The Y4 Engineer Certificate of Competence is one of the basic engineering CoC in the yacht industry. However, the structures for engineer CoCs have changed recently. In this article, we will see the new structure for yacht engineer certificates, called Small Vessel Engineer Certificate of Competence, and the perks associated with them. This includes understanding the conversions of the Y4 Engineer Certificate of Competence into the new SV Engineer system.
What is the Y4 Engineer Certificate of Competence?
The Y4 Engineer Certificate, now known as Small Vessels Chief Engineer Certificate of Competence, allows a candidate to be a chief engineer on a vessel not greater than 200 gross tonnage with propulsion power of 1500kW or less.
According to the MIN 524 notice (outdated, replaced with MIN 642), a Y4 engineer could work on a small yacht of the above measurements as a chief engineer (usually solo), as a second engineer on a yacht of 500GT and 3000kW propulsion power, or as an Engineer Officer of the Watch (EOOW) on a yacht below 3000GT and 9000kW propulsion.
Depending on these classifications, the responsibilities of a Small Vessel Engineer (referring to the Y4 Category) differ according to the size of the yacht and engine propulsion power. Let’s understand the conversions of the Y4 Engineer Certificate of Competence.
The Conversions of the Y4 Engineer Certificate of Competence – A1 to A3
Given that you have the AEC and MEOL certifications, you can start going for the Small Vessel Engineer’s Certificate. The most basic one was Y4, which allowed you to work as a chief engineer, second engineer, or EOOW, depending on the yacht’s size. Let’s understand the conversions of the Y4 Engineer Certification to the SV Engineer system in this section.
To find the conversion table for the new Small Vessel Engineer certifications, we highly recommend taking a look at MIN 642 for more information. In this article, however, we will only talk about the Y4 conversions only.
Y4 to A3 Conversion
This conversion will allow you to be a chief engineer on commercially and privately operated yachts and sail training vessels that are less than 3000GT and less than 9000kW propulsion power. Since you are advancing from Y4 to a high-level chief engineering certificate of competence, the prerequisites are harsh.
Prerequisites
(a) A candidate must have completed at least 12 months of seagoing services on a yacht of at least 350 kW while holding a Y4 Certificate of Competency. This includes a minimum of 6 months’ service on yachts of 750 kW or more in power. The 6 months of service can be obtained anytime and does not necessarily need the Y4 CoC.
(b) Successfully complete the MCA-approved modules and pass the corresponding written examinations for
- Chief Engineer Statutory and Operational Requirements
- Applied Marine Engineering
- General Engineering Science I & II
(c) Hold the applicable ancillary and safety course certificates.
(d) Hold a valid ENG1 (medical fitness certificate) or accepted equivalent.
(e) Pass the MCA oral examination (syllabus here) for Chief Engineer on Small Vessels less than 9000 kW, less than 3000 GT, unlimited area, III/2.
Y4 to A2 Conversion
If you hold a Y4 CoC, you can also obtain SV Second Engineer for commercially and privately operated yachts and sail training vessels with less than 500 GT and less than 3,000 kW propulsion power. Let’s see how.
Prerequisites
(a) Complete 12 months of onboard service on any vessel. This includes onboard service of at least 6 months on any yachts of at least 350 kW propulsion power.
(b) Successfully complete the MCA-approved module and pass the corresponding MCA professional examination for Chief Engineer Statutory and Operational Requirements. You will also need the SV Auxiliary Equipment Part II (if SV Auxiliary Equipment Part I was used for the previous Y4 route instead of the Y Auxiliary Equipment course).
(c) Hold the applicable ancillary and safety course certificates.
(d) Hold a valid ENG1 (medical fitness certificate) or accepted equivalent.
(e) Pass the MCA oral examination for Chief Engineer on Small Vessels less than 3000 kW, less than 500 GT, unlimited area, III/2.
Y4 to A1 Conversion
If you hold the Y4 CoC, you may obtain a Small Vessel Engineer Office of the Watch (SV EOOW) for a vessel of 9000 kW propulsion power, less than 3000 GT CoC, and unlimited area. Let’s take a look at the prerequisites.
Prerequisites
(a) While serving as a Y4, you must complete at least 6 months of onboard service. This includes at least 4 months of seagoing service on yachts of at least 350 kW.
(b) Hold the applicable ancillary and safety course certificates listed in section 6 of MSN 1904
(c) Hold a valid ENG1 (medical fitness certificate) or accepted equivalent.
Final Words
The Y4 Engineer Certificate of Competence is an outdated format for certifying qualified candidates as Small Vessel engineers. The purpose of introducing the Small Vessel Engineer (SV Engineer) system was to simplify the Y tickets and the associated roles and responsibilities. The good part of this conversion is that you do not have to worry about different Y ticket levels anymore.
A big Thank You to Warsash Maritime School for providing precise information regarding various courses in their articles. They also have provided a great sum-up career path for engineers in the yachting/maritime industry.
All the conversion data has been sourced officially from the MCA website (which is the official UK Government website) and documents. For more information on the matter, we highly recommend visiting their website.
If you are looking for any guidance on MCA-approved courses, STCW Certifications, ENG1 Medical Certificate, or RYA Powerboat Level 2 courses in South Africa, Sail and Power SA is your best bet in Cape Town, South Africa. For more information, feel free to connect with us today!