What you need to perform it
Primary qualification
- STCW II/1 (operational) or II/2 (management) deck officer certificate of competency with flag endorsement; the position is usually filled at senior second or chief officer rank (as a guide).
- The dedicated safety officer position is created not by STCW but by the company SMS under the ISM Code: on cruise ships it is a rank of its own on the deck ladder, under the Staff Captain.
- Command of SOLAS Chapters II-2 and III, the LSA Code, the FSS Code and the lifeboat and launching-appliance maintenance regime of Resolution MSC.402(96).
Basic STCW
- Full officer package: A-VI/1, A-VI/2-1 (survival craft), A-VI/3 (advanced fire fighting) and A-VI/4-1, with five-yearly refreshers.
- Full STCW V/2 passenger ship training: crowd, crisis and human behaviour — in this position at the level of the person who designs the drills, not merely runs them.
Specific courses
- Fast rescue boats (STCW A-VI/2-2) where fitted.
- ISM internal auditor and marine accident investigation techniques (IMO Casualty Investigation Code as reference).
- Risk assessment and permit-to-work systems (the MCA's COSWP as good-practice reference).
- LSA/FFE maintenance and examination with makers and authorised service providers (MSC.402(96)).
- Marine evacuation systems (MES) and the specific ship's passenger flow management (company training).
Indicative experience
As a guide: 3-5 years as a deck officer, at least 1-2 of them on passenger ships, before taking the position; it is a usual step before chief officer and Staff Captain on the cruise ladder.
Observations
Works in step with the Staff Captain, Fire Patrol and Security to sustain the ship's readiness; not to be confused with the Security Officer (ISPS) or the occupational safety officer, although on smaller ships the roles overlap. The post-Costa Concordia amendments (passenger muster before departure, SOLAS III/19) and the MSC.402(96) boat maintenance regime set the weekly agenda. Dataset progression: second/chief officer → Safety Officer → Staff Captain.
What this role does
On a cruise ship, safety cannot be a watch officer's side duty: with thousands of passengers who do not know their way around the vessel, emergency response only works if someone trains it, measures it and corrects it every week. That someone is this officer. Costa Concordia turned this agenda into law: the passenger muster before sailing and the tightening of drills come from there. Success here is invisible — it is measured in boring drills and lifeboats that lower at the first attempt.
Typical watches
- Permanent operational availability and drill schedule
Key responsibilities
- Keep lifeboats, liferafts, lifejackets, fire-extinguishing systems and abandonment equipment operational per SOLAS III/20 and the LSA Code.
- Schedule and run the SOLAS III/19 drills: weekly crew abandon-ship and fire drills and the passenger muster before or upon departure.
- Keep the muster list and safety plans up to date, and audit each crew member's knowledge of their duties.
- Manage the permit-to-work system (hot work, aloft, enclosed spaces) and the SMS accident and near-miss investigation.
- Prepare the ship for inspections: flag State, Port State Control and internal and external ISM audits.
Operational scope
- The entire ship: LSA, FFE, escape routes and muster stations
- Drill calendar and safety training of a crew of hundreds or thousands
- Interface with the Staff Captain, Security and the engine department in the emergency organisation
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.