46 C.F.R. § 12.02-11 General provisions respecting merchant mariners' documents.
Title 46 - Shipping
(a) As provided in §12.02–5, every certificate of service, certificate of efficiency, or certificate of identification issued or reissued shall be in the form of a merchant mariner's document, Coast Guard Form CG-2838. (b) Any licensed officer or unlicensed seaman currently holding, in a valid status, any of the documents listed in paragraph (a) of this section may, upon request and without examination, be issued a merchant mariner's document. (c) A merchant mariner's document shall be a certificate of service authorizing the holder to serve in any rating endorsed thereon, or in any lower rating in the same department, or in any rating covered by a general endorsement thereon. (d)(1) A merchant mariner's document issued to a licensed deck officer will be endorsed for, any unlicensed rating in the deck department, except able seaman, and will be a certificate of service authorizing the holder to serve in any unlicensed capacity in the deck department, except able seaman, without being required to present his license. If a licensed deck officer qualifies as able seaman, the merchant mariner's document will be endorsed, any unlicensed rating in the deck department, including able seaman, and such endorsement will be deemed to include a certificate of efficiency as lifeboatman. (2) A merchant mariner's document issued to an engineer officer licensed for inspected vessels of over 2,000 horsepower, will be endorsed for any unlicensed rating in the engine department, and will be a certificate of service authorizing the holder to serve in any unlicensed capacity in the engine department without being required to present his license. If a licensed engineer qualifies as a lifeboatman, the further endorsement, lifeboatman, will be placed on the merchant mariner's document. (3) A merchant mariner's document issued to a licensed radio officer will be endorsed as follows: See License as Radio Officer. If a licensed radio officer qualifies as a lifeboatman, the further endorsement, Lifeboatman, will be placed on the merchant mariner's document. Qualifications for other ratings for which a radio officer is eligible may also be endorsed on the document. (e)(1) A merchant mariner's document issued to a staff officer will be endorsed as follows: See Certificate of Registry. The holder of a certificate of registry as chief purser, purser, senior assistant purser, or junior assistant purser, may also serve in any capacity in the staff department not requiring a certificate of registry without obtaining an additional endorsement on his merchant mariner's document. (2) The authorized holder of any valid merchant mariner's document, however endorsed, may serve in any capacity in the staff department of a vessel, except in those capacities requiring registered staff officers: Provided, That whenever such service includes the handling of food no person may be so employed unless his document bears the food handler's endorsement “(F.H.).” (f) A merchant mariner's document endorsed as able seaman or as lifeboatman shall be a certificate of efficiency as lifeboatman. (g) Every merchant mariner's document shall be a certificate of identification unless the holder also holds a continuous discharge book. The holder of a certificate of identification in the form issued before November 1, 1945, shall surrender that certificate before he is issued a merchant mariner's document. (h) When a merchant mariner's document is issued, renewed, or endorsed, the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, will determine whether the holder of the document is required to hold an STCW endorsement for service on a seagoing vessel, and then, if the holder is qualified, the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection will issue the appropriate endorsement. The Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection will also issue an STCW endorsement at other times, if circumstances so require and if the holder of the document is qualified to hold the endorsement. The Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection will issue an STCW endorsement for the following ratings: (1) A rating forming part of a navigational watch on a seagoing ship of 500 GT or more if the holder of the document is qualified in accordance with STCW Regulation II/4 and Section A-II/4 of the STCW Code (incorporated by reference in §12.01–3), to perform the navigational function at the support level. (2) A rating forming part of a watch in a manned engine-room, or designated to perform duties in a periodically unmanned engine-room, on a seagoing ship driven by main propulsion machinery of 750 kW [1,000 hp] of propulsion power or more, if the holder is qualified in accordance with STCW Regulation III/4 and Section A-III/4 of the STCW Code, to perform the marine-engineering function at the support level. (i) At the request of the holder of the document, the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection may add an endorsement to indicate that a qualified holder has received basic safety-training or instruction required under Chapter VI of STCW. [CGFR 65–50, 30 FR 16640, Dec. 30, 1965, as amended by CGD 95–062, 62 FR 34535, June 26, 1997; USCG-1999–5610, 67 FR 66068, Oct. 30, 2002; USCG-2004–18884, 69 FR 58343, Sept. 30, 2004]
Title 46: Shipping
PART 12—CERTIFICATION OF SEAMEN
Subpart 12.02—General Requirements for Certification
§ 12.02-11 General provisions respecting merchant mariners' documents.
