I-VI) for discharges, emissions, garbage and wastewater, and BWM Convention compliance for ballast water.
• Audit the record books (oil, garbage, ballast) and the traceability of every waste stream through to landing ashore.
• Train the crew in waste segregation and the SMS environmental procedures, and lead the zero-tolerance culture towards illegal discharges.
• Take samples and verify parameters of the advanced wastewater treatment systems (AWTS), scrubbers (EGCS) and incinerators.
• Prepare for and attend environmental inspections by flag State, Port State Control and specific programmes (US/Alaska), and investigate and report incidents.

Operational scope

• Entire vessel: engine room, treatment plants, incinerators, stores and service decks
• MARPOL special areas and emission control areas (ECA), US waters (VGP/VIDA) and Alaska
• Interface with port waste reception facilities and environmental authorities