Marine Engineering Officer (Ship Engineer) CV Examples & Writing Guide

This sample is a third engineer holding an MCA Engineer Officer of the Watch certificate, sailing on product tankers and container ships. The vessel and company details are invented. Notice that the certificate of competency and STCW list are near the top, because a crewing manager checks those before anything else.

Marine engineer hiring runs on documents. Before anyone reads a bullet point, they are matching your paperwork to the vessel and the position.

• Certificate of competency and capacity. Engineer Officer of the Watch, Second Engineer or Chief Engineer, unlimited or limited by engine power, and any restriction printed on the certificate. Small vessel and workboat certificates are a different track and should be stated as such.
• STCW certificates and expiry dates. Basic Training, Advanced Fire Fighting, Survival Craft, Engine Room Resource Management, High Voltage where required. An expired certificate takes you out of the pool, so list the expiry beside each one.
• Vessel types and machinery. Tanker, container, bulk, tug, offshore supply, passenger, research. Name the main engine make and output. Engineers are hired for the plant they know.
• Sea time by rank. Days sailed in each position, plus your rotation pattern. Say plainly whether you are looking for rotational work or single voyages.

“The first thing checked is the certificate and the medical, then the STCW dates, then what plant you have actually run. A CV that says "maintained shipboard machinery" with no engine make, no output and no sea time is not something anyone can match to a vessel.”

Three or four lines: certificate, sea time, vessel types, the systems you own, and the state of your documents.

Watchkeeping and maintenance sound identical on every marine engineer CV. Name the machinery, the interval and the outcome.

Group these by system so a superintendent can see instantly whether you match the plant.

• Propulsion: two-stroke and four-stroke diesel, medium-speed engines, reduction gears, shafting and stern tube, controllable pitch propellers, main engine control systems.
• Auxiliary: diesel generators, switchboards and high voltage systems, auxiliary and exhaust gas boilers, purifiers, air compressors, fresh water generators, sewage and oily water separators.
• Cargo and deck: cargo pumps and inert gas systems on tankers, reefer container plants, hydraulic deck machinery, cranes and winches, ballast water treatment systems.
• Compliance: MARPOL annexes and the oil record book, ISM and the safety management system, port state control preparation, class survey scopes, the Workboat Code for small commercial vessels.
• Systems and admin: planned maintenance software such as AMOS or NS5, spares and requisition handling, fuel consumption reporting, permit to work, risk assessment.
• Hands-on: welding, lathe and workshop machining, alignment and clearance measurement, vibration and thermal checks, electrical fault-finding and megger testing.

Give documents their own section with dates. This is the part of the CV a crewing manager screenshots and sends to the vetting team.

1. 1Write your certificate of competency exactly as printed: capacity, STCW regulation and any power or vessel limitation.
2. 2List each STCW certificate on its own line with the expiry date. Basic Training, Advanced Fire Fighting and Survival Craft are the three that most often lapse.
3. 3Add Engine Room Resource Management and High Voltage if you hold them, plus any tanker endorsements such as Advanced Oil or Chemical Tanker Cargo Operations.
4. 4Include the ENG1 medical certificate and your discharge book, with expiry dates. A lapsed medical stops a hire immediately.
5. 5State your passport, visa status and any flag state endorsements if you sail under a flag other than the UK.
6. 6Add total sea time by rank in days, and your preferred rotation. Crewing schedules are built around exactly that.

Certification rules for engineers change over time and differ between unlimited, power-limited and small vessel certificates. Confirm current requirements with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) or your training provider before quoting anything you are unsure about.

If you are a cadet, a newly qualified officer or an engine rating moving up, the CV is about sea time, assessments and the equipment you have actually touched.

• Put your sea days total on the first line, split by vessel type. Cadet sea time counts and crewing managers know exactly what it is worth.
• List the overhauls and jobs you assisted on by name: main engine unit overhaul, purifier strip, generator top end, pump rebuild. Say how many.
• Name your college, your qualification (HND, FdSc or degree) and the certificate of competency you are working towards, plus the oral exam date if the result is pending.
• List every STCW course with the expiry date, because a new engineer's documents are usually complete and current, which is an advantage worth showing.
• If you worked in the engine room as a motorman, oiler or engine rating, describe the watch you stood and the systems you maintained rather than calling it "assisted engineers".
• Say your availability and whether you are applying directly or through a crewing agency, because many entry-level berths are filled that way.