Moving Up From Your First Maritime Job

By Captain Mike · 50 years at sea · former MITAGS faculty
Career overview. Exact requirements are on our credential guides and the current NMC checklists · October 2026

The short answer

Jobs below officer are called ratings. You move up by adding a higher endorsement to your Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC), the Coast Guard credential that lists what you're qualified to do.
Most steps take documented sea service, and usually a Coast Guard exam or an approved course in its place. Some also need STCW training, depending on where you sail.
An endorsement makes you qualified or eligible for a job. It doesn't guarantee a promotion.
You don't have to become an officer. Experienced ABs, QMEDs, cooks and other ratings build full careers.
Work in this order: the job you want first, the credential it requires second, training third.

The three main ladders

Deck

Ordinary SeafarerEntry level (formerly Ordinary Seaman)

Able SeafarerFormerly Able Seaman; still called "AB"

MateLicensed officer

MasterThe captain

Engine

WiperEntry level

QMED / OilerQualified Member of the Engine Department

Engineer officerThird Assistant Engineer and up

Chief EngineerHead of the engine department

Steward / food service

Entry-level stewardFood Handler endorsement

CookExperience and training

Chief Cook / Chief StewardLeads the galley

Job titles and promotion systems vary by employer, union and vessel. Smaller vessels often combine jobs.

What each step usually involves

Move	What kind of requirement
Ordinary Seafarer → Able Seafarer	Deck sea service (the amount varies by Able Seafarer category, such as Unlimited, Limited or Special), a Lifeboat Operator endorsement (formerly Lifeboatman), and the AB exam or an approved course. The national Able Seafarer endorsement is not the same as the separate STCW Able Seafarer-Deck endorsement. AB guide →
Wiper → QMED	Engine-department sea service and the exam for the QMED rating you want (such as Oiler), or an approved course. Wiper to QMED →
AB → Mate on smaller vessels (less than 200 GRT)	Deck sea service plus an exam. The amount depends on the route: Inland, Great Lakes, Near Coastal and Oceans can differ. Master & Mate 200 Ton →
AB → Third Mate (unlimited)	Substantial deck service, commonly 1,080 days, including at least 180 days of bridge watchkeeping, plus STCW officer training, practical assessments and exams. The exact path depends on your national and STCW route. AB to Third Mate →
QMED → Third Assistant Engineer	More engine sea service, approved training and the engineer exams. Engine Officer Ladder →
Steward → Cook → Chief Steward	Mostly experience, your employer, and training such as union culinary programs. The Coast Guard endorsement stays Food Handler. Steward ladder →
Tank vessel crew → Tank Vessel-Assistant → Tank Vessel-PIC (Person in Charge)	Cargo-transfer experience and training. The steps depend on the vessel and cargo. Assistant → PIC →

GRT means gross register tons, a measure of a vessel's size. STCW is the international training convention that applies to seagoing vessels on many routes. This page shows the path; the linked guides and the current NMC checklist give the exact rules.

What "hawsepipe" means. The hawsepipe is the steel pipe the anchor chain runs through. "Coming up the hawsepipe" means working your way from unlicensed jobs to officer. A hawsepiper earns the required sea service while working, rather than completing a traditional four-year maritime academy officer program. Neither route is better for everyone. They differ in cost, timeline, training structure and advantages. The academy route →

What changes when you move up

AB: more skilled deck work. You take the helm and stand lookout, handle rigging and mooring, and carry more watchstanding responsibility.
QMED: more machinery operation, maintenance and rounds, and more responsibility on engine-room watches.
Mate: you're responsible for a navigational watch, for people and safety, for records, for cargo or passenger operations, and for running the vessel on your watch.
Engineer officer: growing responsibility for machinery operation, maintenance, engineering watches and technical decisions.

Moving up doesn't necessarily mean a better schedule. Rotation, watches, overtime and time away from home depend more on the vessel and employer than on the endorsement. An upgrade may move you from day work to watches, from local work to rotations, or onto a different vessel.

Moving up isn't automatic. Meeting the Coast Guard requirements lets you hold the endorsement. Employers and unions still decide who fills an opening, based on things like experience, seniority, performance, company policy and which positions are open. The endorsement opens the door; it doesn't guarantee the job.

Start planning before you're eligible

Don't wait for your last required day of sea service. Several months ahead, you should already know:

Which endorsement you're going for
Whether your sea service counts toward it
Whether your sea-service letters show everything the evaluator needs
Which exams or approved courses you need
Whether STCW training or assessments apply to you
Whether your medical certificate, TWIC and other documents will still be current when you apply

Five steps to your next endorsement

Identify the job you want next

Start with the actual job, employer or union requirement, not a course catalog. Ask what the position requires.

Determine the exact endorsement

Pin down the rating or officer endorsement, the route, the tonnage, the vessel type where it matters, and whether STCW applies. "AB" alone isn't specific enough.

Count and document your sea service

Gather your discharges, sea-service letters and your own records. Keep them from your first hitch forward. Documenting Sea Time → What Counts as Sea Time? →

Compare yourself against the current NMC checklist

The National Maritime Center (NMC) checklist for your endorsement is one of the best tools for checking requirements before you spend money. NMC checklists ↗

Complete any missing training or exams, then apply

Some approved courses can substitute for a Coast Guard exam, and some approved programs give limited sea-service credit. Check exactly what a specific course is approved to do before you enroll. Then submit your application using the current National Maritime Center online application system. Checking a course approval → Applying online →

Your sea time is only useful for an upgrade if you can prove it. Companies sell vessels, merge, close, change management and lose old records. Collect each sea-service letter while you still work there. How to document sea time →

Common mistakes

Waiting too long to collect sea-service letters. The longer you wait, the harder they are to get.
Letters missing required information, such as your capacity, the vessel, dates, tonnage or route.
Paying for courses you don't need. Decide where you want to go before you start buying courses.
Assuming every approved course gives sea-time credit. Only some do, and only the amount stated in their approval.
Expecting an endorsement to mean an automatic promotion.

THE CAPTAIN SAYS…

Don't wait until you're ready to upgrade before you start proving your sea time. Keep every discharge and sea-service letter from your first hitch forward. The easiest letter to get is the one you ask for while you still work there.

Your next step

Pick the guide for the move you're planning.

Ordinary Seafarer → Able Seafarer Wiper → QMED Sea-Service Letter

Already an AB? AB → Third Mate →

Official sources

For information only. Requirements change; confirm with the National Maritime Center before you apply or pay for training. Mariners Online is independent and not affiliated with the Coast Guard or National Maritime Center.