South Africa: seafarer documents
How a document is named in the country that issued it and who issues it. Country means the issuing country, not the nationality of the seafarer.
- Brief entry
- Checked 6 October 2026
- Document names
- 59
- Issued by
- South African Maritime Safety Authority
- National documents
- 11
Country pages are brief entries for now: names and authorities with their sources. The conditions of national documents are published after bilingual editing.
Contents6
1 Certificates and qualifications
| Name in the issuing system | Authority | Type in the reference | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Able seafarer deck1 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Proficiency – Able Seafarer Deck | Same document |
| Able seafarer engine1 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Proficiency – Able Seafarer Engine | Same document |
| Chief Engineer Officer2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Chief Engineer Officer, 3,000 kW or more | Same document |
| Chief Engineer Officer (port operations)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Chief Engineer Officer (port operations) | Same document |
| Chief Engineer Officer (<1 500 kW Port Operations)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Chief Engineer Officer (<1 500 kW Port Operations) | Same document |
| Chief Engineer Officer (<750 kW Port Operations)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Chief Engineer Officer (<750 kW Port Operations) | Same document |
| Chief Engineer Officer (<3 000 kW)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Chief Engineer Officer, 750–3,000 kW | Same document |
| Chief Engineer Officer (<750 kW)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Chief Engineer Officer (<750 kW) | Same document |
| Chief Mate2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Chief Mate, 3,000 GT or more | Same document |
| Chief mate (<3 000 GT)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Chief Mate, 500–3,000 GT | Same document |
| Ship’s Cook1 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Ship’s Cook Qualification Document | Same document |
| Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch (Port operations)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch (Port operations) | Same document |
| Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch (<750 kW)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch (<750 kW) | Same document |
| Electro-Technical Officer2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Electro-Technical Officer, 750 kW or more | Same document |
| Electro-technical rating1 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Proficiency – Electro-Technical Rating | Same document |
| GMDSS first-class radio electronic certificate3 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | GMDSS first-class radio electronic certificate | Same document |
| GMDSS general operator’s certificate4 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | General Operator’s Certificate (GOC) | Same document |
| GMDSS second-class radio electronic certificate5 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | GMDSS second-class radio electronic certificate | Same document |
| Master2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Master, 3,000 GT or more | Same document |
| Master (port operations)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Master (port operations) | Same document |
| Master (<1 600 GT port operations)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Master (<1 600 GT port operations) | Same document |
| Master (<200 GT near-coastal)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Master, under 500 GT, near-coastal voyages | Same document |
| Master (<3 000 GT)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Master, 500–3,000 GT | Same document |
| Master (<500 GT near-coastal)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Master, under 500 GT, near-coastal voyages | Same document |
| Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch in a manned engine-room or designated duty engineers in a periodically unmanned engine room2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Same document | |
| Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch, 500 GT or more | Same document |
| Officer in charge of navigational watch (<500 GT near-coastal)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch, under 500 GT, near-coastal voyages | Same document |
| Ordinary seafarer deck1 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Proficiency – Rating Forming Part of a Navigational Watch | Same document |
| Ordinary seafarer engine1 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Proficiency – Rating Forming Part of an Engineering Watch | Same document |
| Second Engineer Officer2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Second Engineer Officer, 3,000 kW or more | Same document |
| Second Engineer Officer (<3 000 kW)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Certificate of Competency – Second Engineer Officer, 750–3,000 kW | Same document |
| Skipper (<200 GT port operations)2 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Skipper (<200 GT port operations) | Same document |
2 Endorsements and recognition
| Name in the issuing system | Authority | Type in the reference | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement recognising a foreign certificate6 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Endorsement Attesting the Recognition of a Certificate | Same document |
3 Safety and security
| Name in the issuing system | Authority | Type in the reference | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced fire fighting7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Advanced Fire Fighting | Same document |
| Basic training7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Basic Safety Training | Same document |
| Medical care7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Medical Care on Board Ship | Same document |
| Elementary first aid7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Elementary First Aid | Same document |
| Fire fighting and fire prevention7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting | Same document |
| Fast rescue boats7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Proficiency in Fast Rescue Boats | Same document |
| Medical first aid7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Medical First Aid | Same document |
| Survival craft and rescue boats7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats Other Than Fast Rescue Boats | Same document |
| Personal survival and social responsibilities7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities | Same document |
| Personal survival techniques7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Personal Survival Techniques | Same document |
| Security awareness7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Security Awareness Training | Same document |
| Designated security duties7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Training for Seafarers with Designated Security Duties | Same document |
| Ship security officer7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Ship Security Officer | Same document |
4 Vessel and cargo training
| Name in the issuing system | Authority | Type in the reference | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced training in chemical tankers7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Advanced Training – Chemical Tanker Cargo Operations | Same document |
| Crisis management and human behaviour training7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Passenger Ship Crisis Management and Human Behaviour Training | Same document |
| Passenger ship crowd management training7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Passenger Ship Crowd Management Training | Same document |
| Advanced training in liquefied gas tankers7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Advanced Training – Liquefied Gas Tanker Cargo Operations | Same document |
| Basic training for liquefied gas tankers7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Basic Training – Liquefied Gas Tanker Cargo Operations | Same document |
| Advanced training for ships subject to the IGF Code7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Advanced Training for Service on Ships Subject to the IGF Code | Same document |
| Basic training for ships subject to the IGF Code7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Basic Training for Service on Ships Subject to the IGF Code | Same document |
| Advanced training in oil tankers7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Advanced Training – Oil Tanker Cargo Operations | Same document |
| Advanced training for ships operating in polar waters7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Advanced Training for Ships Operating in Polar Waters | Same document |
| Basic training for ships operating in polar waters7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Basic Training for Ships Operating in Polar Waters | Same document |
| Passenger safety, cargo safety and hull integrity training7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Passenger Safety, Cargo Safety and Hull Integrity Training | Same document |
| Basic training for oil & chemical tankers7 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Basic Training – Oil and Chemical Tanker Cargo Operations | Same document |
5 Medical documents
| Name in the issuing system | Authority | Type in the reference | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical fitness certificate8 | South African Maritime Safety Authority | Seafarer Medical Fitness Certificate | Same document |
6 National documents
- Chief Engineer Officer (port operations)Brief entry
- Chief Engineer Officer (<1 500 kW Port Operations)Brief entry
- Chief Engineer Officer (<750 kW Port Operations)Brief entry
- Chief Engineer Officer (<750 kW)Brief entry
- Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch (Port operations)Brief entry
- Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch (<750 kW)Brief entry
- GMDSS first-class radio electronic certificateBrief entry
- GMDSS second-class radio electronic certificateBrief entry
- Master (port operations)Brief entry
- Master (<1 600 GT port operations)Brief entry
- Skipper (<200 GT port operations)Brief entry