- able seafarer deck
means a rating qualified in accordance with Chapter II of Annex I;
- able seafarer engine
means a rating qualified in accordance with Chapter III of Annex I;
- approved
means approved by a Member State in accordance with this Directive;
- assistant engineer officer
means a person under training to become an engineer officer and designated as such by national law or regulations;
- certificate of competency
means a certificate issued and endorsed for masters, officers and GMDSS radio operators in accordance with Chapters II, III, IV, V or VII of Annex I, and entitling the lawful holder thereof to serve in the capacity and perform the functions involved at the level of responsibility specified therein;
- certificate of proficiency
means a certificate, other than a certificate of competency, issued to a seafarer stating that the relevant requirements regarding training, competencies or seagoing service in this Directive have been met;
- chemical tanker
means a ship constructed or adapted and used for the carriage in bulk of any liquid product listed in Chapter 17 of the International Bulk Chemical Code, in its up-to-date version;
- chief engineer officer
means the senior engineer officer responsible for the mechanical propulsion and the operation and maintenance of the mechanical and electrical installations of the ship;
- chief mate
means the officer next in rank to the master and upon whom the command of the ship will fall in the event of the incapacity of the master;
- company
means the owner of a ship or any other organisation or person such as the manager or the bareboat charterer who has assumed the responsibility for the operation of the ship from the shipowner and who, on assuming such responsibility, has agreed to take over all the duties and responsibilities imposed on the company by this Directive;
- deck officer
means an officer qualified in accordance with the provisions of Chapter II of Annex I;
- documentary evidence
means documentation, other than a certificate of competency or certificate of proficiency, used to establish that the relevant requirements in this Directive have been met;
- electro-technical officer
means an officer qualified in accordance with Chapter III of Annex I;
- electro-technical rating
means a rating qualified in accordance with Chapter III of Annex I;
- engineer officer
means an officer qualified in accordance with the provisions of Chapter III of Annex I;
- fishing vessel
means a vessel used for catching fish or other living resources of the sea;
- function
means a group of tasks, duties and responsibilities, as specified in the STCW Code, necessary for the ship’s operation, safety of life at sea or the protection of the marine environment;
- host Member State
means the Member State in which seafarers seek acceptance or recognition of their certificates of competency, certificates of proficiency or documentary evidence;
- liquefied-gas tanker
means a ship constructed or adapted and used for the carriage in bulk of any liquefied gas or other product listed in Chapter 19 of the International Gas Carrier Code, in its up-to-date version;
- master
means the person having command of a ship;
- month
means a calendar month or 30 days made up of periods of less than one month;
- near-coastal voyages
means voyages in the vicinity of a Member State as defined by that Member State;
- officer
means a member of the crew, other than the master, designated as such by national law or regulations or, in the absence of such designation, by collective agreement or custom;
- oil-tanker
means a ship constructed and used for the carriage of petroleum and petroleum products in bulk;
- passenger ship
means a ship as defined in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 (SOLAS 74), as amended, of the International Maritime Organization (IMO);
- Polar Code
means the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters, as defined in Regulation XIV/1.1 of SOLAS 74;
- Polar waters
means Arctic waters and/or the Antarctic area, as defined in Regulations XIV/1.2, XIV/1.3 and XIV/1.4 of SOLAS 74.
- propulsion power
means the total maximum continuous rated output power in kilowatts of all of a ship’s main propulsion machinery which appears on the ship’s certificate of registry or on any other official document;
- radio duties
includes, as appropriate, watchkeeping and technical maintenance and repairs conducted in accordance with the Radio Regulations, SOLAS 74 and, at the discretion of each Member State, the relevant recommendations of the IMO, in their up-to-date versions;
- radio operator
means a person holding an appropriate certificate issued or recognised by the competent authorities under the provisions of the Radio Regulations;
- Radio Regulations
means the radio regulations annexed to, or regarded as being annexed to, the International Telecommunication Convention, as amended;
- rating
means a member of a ship’s crew other than the master or an officer;
- ro-ro passenger ship
means a passenger ship with ro-ro cargo spaces or special-category spaces as defined in SOLAS 74, in its up-to-date version;
- seagoing service
means service on board a ship relevant to the issue or revalidation of a certificate of competency, certificate of proficiency or other qualification;
- seagoing ship
means a ship other than those which navigate exclusively in inland waters or in waters within, or closely adjacent to, sheltered waters or areas where port regulations apply;
- second engineer officer
means the engineer officer next in rank to the chief engineer officer and upon whom the responsibility for the mechanical propulsion and the operation and maintenance of the mechanical and electrical installations of the ship will fall in the event of the incapacity of the chief engineer officer;
- ship flying the flag of a Member State
means a ship registered in and flying the flag of a Member State in accordance with its legislation;
- ship security officer
means the person on board a ship, accountable to the master, designated by the company as responsible for the security of the ship including implementation and maintenance of the ship security plan and liaison with the company security officer and port facility security officers;
- third country
means any country which is not a Member State;