Licensed mariner

A licensed mariner is a sailor who holds a license from a maritime authority to hold senior officer-level positions aboard ships, boats, and similar vessels.

Qualification standards for licensed mariners are universally set by the STCW Convention adopted and promulgated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), while the licenses of individual sailors are issued by the delegated maritime authorities of the member states of the IMO; these may vary in the details of the implementation, including the government agency responsible for licensing and the local names of the grades and qualifications in each particular country.

In the United Kingdom, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency issue licenses, known as Certificates of Competency, in a similar fashion under the amended STCW convention.

There are a wide variety of licenses for deck officers, with restrictions of geography and tonnage.

Licenses are issued in the grades of: Staff officers are issued a Certificate of Registry in the following grades: Pilot licenses vary with tonnage and geography.