Members are reminded that there are two levels of IR qualification, also illustrated in the flowchart from AMSA below:
- II/4 III/4 Integrated Rating (corresponding to STCW Navigational Watch Rating and Engine Room Watch Rating, plus TAGS books and seatime)
After a further seven months of seatime, IRs are eligible to upgrade to:
- II/5 III/5 Integrated Rating (corresponding to STCW Able Seafarer Deck and Able Seafarer Engine)
While Australian-flagged ships have minimum safe manning documents that allow for either IR qualification, when working on a foreign flag vessel, the flag state sets the minimum safe manning. Some flag states are requiring the II/5 III/5 IRs as a minimum.
All members are encouraged to upgrade to the II/5 III/5 IR qualification as soon as they have completed the required seven months of seatime. Please also ensure that you upgrade to the II/5 III/5 IR when you revalidate. AMSA have told us that about 250 Australian IRs (about 16% of those qualified) have the II/4 III/4 ticket, the rest have the higher II/5 III/5 qualification.
This is an important issue because METL can only take trainees as far as the II/4 III/4 qualification, and after this point provisional IRs must get employment to continue working in the industry. At the end of 2025 a large number of II/4 III/4 IR trainees will graduate from the METL program, and will need to find employment.
By ensuring your qualification is upgraded to the II/5 III/5 qualification, you can help ensure that there is room to employ the new IRs in our industry, and allow us to meet the chronic shortage of seafarers we are currently experiencing. Having a II/5 III/5 ticket will also improve your employment prospects. The functions and competencies of a II/5 III/5 IR is also a much better reflection of the real skills and functions of an Australia IR - the scope of the II/4 III/4 rating within the STCW regulations is quite limited.
