Maritime law, rules and watchkeeping · Level P3 · 4 parts · about 14 min

The Philippines: maritime law and MARINA requirements for deck officers

4 short parts: The laws · Your papers · Officer route · Contract. Each part explains the idea, then gives the points to remember, the common mistakes, a worked case and a practice question; the Academy unit adds all 23 check questions.

1 · The laws

MARINA, the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers and the other key laws

MARINA is the single administration for STCW in the Philippines. The 2024 Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers now sets your rights in national law.

MARINA

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) is the Philippine maritime administration. Republic Act (RA) 10635, approved on 13 March 2014, made it the single administration for the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). It issues certificates, approves training and assessment, and runs examinations. Executive Order 63 of 2018 strengthened that role.

From PRC to MARINA

RA 8544, the Philippine Merchant Marine Officers Act of 1998, set up the licensing of deck and engine officers through boards under the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). RA 10635 transferred the PRC's powers over the examination, licensing and certification of these officers to MARINA. Today MARINA runs the theoretical examinations and practical assessments for STCW certificates.

The Magna Carta

RA 12021, the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, was signed on 23 September 2024 and took effect on 11 October 2024. It sets national rights on contracts, wages, hours, leave, medical care, repatriation (returning you home), harassment and grievances. Its implementing rules and regulations (IRR), signed by the DMW and MARINA on 8 January 2025, contain 22 rules. It covers Filipino seafarers on Philippine- or foreign-registered ships plying international waters, and Filipino cadets.

The DMW

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) was created by RA 11641 in 2021. It took over the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). The DMW licenses manning agencies, which recruit seafarers for shipowners, and sets the standard employment contract for overseas seafarers, covered in the contract lesson.

Domestic and coastal law

Domestic shipping is regulated by MARINA under RA 9295, the Domestic Shipping Development Act of 2004. The Philippine Coast Guard enforces safety and pollution rules at sea. The 2024 maritime zones and archipelagic sea lanes laws are law-of-the-sea topics; see Law: law of the sea.

Key figures

RA 10635: Approved 13 March 2014: MARINA as single STCW administration
RA 8544 (1998): Merchant Marine Officers Act; licensing moved from PRC to MARINA
RA 12021 Magna Carta: Signed 23 Sep 2024; in effect 11 Oct 2024
Magna Carta IRR: Signed 8 January 2025 by DMW and MARINA; 22 rules
RA 11641 (2021): Created the DMW, which absorbed the POEA

Remember

RA 10635 (2014) makes MARINA the single maritime administration for STCW.
RA 10635 moved officer licensing from the PRC to MARINA.
RA 12021, the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, has been in effect since 11 October 2024.
Its IRR, signed on 8 January 2025, applies it in detail.
The DMW (RA 11641) replaced the POEA for overseas employment.

Common mistakes

Wrong: The PRC still issues deck officer licences.
Right: RA 10635 transferred examination, licensing and certification of marine officers to MARINA.
Wrong: The Magna Carta applies only to seafarers on Philippine-flagged ships.
Right: It covers Filipino seafarers on Philippine- or foreign-registered ships plying international waters, and Filipino cadets.

Worked case

Your agency says the PRC can renew your officer in charge of a navigational watch (OIC-NW) certificate and that the Magna Carta does not protect you on a foreign-flag ship in international waters. Should you accept either claim?

Show the answer

Reject both claims. MARINA handles officer certification and revalidation; RA 10635 transferred that role from the PRC. The Magna Carta covers Filipino seafarers on Philippine- or foreign-registered ships plying international waters, and Filipino cadets. A foreign flag alone does not remove its protection.

Practice question

Your agency tells you to renew your OIC-NW certificate at the PRC. Which authority should you use?

The DMW office
The PRC office
The MARINA office
The Coast Guard

Show the answer

Answer: C. Use MARINA. RA 10635 transferred officer examination, licensing and certification from the PRC to MARINA, including revalidation.

2 · Your papers

SRN, MISMO, SIRB and your certificates

Your MARINA number, record book, certificates and medical must all be valid and match. Apply online and never pay a fixer.

SRN and MISMO

MISMO, the MARINA Integrated Seafarers Management Online system, is where you apply for certificates, revalidation and replacements. Each user gets a Seafarers' Registration Number (SRN), a unique 10-digit number. Training centres, assessment centres and manning agencies enter your training, assessment and sea-service records in MISMO. Check that your records there are complete and correct before you apply.

SIRB

The Seafarer's Identification and Record Book (SIRB), issued by MARINA, records your identity and sea service. Each sign-on and sign-off is entered and certified. MARINA uses these entries, with crew lists and contracts, as evidence of sea service. Keep it up to date and renew it before it expires; a gap in your entries can delay your next certificate.

CoC and CoP

A certificate of competency (CoC) lets you serve as an officer, such as officer in charge of a navigational watch (OIC-NW), chief mate or master. A certificate of proficiency (CoP) proves training such as basic training, survival craft and rescue boats, advanced firefighting and medical first aid. MARINA issues both. Only MARINA-approved courses and assessments count. Check whether your ship's flag recognises your Philippine CoC and requires a flag-state endorsement, a document confirming that recognition.

Medical fitness

You need a valid medical certificate from a medical examination meeting STCW section A-I/9. Filipino seafarers take a pre-employment medical examination (PEME) at a clinic accredited by the Department of Health (DOH). Declare your health honestly; a false declaration can cost you your job and your claims later.

Avoid fixers

MARINA warns against fixers, people who sell appointments or 'fast' certificates. A fake certificate is a crime and endangers the ship. Use only MISMO and official channels, and pay only official fees.

Remember

Apply through MISMO; your SRN is a unique 10-digit number.
Keep your SIRB current: it is evidence of sea service.
CoC for officer ranks, CoP for training; MARINA issues both.
Only MARINA-approved courses and assessments count.
PEME at a DOH-accredited clinic; never use fixers.

Common mistakes

Wrong: My sea service will be credited automatically, even if supporting records are missing.
Right: MARINA needs accepted evidence. Ask your agency to correct MISMO and provide certified sea-service entries, crew lists and contracts.
Wrong: Paying a fixer saves time and is a normal practice.
Right: It is illegal and risks fraudulent certificates. Use MISMO and official fees only.

Worked case

Your OIC-NW CoC expires in four months. In MISMO, your last contract's sea service is missing, and a friend offers you a fixer who can 'clear it in a week'. What do you do?

Show the answer

Decline the fixer. Ask your manning agency to enter the missing sea-service record in MISMO. Bring your SIRB entries, crew list and contract as evidence. Correct the record through official channels before submitting your application; follow the revalidation timing in the next lesson. Check that your medical and CoPs are valid too.

Practice question

Your agency offers a PEME at a clinic without DOH accreditation. What should you do?

Use a DOH-accredited clinic for the medical examination
Accept the clinic because your agency approved its use
Use your current SIRB instead of a medical examination
Use a training CoP instead of the medical examination

Show the answer

Answer: A. Your PEME must be at a DOH-accredited clinic. Agency approval cannot replace accreditation. Neither a SIRB nor a training CoP proves medical fitness.

3 · Officer route

From cadet to master: education, exams and revalidation

Your BSMT degree and onboard training lead to the OIC-NW exams. Revalidate your CoC at least every five years using an accepted route.

Education

Most deck officers take the Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) at a maritime higher education institution. It includes shipboard training as a cadet. The Magna Carta gives MARINA jurisdiction over maritime education, in consultation with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Until a MARINA–CHED transition plan is complete, joint CHED–MARINA circulars on the BSMT programme still apply. Cadets sign a written shipboard training agreement with the shipowner and the school.

Terms

Gross tonnage (GT) measures enclosed ship volume. GMDSS means Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. A training record book (TRB) records approved onboard training.

OIC-NW

For OIC-NW on ships of 500 GT or more, MC SC-2021-03 requires age 18 or over and a BSMT transcript. Complete 12 months of structured onboard training on such ships with an approved TRB, or 36 months in the deck department. Both routes include six months of bridge watchkeeping under the master or a qualified officer. Hold valid CoPs in basic training, survival craft and rescue boats, advanced firefighting and medical first aid; a GMDSS radio operator CoC; and a valid medical. Pass the theoretical examination and practical assessment.

Chief mate and master

For chief mate on ships of 3,000 GT or more, you need 12 months as OIC-NW on such ships, the Management Level Course for deck officers, a medical care CoP, and passes in the management-level examination and practical assessment. For master on ships of 3,000 GT or more, you need service on such ships: 36 months as OIC-NW, or 12 months as OIC-NW plus 12 months as chief mate. Separate routes cover ships of 500 GT or more but under 3,000 GT.

Revalidation

Revalidate your CoC at intervals of no more than five years. Qualifying service means working in the rank and duties covered by your certificate: 12 months in the last five years, or 3 in the last six months. Otherwise, pass an approved practical assessment within six months before applying, or complete an approved course. Another route is three months of approved service as a supernumerary—an additional officer—or in a lower officer rank immediately before returning to the certified rank.

EU recognition

EU flags accept Philippine certificates only while the European Commission recognises the Philippine STCW system. After years of audit findings, the Commission decided in March 2023 to keep recognition, while asking for continued improvement. Quality in schools, assessment and certification protects that recognition.

Key figures

OIC-NW sea service: 12 months' training with TRB or 36 months' deck service
OIC-NW exams: MARINA theoretical exam + practical assessment, operational level
Chief mate ≥ 3,000 GT: 12 months as OIC-NW + Management Level Course + exam
Master ≥ 3,000 GT: 36 months as OIC-NW, or 12 as OIC-NW + 12 as chief mate
Revalidation: ≤ 5 years; 12 months in 5 years or 3 months in last 6
When to file: At least 3 months before the CoC expires

Remember

BSMT with shipboard training; MARINA now has jurisdiction over maritime education with CHED.
OIC-NW: 12 months' training with TRB or 36 months' deck service; 6 months' supervised bridge watch; CoPs, GMDSS, medical, exams.
Chief mate and master need the Management Level Course and management-level exams.
Revalidate at least every 5 years: qualifying sea service, an approved assessment/course, or the alternative service route.
EU recognition was kept in March 2023; quality keeps it.

Common mistakes

Wrong: Sea service on any vessel counts towards the OIC-NW CoC.
Right: The structured training route requires ships of 500 GT or more and an approved TRB. Alternatively, MARINA accepts 36 months of qualifying service in the deck department. Both routes include six months of supervised bridge watchkeeping.
Wrong: I can safely leave my revalidation application until my CoC expires.
Right: File well before expiry: MARINA advises applying at least three months ahead. Late filing can bring extra requirements and fees; check MARINA's current rules.

Worked case

It is 1 November. Your CoC expires on 31 March. You have nine qualifying months in five years, none in the last six months, and cannot obtain another berth. Which revalidation route should you investigate now?

Show the answer

Investigate MARINA's approved practical assessment or approved revalidation course now. Take the assessment within six months before applying. Nine months is below 12 in five years; no recent service rules out 3 in six months. Without a berth, you cannot obtain three months of approved supernumerary or lower-rank service immediately before returning to the certified capacity. File through MISMO at least three months before 31 March.

Practice question

A BSMT cadet has completed 12 months of approved TRB training on ships of 500 GT or more, including four months of supervised bridge watchkeeping. What onboard requirement remains?

Twelve more months of general deck service
Two more months of supervised bridge watchkeeping
Six months of shore-based simulator training
None: twelve months with a TRB is sufficient

Show the answer

Answer: B. Both qualifying service routes require six months of bridge watchkeeping under the master or a qualified officer. Four supervised months leave two more to complete within the qualifying service; 12 months with a TRB alone is insufficient.

4 · Contract

The DMW standard employment contract, allotments and grievances

Overseas Filipino seafarers sign the DMW standard employment contract. Know your allotment, benefits and how to raise a grievance.

The DMW contract

The DMW standard employment contract for seafarers (SEC) sets minimum terms for Filipino seafarers hired for overseas ships. Collective agreements between unions and employers, and individual contracts, may improve these terms but cannot reduce them. DMW Department Circular No. 07, series of 2026, introduced the current SEC from 3 July 2026, replacing the POEA SEC of 2010 to align with the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers.

What changed in 2026

The disability compensation base, the amount used to calculate benefits, rose from US$50,000 to US$55,000; Grade 1 in the disability schedule rose from US$60,000 to US$66,000. The base is not a flat payment for every disability. Abandonment now covers an owner who fails to pay wages for at least two months, to arrange repatriation, or to provide food, accommodation and medical care. Death benefits extend to children over 21 who cannot care for themselves because of physical or mental incapacity. Employers must adopt policies and complaint procedures against harassment, bullying and discrimination. Seafarers already on board on 3 July 2026 are covered by the new SEC; their contracts are re-signed only when particulars change, such as an extension, promotion or new ship (DMW Advisory No. 37, s. 2026).

Pay and allotment

An allotment is the part of your pay sent to your designated family member in the Philippines. The IRR requires at least 80 % of monthly salary, paid monthly. Normal limits are 14 hours of work in 24 hours and 72 in seven days, or at least 10 hours of rest in 24 hours and 77 in seven days. Only authorised watchkeeper exceptions may reduce weekly rest to 70 hours; check the IRR safeguards. Watchkeeping alone does not authorise an exception.

Grievances

Normally, raise your grievance in writing with your head of department first, unless your collective agreement says otherwise. You may bring a fellow seafarer. The department head should seek settlement promptly, within the time limits of your contract's on-board grievance procedure, and record the result. If unresolved, take it to the master. Direct complaints to the master or appropriate outside authorities remain available at any time. Ashore, mandatory conciliation-mediation seeks agreement; unresolved disputes proceed to arbitration or the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC), as applicable.

As an officer

You may receive grievances as head of department. Handle them promptly, record them, and never retaliate. Make sure your crew's allotments, contracts and medical claims are handled correctly. General maritime labour rights are in Law: human factors.

Key figures

DMW SEC: DC No. 07 s. 2026; effective 3 July 2026
Replaced: POEA SEC of 2010
Disability base: US$55,000 (was US$50,000); Grade 1 US$66,000 (was US$60,000)
Allotment: At least 80 % of monthly salary, paid monthly
On-board grievance: Normally to department head first; direct complaints remain open

Remember

DMW SEC (DC No. 07 s. 2026) replaced the POEA SEC of 2010 from 3 July 2026.
Contracts may improve the SEC, never reduce it.
Disability base US$55,000, Grade 1 US$66,000; abandonment now defined.
Allotment: at least 80 % of monthly salary, paid monthly.
Normally raise grievances with your department head; direct access to the master and appropriate outside authorities remains.

Common mistakes

Wrong: Everyone on board on 3 July 2026 had to sign a new contract.
Right: Seafarers already on board are covered by the new SEC without re-signing. A new contract is needed only when particulars change, such as an extension, promotion or new ship.
Wrong: A grievance must go straight to the NLRC.
Right: Normally start with your department head; this does not restrict direct complaints to the master or appropriate outside authorities. Ashore, conciliation-mediation precedes arbitration or the NLRC.

Worked case

An able seafarer tells you, the chief mate, that his family has received no allotment for two months, although his wages appear on the monthly account. He wants to complain but fears being sent home. What do you do?

Show the answer

Record his report now and help him put the grievance in writing. Notify the master, company and manning agency promptly. The required allotment must be paid monthly. Reassure him that retaliation is forbidden. Seek settlement promptly under the contract's on-board grievance procedure, but explain that he may contact the master or an appropriate outside authority at any time.

Practice question

You have been on board since May 2026 and nothing in your employment has changed. What happened to your contract on 3 July 2026?

You had to sign a new contract before the ship's next port
The new SEC covers you without re-signing your contract
The POEA SEC of 2010 governs you until your contract ends
Your contract became void until the manning agency renewed it

Show the answer

Answer: B. Under DMW Advisory No. 37, s. 2026, seafarers already on board on 3 July 2026 are covered by the new SEC. A new contract is needed only when particulars change, such as an extension, promotion or new ship.