SeaPath sea-time guide
How do you record sea service on yachts, merchant ships and cruise ships?
Keep a clear record of the vessel, your role, service dates and voyage details, then use the categories and evidence required for your certificate route. Merchant-vessel and yacht service follow different MCA guidance, so check the current rules before you apply.
Guidance checked 23 October 2026. This is general recordkeeping information, not an MCA decision or eligibility assessment.
Start with a separate entry for each vessel and service period
Record the vessel name and identifiers, your rank or capacity, the dates you joined and left, and the voyage or trading area. Keep the entry consistent with your discharge book, acceptable logbook, certificates of discharge and signed testimonials. The details and calculations you need depend on your certificate route.
The current MCA deck Certificate of Competency application form has a general merchant-vessel sea-service record and a separate yacht-service table. Follow the section and flow chart that applies to your service. See the current MCA application form (MSF 4274).
Merchant ships and cruise or passenger ships
For a merchant-navy deck Certificate of Competency application, the current MSF 4274 form asks you to list each relevant vessel and voyage. It includes the vessel name, IMO number, ship type, gross tonnage, voyage area, rank or capacity, dates and duration. The form lists Passenger as a ship type, so cruise-ship service can be recorded in this section when it is relevant to your application.
Whether that service qualifies depends on the certificate sought, your role and rank, the vessel and voyage, and the applicable sea-service requirements. For deck-officer applicants, the form says service must be on a crew agreement as a Deck Officer and supported by Master-signed testimonials that include watchkeeping time. Do not assume every job or every day aboard a cruise ship counts as qualifying deck sea service.
Use the merchant-service requirements in MSN 1856 Amendment 1 and the current MSF 4274 application guidance. Record the ship’s actual type, for example Passenger or Cargo, rather than labelling a merchant vessel as a yacht.
Yacht service uses a separate record
If you are claiming yacht service, use the yacht table and yacht-specific requirements in the current MCA guidance. The application form asks for yacht-service details separately, and yacht testimonials include a breakdown of actual, standby and yard time where applicable.
The standby and yard limits described below are yacht-pathway rules. They should not be applied automatically to ordinary merchant or cruise-ship service. Read MSN 1858 Amendment 1 for yacht-service definitions and requirements.
Actual sea service, onboard service, standby and yard days
Merchant-vessel seagoing service
Merchant-navy routes set requirements by certificate, vessel, voyage and capacity. MSN 1856 contains route-specific rules for seagoing service; use those rules and the relevant application instructions rather than assuming all time on board counts equally.
Yacht onboard and actual sea service
For the yacht-service pathway in MSN 1858, onboard yacht service while signed on is distinct from actual sea service. Actual sea service can include qualifying time at anchor and river or canal transits associated with a passage.
Yacht standby
For that yacht pathway, standby is the period immediately after a voyage while the yacht is being prepared for its next voyage. It cannot exceed 14 consecutive days or the length of the preceding voyage, and total standby claimed cannot exceed actual sea service. These caps are specific to the yacht rules.
Yard service and watchkeeping
These have their own definitions and recording requirements in the relevant MCA route. Keep them distinct where the application asks for them and retain supporting records.
How do you avoid counting too many standby days?
Treat standby as a capped category, not as a way to turn every day alongside into sea service. For an eligible period, check the MCA limits against the preceding voyage and the consecutive-day cap, then apply any overall cap required by your route. The amount counted must never exceed the applicable MCA maximum.
Keep the original dates and evidence visible, and show the capped amount separately from actual sea service. If a date or voyage link is uncertain, flag it for review rather than automatically awarding a day. The exact result depends on the relevant certificate and current MCA rules; the MCA assesses an application.
What evidence should you keep?
Keep signed testimonials and the supporting records requested for your application. Depending on your service and route, useful records may include discharge book entries, crew lists, voyage dates, bridge watch records, and company or vessel documents that confirm your role and period of service. Follow the current MCA form’s instructions for required evidence.
AIS can help you review where a vessel was and how it moved. It cannot, by itself, prove that you were signed on, establish your duties or replace a Master’s testimonial. SeaPath uses MarineTraffic AIS activity to help organise a personal service calendar; review classifications and retain your official evidence.
How SeaPath helps organise your record
SeaPath can use MarineTraffic AIS data to help populate a service calendar, organise service categories and bring relevant certificates and qualification progress together. It is a recordkeeping aid; it is not MCA-approved, does not guarantee eligibility, and does not replace the required evidence or the MCA’s assessment.
Learn about SeaPath automatic sea-time tracking, Pro Tracker qualification progress and certificate management.