Chief Engineer CV
CHIEF. CV · STCW III/2
A chief engineer’s CV is read for engines: which main engines, how much power, which fuel, and how many months as chief on them.
The job, and what crewing reads first
The chief engineer answers for all the machinery on board: propulsion, power generation, boilers, pumps, deck machinery, the maintenance plan, spares and the budget, fuel and lubricants, class surveys and dry-docks. The chief engineer also leads the engine crew and keeps the engine records that port state and class inspect.
Make the engines easy to find: main engine make and model, two-stroke or four-stroke, electronic or camshaft control, power in kW. Add the fuels you have run on (heavy fuel, low-sulphur fuels, LNG on dual-fuel engines), and the systems owners ask about: scrubbers, ballast water treatment, shaft generators.
Certificate of competency: STCW III/2
Issued as: Chief engineer officer, 3,000 kW propulsion power or more.
You first hold the certificate of officer in charge of an engineering watch (STCW III/1). For chief engineer on ships of 3,000 kW or more, STCW asks for at least 36 months of approved seagoing service. That drops to 24 months if at least 12 of them were served as second engineer officer.
Ships between 750 and 3,000 kW have their own certificate, STCW III/3. Write the power limit of your certificate in the CV: it decides which ships you can join.
Certificates to list
The STCW certificates this rank is asked for. List each with its number, issue date, expiry date and the country that issued it.
| Certificate | STCW | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Safety Training | VI/1 | Personal survival, fire prevention and fire fighting, elementary first aid, personal safety and social responsibilities. Every seafarer; the survival and fire parts are refreshed every five years. |
| Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats (PSCRB) | VI/2-1 | Asked for by administrations before an officer’s CoC and by most companies for anyone in charge of a lifeboat. Refreshed every five years. |
| Advanced Fire Fighting | VI/3 | For seafarers who control fire-fighting operations: in practice every officer. Refreshed every five years. |
| Medical First Aid | VI/4-1 | For seafarers designated to give first aid on board. Asked for before an officer’s CoC. |
| Security Awareness or Designated Security Duties | VI/6 | Every seafarer has security awareness training. Anyone with security duties in the ship security plan needs the designated security duties certificate. |
| Medical fitness certificate | I/9 | Valid for two years at most, one year under the age of 18. Name the type, for example ENG1, and the issuing country. |
Depending on the ship
Ship types add their own training. List what you hold even when the next ship does not need it: it widens the ships you can join.
| Ships | STCW | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Oil, chemical and liquefied gas tankers | V/1-1, V/1-2 | Basic training for everyone with cargo duties; advanced training for the master, chief engineer, chief mate, second engineer and anyone directly responsible for the cargo. |
| Passenger ships | V/2 | Crowd management, crisis management and human behaviour, passenger safety, cargo safety and hull integrity on ro-ro passenger ships, by duty on board. |
| Ships using gas or low-flashpoint fuel (IGF Code) | V/3 | Basic training for everyone with duties on the fuel; advanced for the master, engineer officers and anyone directly responsible for the fuel. |
| Ships in polar waters | V/4 | Basic training for officers of the watch; advanced training for the master and chief mate. |
Add your passport, seaman’s book and visas with their numbers and expiry dates. Crewing checks that each one is valid for the whole contract.
Sea service: what to write
For each contract: rank, vessel name and IMO number, vessel type, flag, the company that employed you, sign-on and sign-off dates, and the machinery: main engine make and model, propulsion power in kW, the generators and the electrical power.
For a chief engineer, each contract carries the main engine make and model, its power in kW and the generators, as in the sample.
Sample CV
The layout of the CV that CHIEF. exports to PDF and Word. CVs go to crewing companies in English. Numbers, names and contacts are placeholders.
| Type | Number | Issued | Expires | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoC Chief Engineer, STCW III/2, unlimited | ••••••• | 20.02.2023 | 19.02.2028 | Valid |
| Flag endorsement | ••••••• | 11.03.2025 | 19.02.2028 | Valid |
Sea time C/E: 10 months · Total: 10 months
- Vessel:
- Vessel name
- Capacity:
- 174,000 m³
- Flag:
- Bermuda
- Built:
- 2019
- M/E:
- make, model ×2
- Power:
- 2 × 12,500 kW
- Generators:
- 4 × make, 3,600 kW each
- Vessel:
- Vessel name
- DWT:
- 158,000
- Flag:
- Greece
- Built:
- 2010
- M/E:
- make, model
- Power:
- 18,660 kW
- Generators:
- 3 × make, 1,100 kW each
Other ranks
- MasterMasterSTCW II/2 · Master, ships of 500 GT or more
- C/OChief OfficerSTCW II/2 · Chief mate, ships of 500 GT or more
- 2/OSecond OfficerSTCW II/1 · Officer in charge of a navigational watch, ships of 500 GT or more
- 3/OThird OfficerSTCW II/1 · Officer in charge of a navigational watch, ships of 500 GT or more
- 2/ESecond EngineerSTCW III/2 · Second engineer officer, 3,000 kW propulsion power or more
- 3/EThird EngineerSTCW III/1 · Officer in charge of an engineering watch, 750 kW or more
- ETOElectro-Technical OfficerSTCW III/6 · Electro-technical officer, 750 kW or more
- ABAble SeamanSTCW II/5 · Able seafarer deck
- OilerOilerSTCW III/4 · Rating forming part of an engineering watch
Sources
These are the STCW minimums. The administration that issues your certificate decides, and it can ask for more: check its current rules.