What you need to perform it
Primary qualification
- STCW Regulation II/2 certificate of competency (management level): chief mate on ships of 3,000 GT or more (or limited to under 3,000 GT depending on the certificate). Requires at least 12 months of sea service as officer in charge of a navigational watch (II/1).
- In Spain: professional qualification of Piloto de Primera de la Marina Mercante (RD 973/2009), obtained from Piloto de Segunda with 12 months served as deck officer; grants chief mate attributions (verify the RD's tonnage limits).
- Flag State endorsement of the certificate (STCW I/2) and valid medical fitness (I/9; in Spain, the ISM medical).
- GMDSS certificate (STCW IV/2, GOC) for ships in areas A2-A4.
Basic STCW
- Full officer package: A-VI/1 (basic training), A-VI/2-1 (survival craft), A-VI/3 (advanced fire fighting) and A-VI/4-1 (medical first aid), with five-yearly refreshers.
- A-VI/4-2 (medical care on board) when designated as the person in charge of medical care per the muster list.
Specific courses
- ECDIS (IMO model course 1.27) and ship-specific equipment familiarisation.
- Bridge resource management (BRM) and management-level leadership (HELM-M / A-II/2).
- Ship Security Officer (SSO, STCW VI/5): commonly assigned to the chief mate.
- Cargo training by segment: chemical/oil/gas tankers (STCW V/1-1 and V/1-2), ro-ro or containers.
- The specific ship's loading computer and damage stability (company training).
Indicative experience
Regulatory minimum: 12 months as officer of the watch for the II/2 (as a guide: in practice 3-5 years as third and second officer before promotion). For master, Regulation II/2 requires 36 months as officer, reducible to 24 if at least 12 were served as chief mate.
Observations
Flag and segment define the certificate's exact name and tonnage limits (< 3,000 GT or unlimited). Dataset progression: second officer → chief mate → master; in Spain, Piloto de Primera → Capitán de la Marina Mercante (RD 973/2009). On many ships this officer also takes the safety officer and SSO roles, and on tankers/gas carriers is responsible for the entire cargo operation — the segment conditions the job as much as the rank. Revalidation requires sea service and A-VI refreshers per STCW I/11.
What this role does
Second in command and the ship's real day-to-day manager: cargo, stability, maintenance and operational safety all cross this desk. The step from second to chief mate is the biggest change in a deck career: you stop executing the watch and start answering for outcomes — a miscalculated cargo plan or a badly ballasted tank is this officer's responsibility before anyone else's. It is also the mandatory antechamber of command: months served as chief mate reduce the sea service required for master.
Typical watches
- 04:00–08:00 and 16:00–20:00 — the chief mate's traditional watch
- In port: cargo shift and operations supervision
Key responsibilities
- Plan and supervise loading, discharge and ballasting: cargo plan, stability and stress calculations with the loading computer.
- Run the deck department: maintenance plan, the bosun's and ratings' daily work, and work permits.
- Keep the navigational watch as officer of the watch on his turn.
- Act as the ship's safety officer: drills, fire-fighting and survival equipment, enclosed spaces.
- Control deck rest hours (MLC 2006/STCW A-VIII/1) and command the forward mooring station when berthing and anchoring.
Operational scope
- The ship's cargo, ballast and stability operations
- Structural and deck equipment maintenance
- Operational safety, drills and emergency preparedness
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.