What you need to perform it
Primary qualification
- Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch (OOW) certificate — STCW Regulation II/1 (section A-II/1), ships ≥ 500 GT, with flag endorsement
- Spain: professional Piloto de Segunda de la Marina Mercante certificate (RD 973/2009), after the Nautical Science and Maritime Transport degree, with a valid professional card
Basic STCW
- A-VI/1 Basic Training, A-VI/2-1 Survival craft and rescue boats, A-VI/3 Advanced firefighting, A-VI/4-1 Medical first aid
Specific courses
- GMDSS General Operator Certificate (GOC) — STCW Regulation IV/2, mandatory for the watch officer in GMDSS areas
- Generic ECDIS (IMO model course 1.27) plus ship-specific familiarisation; radar/ARPA and Bridge Resource Management (BRM), embedded in A-II/1 since Manila 2010
- LSA/FFE inspection and maintenance under SOLAS and the FSS Code: the weekly and monthly rounds this officer usually owns
Indicative experience
Regulation II/1: minimum age 18 and ≥ 12 months of seagoing service within an approved programme with Training Record Book (including ≥ 6 months of supervised bridge watchkeeping duties), or ≥ 36 months without a programme. Typical time in rank: 1 to 2 years before promotion to Second Officer (indicative, company criterion).
Observations
Progression route: Cadet → Third Officer (II/1) → Second Officer (navigation) → Chief Officer (STCW II/2, with ≥ 12 months of service as OOW) → Master (II/2, with ≥ 36 months as officer, of which ≥ 18 as chief officer — indicative, to be verified). The good third officer's hallmark: boats, rafts and fire outfits always ready and documented — in a PSC inspection, LSA/FFE deficiencies point straight to their patch.
What this role does
Junior-most bridge officer: keeps the navigational watch as officer in charge (STCW Regulation II/1) — typically the 8-to-12 — and carries the ship's safety workload: periodic inspections of life-saving and firefighting appliances under SOLAS (Ch. III) and the maintenance plan, muster list updates and support in cargo and deck work. In Spain it is reached with the Piloto de Segunda de la Marina Mercante certificate (RD 973/2009). It is the rank where watchkeeping judgement is forged.
Typical watches
- 08:00–12:00 Morning watch
- 20:00–00:00 Night watch
Key responsibilities
- Safety officer: life-saving and fire-fighting equipment.
- Control of rescue means (jackets, rafts, boats).
- Support in loading operations and deck maintenance.
Operational scope
- Safety equipment
- Bridge watch
- Deck support
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.