The second officer is the ship's navigating officer. Every passage the ship makes starts on their chart table — or, today, on their ECDIS.
What the second officer does
- Passage planning. Prepares the berth-to-berth plan for the master's approval: route, safe depths, no-go areas, reporting points, tidal windows, weather routing.
- Charts and publications. Keeps the electronic and paper charts, Notices to Mariners, lists of lights and radio signals and sailing directions up to date.
- Navigation equipment. ECDIS, radars, GPS, gyro and magnetic compasses, echo sounder, AIS — checks, error logs and defects reported.
- Watchkeeping. Usually keeps the 00:00–04:00 and 12:00–16:00 watches, the "graveyard" watch at night.
- Other duties vary by company: often the GMDSS equipment and radio log, and on many ships medical stores and first aid.
- In port and at manoeuvres. Usually stationed aft at mooring, and assists with cargo watches.
What it takes
The second officer holds the same certificate as the third: officer in charge of a navigational watch, STCW Regulation II/1. That requires at least 12 months of approved sea service as part of an approved training programme (or 36 months otherwise), including at least six months of bridge watchkeeping under supervision, plus the GMDSS operator certificate and the basic safety courses. What separates second from third is experience, not paper: companies promote after one or two contracts as third officer.
Courses the companies ask for almost everywhere: ECDIS (generic and type-specific), ERM/BRM, and for tankers or gas carriers the cargo familiarisation courses.
The path
Third officer → second officer → chief officer. The step to chief officer needs the chief mate's certificate under STCW II/2 and at least 12 months of approved sea service as an officer of the watch.
Pay and jobs
A clear step up from third officer, and a big one again to chief officer. The current range from real vacancies is on the second officer jobs page; a comparison by rank and vessel type is on our salaries page.
Your CV
Crewing desks look for the vessel types, ECDIS types you have worked with and the trading areas. List them in the maritime CV — it puts them where a manager looks first.
Requirements follow STCW; your flag state may add its own. Check them with your maritime administration.