Sea captain

A sea captain, ship's captain, captain,

master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade
licensed mariner who holds ultimate
command and responsibility of a
merchant vessel.[1] The captain is
responsible for the safe and efficient
operation of the ship—including its
seaworthiness, safety and security, cargo
operations, navigation, crew
management, and legal compliance—and
for the persons and cargo on board.[2]
 Sea captain

The master works with the harbour pilot, the

chief mate and an able seaman during inner
navigation aboard the vessel Kristina Regina.

General

Other names Ship's captain, ship's

master, shipmaster,
captain, master

Department Deck department

Location At sea

Licensed Yes

Duties In charge of a
merchant ship.

Requirements master's license or

 extra master's license
or commissioned
officer
Watchstanding

Watchstander If needs

Duties and functions

The captain ensures that the ship
complies with local and international
laws and complies also with company
and flag state policies.[1] The captain is
ultimately responsible, under the law, for
aspects of operation such as the safe
navigation of the ship,[3] its cleanliness
and seaworthiness,[4] safe handling of all
cargo,[5] management of all personnel,[6]
inventory of ship's cash and stores,[7] and
maintaining the ship's certificates and
documentation.[8]

One of a shipmaster's particularly

important duties is to ensure compliance
with the vessel's security plan, as
required by the International Maritime
Organization's ISPS Code.[9] The plan,
customized to meet the needs of each
individual ship, spells out duties
including conducting searches and
inspections,[10] maintaining restricted
spaces,[10] and responding to threats
from terrorists, hijackers, pirates, and
stowaways.[11] The security plan also
covers topics such as refugees and
asylum seekers, smuggling, and
saboteurs.[12]

On ships without a purser, the captain is

in charge of the ship's accounting.[13]
This includes ensuring an adequate
amount of cash on board,[14]
coordinating the ship's payroll (including
draws and advances),[15] and managing
the ship's slop chest.[16]

On international voyages, the captain is

responsible for satisfying requirements
of the local immigration and customs
officials.[17] Immigration issues can
include situations such as embarking
and disembarking passengers,[18]
handling crew members who desert the
ship,[19] making crew changes in port,[20]
and making accommodations for foreign
crew members.[21] Customs
requirements can include the master
providing a cargo declaration, a ship's
stores declaration, a declaration of crew
members' personal effects, crew lists
and passenger lists.[22]

The captain has special responsibilities

when the ship or its cargo are damaged,
when the ship causes damage to other
vessels or facilities. The master acts as a
liaison to local investigators[23] and is
responsible for providing complete and
accurate logbooks, reports, statements
and evidence to document an
incident.[24] Specific examples of the ship
causing external damage include
collisions with other ships or with fixed
objects, grounding the vessel, and
dragging anchor.[25] Some common
causes of cargo damage include heavy
weather, water damage, pilferage, and
damage caused during
loading/unloading by the stevedores.[26]

All persons on board including public

authorities, crew, and passengers are
under the captain's authority and are his
or her ultimate responsibility, particularly
during navigation. In the case of injury or
death of a crew member or passenger,
the master is responsible to address any
medical issues affecting the passengers
and crew by providing medical care as
possible, cooperating with shore-side
medical personnel, and, if necessary,
evacuating those who need more
assistance than can be provided on
board the ship.[27]

Performing marriages

There is a common belief that ship

captains have historically been, and
currently are, able to perform marriages.
This depends on the country of registry,
however most do not permit
performance of a marriage by the master
of a ship at sea.
In the United States Navy, a captain’s
powers are defined by its 1913 Code of
Regulations, specifically stating: "The
commanding officer shall not perform a
marriage ceremony on board his ship or
aircraft. He shall not permit a marriage
ceremony to be performed on board
when the ship or aircraft is outside the
territory of the United States." However,
there may be exceptions "in accordance
with local laws and the laws of the state,
territory, or district in which the parties
are domiciled" and "in the presence of a
diplomatic or consular official of the
United States, who has consented to
issue the certificates and make the
returns required by the consular
regulations."

Furthermore, in the United States, there

have been a few contradictory legal
precedents: courts did not recognize a
shipboard marriage in California's 1898
Norman v. Norman but did in New York's
1929 Fisher v. Fisher (notwithstanding
the absence of municipal laws so
carried) and in 1933's Johnson v. Baker,
an Oregon court ordered the payment of
death benefits to a widow because she
had established that her marriage at sea
was lawful. However, in Fisher v. Fisher
the involvement of the ship's captain was
irrelevant to the outcome.[28] New
Jersey's 1919 Bolmer v. Edsall said a
shipboard marriage ceremony is
governed by the laws of the nation where
ownership of the vessel lies.

In the United Kingdom, the captain of a

merchant ship has never been permitted
to perform marriages, although from
1854 any which took place had to be
reported in the ship's log.[29][30]

Filipino and Spanish law, as narrow

exceptions, recognise a marriage in
articulo mortis (on the point of death)
solemnized by the captain of a ship or
chief of an aeroplane during a voyage, or
by the commanding officer of a military
unit.[31][32]
Japan allows ship captains to perform a
marriage ceremony at sea, but only for
Japanese citizens. Malta and[33]
Bermuda permit captains of ships
registered in their jurisdictions to
perform marriages at sea. Princess
Cruises, whose ships are registered in
Bermuda, has used this as a selling point
for their cruises,[34] while Cunard moved
the registration of its ships Queen Mary 2,
Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth from
Southampton to Bermuda in 2011 to
allow marriages to be conducted on their
ships.[35]

Some captains obtain other credentials

(such as ordination as ministers of
religion or accreditation as notaries
public), which allow them to perform
marriages in some jurisdictions where
they would otherwise not be permitted to
do so.[36] Another possibility is a wedding
on a ship in port, under the authority of
an official from that port.

In works of fiction, ship captains have

performed marriages in various media,
including the 1951 film The African
Queen, and episodes of The Love Boat,
How I Met Your Mother, The Office (U.S.
TV series) and various Star Trek series.[36]

Licensing
 The examples and perspective in this section
may not represent a worldwide view of the more
Learn

United States

A ship's captain must have a number of

qualifications, including a license.

To become a master of vessels of any

gross tons upon oceans in the United
States, one must first accumulate at
least 360 days of service (Recency – 90
days in the past three years on vessels of
appropriate tonnage) while holding a
chief mate's license. The chief mate's
license, in turn, requires at least 360 days
of service (Recency – 90 days in the past
three years on vessels of appropriate
tonnage) while holding a second mate's
license, passing a battery of
examinations, and approximately 13
weeks of classes. Similarly, one must
have worked as a third mate for 360 days
(Recency – 90 days in the past three
years on vessels of appropriate tonnage)
to have become a second mate.

There are two methods to attain an

unlimited third mate's license in the
United States: to attend a specialized
training institution, or to accumulate "sea
time" and take a series of training
classes and examinations.[37]

Training institutions that can lead to a

third mate's license include the U.S.
Merchant Marine Academy (deck
curriculum), and the six state maritime
academies in Maine, Massachusetts,
New York, Texas, or California or the
Great Lakes Maritime Academy, or a
three-year apprentice mate training
program approved by the Commandant
of the U.S. Coast Guard. Furthermore,
third mate's licenses can be obtained
through the U.S. Coast Guard Academy
and the U.S. Naval Academy with
approved courses and requisite sea time
as an Officer in Charge of a Navigational
Watch.

A seaman may start the process of

obtaining a license after three years of
service in the deck department on ocean
steam or motor vessels, at least six
months of which as able seaman,
boatswain, or quartermaster. Then the
seaman takes required training courses,
and completes on-board assessments.
Finally, the mariner can apply to the
United States Coast Guard for a third
mate's license.

An alternate method of obtaining a

license as a master of vessels of any
gross tons upon oceans, without sailing
as a third, second, or chief mate, is to
obtain one year of sea service as a 1st
class pilot of any gross tons or mate of
vessels of any gross tons upon Great
Lakes and inland waters. Then pass an
examination for the license of master of
vessels of any gross tons upon Great
Lakes and inland waters. A master of
vessels of any gross tons upon Great
Lakes and inland waters may, without
any additional sea service, take the
examination for master of vessels of any
gross tons upon near coastal waters. If
the candidate does not already have
sufficient deep sea experience he may
with six months of additional sea service,
in any licensed capacity, take a partial
examination consisting primarily of
celestial navigation and have the near
coastal restriction removed. 46CFR
11.403

A master of 1,600 ton vessels can, under

certain circumstances, begin the
application process for an unlimited third
mate's license.

Some employers offer financial

assistance to pay for the training for their
employees. Otherwise, the mariner is
responsible for the cost of the required
training. A Chief Mate to Master formal
training generally takes about 12 weeks
and provides the knowledge, skills and
other soft skills training to take on the
duties and responsibilities.[38]

Various US states require and issue

shipmaster or captain licenses in order
to be employed in operating a vessel for
hire, while navigating within "non-federal"
waters. (Such as a lake or river charter
boat "skipper"). Most states honor a
USCG master's certificate as an
alternative to their state licensing. These
state licenses certify that the captain has
given satisfactory evidence that he/she
can safely be entrusted with the duties
and responsibilities of operating or
navigating passenger carrying vessels of
the tonnage and upon the waters
specified. The state licensed captains
command vessels that range from small
uninspected vessels to large excursion
vessels that carry over 100 passengers,
so the licenses are not issued
haphazardly. For example, see
Washington State's Certification of
Charter Boats and Operators licenses.[39]

Employment
United Kingdom

As of 2008, the U.K. Learning and Skills

Council lists annual salaries for senior
deck officers as ranging from £22,000 to
over £50,000 per year.[40] The Council
characterizes job opportunities for senior
deck officers as "generally good" and
expects a "considerable increase" in the
job market over the next few years.[40]

United States

As of 2013, captains of U.S.-flagged deep

sea vessels make up to US$1,500 per
day, or US$80,000 to US$300,000 per
year.[41] Captains of smaller vessels in
the inland and coastal trade earn
between US$350 and US$700 per day, or
US$65,000 to $180,000 per year.[41]
Captains of large ferries average
US$56,794 annually.[41]
In 2005, 3,393 mariners held active
unlimited master's licenses.[42] 87 held
near-coastal licenses with unlimited
tonnage, 291 held unlimited tonnage
master's licenses on inland and Great
Lakes waters, while 1,044 held unlimited
licenses upon inland waters only.[42]
Some 47,163 active masters licenses
that year had tonnage restrictions, well
over half of those being for near-coastal
vessels of up to 100 tons gross
tonnage.[42]

As of 2006, some 34,000 people were

employed as captains, mates, and pilots
of water vessels in the United States.[43]
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
projects 18% growth in this occupation,
expecting demand for 40,000
shipmasters in 2016.[43]

Uniform

A captain's insignia that features the executive curl.

Captain of the RMS Titanic, E J Smith

Captains from different Navies

Uniforms are worn aboard many ships, or

aboard any vessels of traditional and
organized navigation companies, and are
required by company regulation on
passenger and cruise vessels.

In the passenger-carrying trade a unified

corporate image is often desired and it is
useful for those unfamiliar with the
vessel to be able to identify members of
the crew and their function. Some
companies and some countries use an
executive curl similar to that of the Royal
Navy.

In the United States, and in numerous

other maritime countries, captains and
officers of shipping companies may wear
a merchant navy or merchant marine
regular uniform in conjunction with their
employment.
Related terms
Master mariner

Captain's seniority

In a few countries, such as UK, USA and

Italy, some captains with particular
experience in navigation and command
at sea, may be named commodore or
senior captain or shipmaster senior
grade.

Master

The term master is descended from the

Latin magister navis, used during the
imperial Roman age to designate the
nobleman (patrician) who was in ultimate
authority on board a vessel. The magister
navis had the right to wear the laurus or
corona laurèa and the corona navalis.
Carrying on this tradition, the modern-day
shipmaster of some nations wears
golden laurel leaves or golden oak leaves
on the visor of his cap.

Skipper

A skipper is a person who has command

of a boat or watercraft or tug, more or
less equivalent to "captain in charge
aboard ship." At sea, or upon lakes and
rivers, the skipper as shipmaster or
captain has command over the whole
crew. The skipper may or may not be the
owner of the boat.

The word is derived from the Dutch word

schipper; schip is Dutch for "ship". In
Dutch sch- is pronounced [sx] and
English-speakers rendered this as [sk].

The word "skipper" is used more than

"captain" for some types of craft, for
example fishing boats.

It is also more frequently used than

captain with privately owned
noncommercial or semi-commercial
vessels, such as small yachts and other
recreational boats, mostly in cases where
the person in command of the boat may
not be a licensed or professional captain,
suggesting the term is less formal. In the
U.S., a "skipper" who is in command of a
charter vessel that carries paying
passengers must be licensed by a state
or the USCG. If the vessel carries over six
paying passengers, it must be an
"inspected vessel" and a higher class
license must be obtained by the
skipper/master depending on the
vessel's gross tons.

In the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, U.S.

Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast
Guard, and merchant naval slang, it is a
term used in reference to the
commanding officer of any ship, base, or
other command regardless of rank. It is
generally only applied to someone who
has earned the speaker's respect, and
only used with the permission of the
commander/commanding officer in
question.

Skipper RNR was an actual rank used in

the British Royal Naval Reserve for
skippers of fishing boats who were
members of the service. It was
equivalent to Warrant Officer. Skippers
could also be promoted to Chief Skipper
RNR (equivalent to Commissioned
Warrant Officer) and Skipper Lieutenant
RNR.
See also
The captain goes down with the ship –
Maritime tradition
Bottomry
Maritime pilot
List of sea captains – Wikimedia list
article
Category:Fictional captains

Notes
1. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3.
2. IMO STCW Requirements for
Masters
3. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.4.
4. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.5.
 5. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.7.
6. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.7-11.
7. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.11-12.
8. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.13-15.
9. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.97.
10. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.100-
101.
11. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.103-
111.
12. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.110-
114.
13. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.209.
14. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.210-
211.
15. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.211-
223.
16. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.223-
225.
17. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.175-
208.
18. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.208.
19. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.206-
207.
20. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.207.
21. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.204,
206, 208.
22. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.183-
187.
23. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.46-47.
24. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.47-49.
25. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.52-61.
26. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.65-69.
27. Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.77-89.
28. Anthony Dickey, "Family Law:
Marriage on the High Seas" in
Australian Law Journal, Volume 62, p
717.
29. "Looking for records of a birth,
marriage or death at sea or abroad" .
UK National Archives.
30. BT 334/117 , Register of marriages
at sea (1854-1972), UK Board of
Trade, archived at The National
Archives, Kew lists 219 marriages
recorded in ship's logbooks, most
 performed at sea by chaplains or
ministers of religion; their legal
status nonetheless remains
uncertain .
31. "G.R. No. 158298" . Supreme Court
of the Philippines.
32. "Código Civil: Libro I: Título IV" .
civil.udg.es. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
33. "British couples could soon marry on
Cunard cruise liners crossing the
Atlantic" . Daily Mail (UK).
34. "Princess Cruises' Nautical Nuptials
Offer Romantic Start to a Life
Together : Princess Cruises" .
www.princess.com.
35. "Cunard Says 'I Do' To Weddings,
Bermuda" . Bernews.com.
36. "A Marriage at Sea? Get Me
Rewrite" . The New York Times. 2
March 2014.
37. "U.S. Code of Federal Regulations,
Title 46, Part 10, Subpart 407" .
Archived from the original on 2007-
09-30.
38. "Chief Mate Master Training" .
39. "Charter Boats" . Lni.wa.gov.
Retrieved 2016-04-17.
40. Learning and Skills Council, 2008.
41. Pelletier, 2007, p.160.
42. Pelletier, 2007, p.45.
43. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008-
2009, p. 4.

References
Aragon, James R.; Messer, Tuuli Anna
(2001). Master's handbook on ship's
business. Cambridge, Md: Cornell
Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87033-531-6.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (U.S.A.)
(2014). "Water Transportation
Occupations" . Occupational Outlook
Handbook, 2014-15 Edition.
Government Printing Office. Retrieved
2014-08-19.
Commonwealth of Australia (2008).
"Ship's Master" . Job Guide. Archived
from the original on 2009-01-08.
Retrieved 2009-03-01.
Hayler, William B. (2003). American
Merchant Seaman's Manual. Cornell
Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87033-549-9.
International Maritime Organization
(1995) [1978]. "II: Standards Regarding
the Master and Deck Department" .
International Convention on Standards
of Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 .
Section A–II/1.
Learning and Skills Council (2005).
"Merchant Navy Deck Officer Job
Profile" . Careers Advice Website.
London: United Kingdom. Archived
 from the original on 2008-09-17.
Retrieved 2008-10-21.
Pelletier, James Laurence (2007).
Mariner's Employment Guide. Augusta,
Maine: Marine Techniques. ISBN 0-
9644915-0-8.
Turpin, Edward A.; McEwen, William A.
(1980). Merchant Marine Officers'
Handbook (4th ed.). Centreville, MD:
Cornell Maritime Press. ISBN 0-87033-
056-X.

External links
Media related to Ship captains at
Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of sea
captain at Wiktionary
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Sea_captain&oldid=922796172"

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