Cruise Ship Deck Department
The cruise deck department runs on two layers. The certificate layer is STCW Chapter II — the same CoC instruments as any ocean-going vessel. The title layer is operator-defined: Staff Captain, First Officer (Navigator), Safety Officer and the rest are company assignments, not STCW rank capacities.
Every card below identifies both the title and the STCW instrument underneath it.
Master, Staff Captain and Chief Officer
The Master commands the vessel under the same STCW Regulation II/2 CoC as on any ship. The Staff Captain (or Deputy Captain on Carnival UK brands) is the cruise-distinctive second-in-command role — a dedicated management position with no direct merchant equivalent. Both hold a Master CoC; the function is what the operator assigns differently.
Management level · STCW Regulation II/2
Master
Commands the vessel; overriding authority on all safety matters; does not stand a routine bridge watch; signatory on official ship documents and ISM documents.
Certificate: CoC — Deck, Management Level, capacity "Master" (STCW Regulation II/2; Table A-II/2)
Staff Captain / Deputy Captain
Cruise ship onlyCompany title · Holds Master CoC · Reports to Master
Second in command of the vessel. Responsible for all crew personnel management, safe manning, crew certification compliance, ISPS oversight and muster and drill coordination. No direct merchant equivalent at this seniority. STCW Regulation II/2 creates a capacity called "Master" — it does not create a "Staff Captain" rank capacity.
Certificate held: CoC — Deck, Management Level, capacity "Master" (STCW Regulation II/2; Table A-II/2)
Staff Captain: Carnival Corporation (most brands), MSC, NCL, RCCL, Celebrity, HAL, Princess. Deputy Captain: Carnival UK (Cunard, P&O Cruises).
Management level · STCW Regulation II/2
Chief Officer
Manages the deck officers and ratings; responsible for stability, deck maintenance planning, safety equipment management and tender operations. Reports to the Staff Captain.
Certificate: CoC — Deck, Management Level, capacity "Chief Mate" (STCW Regulation II/2; Table A-II/2)
One CoC, three specialisations.
Cruise operators assign watchkeeping officers to specialist functions — Navigator, Maintenance or Safety. All three sit on the same OOW Nav CoC (STCW Regulation II/1). STCW does not define these specialisations; they are operator assignments layered over the certificate.
First Officer (Navigator)
Cruise ship onlyCompany title · Operational level · Holds OOW Nav CoC · Reports to Chief Officer
Watchkeeping deck officer specialised in navigation — voyage planning, ECDIS, chart correction, bridge watchkeeping.
Certificate held: CoC — Deck, Operational Level (STCW Regulation II/1; Table A-II/1)
First Officer (Maintenance)
Cruise ship onlyCompany title · Operational level · Holds OOW Nav CoC · Reports to Chief Officer
Deck maintenance planning — painting, preservation, lifeboat and LSA maintenance coordination.
Certificate held: CoC — Deck, Operational Level (STCW Regulation II/1; Table A-II/1)
First Officer (Safety)
Cruise ship onlyCompany title · Operational level · Holds OOW Nav CoC · Reports to Safety Officer
Safety drill organisation, LSA maintenance records, safety training scheduling. Reports to the dedicated Safety Officer rather than directly to the Chief Officer.
Certificate held: CoC — Deck, Operational Level (STCW Regulation II/1; Table A-II/1)
Safety, environment and training.
Large cruise ships carry dedicated officers for ISM safety management, MARPOL compliance and crew training. These are company-standard roles — the officer holds an OOW Nav CoC, but the title and the dedicated function are operator assignments driven by the scale of the vessel.
Safety Officer
Cruise ship onlyCompany title · Holds OOW Nav CoC · Reports to Staff Captain
ISM Code safety management system implementation aboard; safety drills planning and execution; accident and near-miss investigation; safety committee; SOLAS fire and LSA compliance auditing; crew safety training records. On smaller vessels this function is performed by the Chief Officer alongside other duties.
Certificate held: CoC — Deck, Operational Level (STCW Regulation II/1; Table A-II/1)
Environmental Officer
Cruise ship onlyCompany title · Holds OOW Nav CoC · Reports to Staff Captain
MARPOL Annexes I–VI compliance monitoring; waste management plan implementation; sewage and grey water management; exhaust gas cleaning system oversight; environmental documentation. Driven by the scale of environmental footprint on vessels carrying 3,000+ passengers. This is not a standard rank on merchant vessels.
Certificate held: CoC — Deck, Operational Level (STCW Regulation II/1; Table A-II/1)
Training Officer
Cruise ship onlyCompany title · Holds OOW Nav CoC · Reports to Staff Captain
Crew STCW training schedule and records; cadet and trainee officer programme management aboard; drills and exercises coordination; e-learning platform administration. The equivalent shore function is performed by the Training Manager ashore.
Certificate held: CoC — Deck, Operational Level (STCW Regulation II/1; Table A-II/1)
Chief Security Officer and security team.
The Chief Security Officer holds a Ship Security Officer Certificate of Proficiency — a CoP under STCW Regulation VI/5, not a CoC. STCW creates no management-level capacity for security officers. The "Chief" is the operator's seniority designation over a VI/5 CoP. The security team beneath them hold company-standard titles with no dedicated STCW instrument beyond the BST and Security Awareness CoPs every seafarer holds.
Chief Security Officer
Cruise ship onlyISPS-mandated · SSO CoP (STCW Reg VI/5) — not a CoC · Reports to Staff Captain
Designated Ship Security Officer aboard — ISPS Code implementation; security plan maintenance and drills; passenger and crew screening; incident investigation; security team supervision. Distinct from the Company Security Officer who is the shore-based authority.
Certificate: Certificate of Proficiency — Ship Security Officer (STCW Regulation VI/5; Table A-VI/5). This is a CoP, not a Certificate of Competency. STCW Regulation VI/5 defines no management-level capacity.
Security team
Deputy Chief Security Officer → Security Officer → Security Guard. Company-standard designations. No STCW certificate class is dedicated to these roles beyond the BST (VI/1) and Security Awareness (VI/6) CoPs that all seafarers carry.
Bridge Officer Trainee and Commodore.
Bridge Officer Trainee
Cruise ship onlySupport level · Cruise equivalent of Deck Cadet
Undergoing structured bridge watchkeeping training toward an OOW Nav CoC. Must comply with an STCW-approved training programme. Progresses to First Officer (Navigator) on qualification.
Commodore
Cruise ship onlyCompany / honorary fleet title · Holds Master CoC
Honorary fleet title awarded to the most senior Master in the fleet or the Master of the flagship. Functions as Master of the designated vessel plus ambassadorial role for the line. Not an additional STCW certificate — the Commodore holds the standard Master CoC.
In use at: Cunard Line (Commodore of the Fleet); P&O Cruises (occasionally).
Ratings hold CoPs, not CoCs.
Deck ratings on cruise ships hold the same STCW Certificates of Proficiency as on any vessel — Able Seafarer Deck (Regulation II/5) and Rating Forming Part of a Navigational Watch (Regulation II/4). The title and CoP structure follows the standard merchant deck ratings ladder.
The certificate pathway.
Cruise deck officer careers begin with the same CoC pathway as merchant shipping — the STCW Chapter II ladder. India and the UK are among the principal entry routes. The pathways pages cover the full training structure and sea-time requirements.
Talk to cruise deck officers.
The Career & Recruitment category on the Marine One forum covers cruise deck questions — from First Officer contracts to Staff Captain routes.