If you have a Certificate of Competency issued by another country and you are going to work on an Irish ship you must have an ‘endorsement of recognition’ of that certificate, issued by Ireland. This is known as a Certificate of Equivalent Competency. We will only issue a Certificate of Equivalent Competency to a person who is going to work on an Irish ship and has an offer of employment. We will only issue Certificates of Equivalent Competency to seafarers that hold Certificates of Competency from countries that we have mutual agreements with.
When your application for a Certificate of Equivalent Competency has been received we will check the validity and authenticity of your Certificate of Competency with the country that issued it. If it is authentic and valid we will issue you with a Confirmation of Receipt of Application that will allow you to sail on an Irish ship whilst we process your application.
Prior to submitting your application for a Certificate of Equivalent Competency you should ensure that:
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You know or have applied for your Seafarer ID Number.
- You are employed on, or have an offer of employment on, an Irish ship
- You hold a Certificate of Competency from a country that we have a mutual agreement with
- Your Certificate of Competency is valid and the limits are appropriate for the position on board
- You have a sufficient command of the English language to sail on an Irish ship
- You have a valid Medical Fitness Certificate, and
- You have the following valid certificates or refresher training for:
- Advanced Fire Fighting
- Medical First Aid or Medical Care as appropriate, and
- Survival Craft and Rescue Boats other than Fast Rescue Boats.
Applicants for Certificates of Equivalent Competency (CEC) issued by the Government of Ireland are required to show an acceptable level of competency in the English language in written, oral and aural form. This is a requirement under Irish and International regulations.
- Pass in the Marlins English Language Computer Test at an approved Marlins Test Centre. Approved Marlins test centres are available on the Marlin company home page http://www.marlins.co.uk
The minimum acceptable pass marks (to be submitted on a Marlins approved centre stamped computer printout) are as follows:
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Deck Officers
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Engineering Officers
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Senior Deck Officers (Management level) 90%
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Senior Engineering Officers (Management level) 80%
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Junior Deck Officers (Operational level) 80%
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Junior Engineering Officers (Operational level) 70%
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In addition, as the Marlins English Language Computer Test does not cover oral English, evidence of a satisfactory level of oral English has to be demonstrated. Oral English has to be assessed at a centre recognised by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. In order to be recognised, assessors should forward details of their credentials, qualifications and competency in the English language to:
Examination Section Ph +353 1 6783400
Marine Survey Office Fx + 353 1 6783409
Department of Transport Email stcw@dttas.ie
Leeson Lane
Dublin 2
Ireland
The recommended criteria and the checklist should be used each time an oral assessment of an individual’s level of competency in the English language is made. A copy of the checklist is to be retained by the company and a copy of the checklist (together with any other certificates required e.g. Marlins) is to be submitted with the application for CEC to:
Examination Section Ph +353 1 6783400
Marine Survey Office Fx + 353 1 6783409
Department of Transport Email stcw@dttas.ie
Leeson Lane
Dublin 2
Ireland
- Pass in the Marlins English Language Computer Test at an approved Marlins Test Centre, as outlined above and in addition, pass in the ISF Marlins Test of Spoken English (TOSE) at an approved Marlins Test Centre. The TOSE complements the computer-based test. Approved Marlins test centres for the English Language Computer Test and the TOSE are available on the Marlin company home page http://www.marlins.co.uk
The minimum acceptable pass marks (to be submitted on a Marlins approved centre stamped computer printout) for the Marlins combined test scoring system is as follows:
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Level / Department
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ISF Marlins English computer test
Minimum acceptable score
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Test of Spoken English (TOSE)
Minimum acceptable
TOSE result (overall)
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Minimum acceptable combined score
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Management & Operational Level
Navigational Dept.
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Master
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90%
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Upper Intermediate
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86%
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Chief Officer
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90%
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Upper Intermediate
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86%
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2nd Officer
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80%
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Intermediate
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72%
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3rd Officer
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80%
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Lower Intermediate
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62%
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Engineering Dept.
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Chief Engineer Officer
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80%
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Intermediate
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72%
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2nd Engineer Officer
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80%
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Lower Intermediate
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62%
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3rd Engineer Officer
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70%
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Lower Intermediate
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58%
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4th Engineer Officer
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70%
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Lower Intermediate
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58%
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- Hold an STCW Certificate of Competency for which the examinations were conducted wholly in English.
- Hold an English Language test certificate that is comparable to or exceeds the level of Marlins (e.g. IELTS Level 6, Berlitz Language School level 2+ endorsed by the company, TOEFL for admission to US University).
- Other evidence of proficiency in the English language may be dealt with on a case by case basis by the Examiner (e.g. evidence of degree or diploma where the course and examinations are conducted through English)
Full details of English language testing requirements are contained in the Examination Directions.
When your application is received and the authenticity of your Certificate of Competency has been verified a Confirmation of Receipt of Application (CRA) will be issued to you.
Once you have received your CRA you may work on an Irish ship for a period of not more than three months whilst your CEC is being prepared and sent to you.