11.101—Purpose of regulations.
(1)
A means of determining the qualifications an applicant must possess to be eligible for an officer endorsement as a staff officer, deck officer, engineer, pilot, or radio officer on merchant vessels, or for an endorsement to operate uninspected passenger vessels; and
(2)
A means of determining that an applicant is competent to serve as a master, chief mate, officer in charge of a navigational watch, chief engineer officer, second engineer officer (first assistant engineer), officer in charge of an engineering watch, designated duty engineer, or radio operator, in accordance with the provisions of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (STCW), and other laws, and to receive the appropriate endorsement as required by STCW.
(b)
With few exceptions, these regulations do not specify or restrict officer endorsements to particular types of service such as tankships, freight vessels or passenger vessels. However, each officer credentialed under this part must become familiar with the relevant characteristics of a vessel prior to assuming their duties. As appropriate, these characteristics include but are not limited to: general arrangement of the vessel; maneuvering characteristics; proper operation of the installed navigation equipment; firefighting and lifesaving equipment; stability and loading characteristics; emergency duties; and main propulsion and auxiliary machinery, including steering gear systems and controls.
(1)
Each approved training course, if the training course is to be acceptable as a partial substitute for service or for a required examination, or as training required for a particular officer endorsement; and
(2)
All training and assessment associated with meeting the standards of competence established by STCW.
[CGD 81-059, 52 FR 38623, Oct. 16, 1987, as amended by CGD 95-062, 62 FR 34528, June 26, 1997; USCG-2006-24371, 74 FR 11235, Mar. 16, 2009]