Malta Sets New Manning and Crew Qualification Rules for Commercial Yachts

Transport Malta’s Merchant Shipping Directorate has issued Yachting Notice 19, a new consolidated statement of the manning and crew qualifications accepted aboard Malta-registered commercial yachts. The notice applies under both the Small Commercial Yacht Code for yachts below 24 metres and the Commercial Yacht Code for yachts of 24 metres and above.

The Directorate says qualifications listed in the notice’s two annexes are automatically recognised for service on Malta-flagged commercial yachts, without additional contact with the Administration, endorsements, attestations or supporting documentation. Masters, owners and managers must keep a copy of Yachting Notice 19 on board so it can be produced during inspection as evidence that the listed qualifications are accepted.

A separate framework applies to yachts of 24 metres and above

For the superyacht sector, Annex B is the key section because it covers commercial yachts at or above 24 metres under the Commercial Yacht Code. It lists accepted deck and engineering qualifications and then sets minimum manning requirements according to gross tonnage, operating range and, for engineers, propulsion power.

The notice confirms that yachts of 24 metres and above require a Minimum Safe Manning Certificate. It also retains the approach introduced in Yachting Notice 17 under which engineer-officer certificate requirements on multi-engine yachts are assessed against the single highest-rated engine rather than the vessel’s combined propulsion power.

Deck requirements change with size and trading range

The deck tables divide yachts into three principal tonnage bands: at least 24 metres but below 200 GT, 200 GT to below 500 GT, and 500 GT or more. Requirements then change between short-range operation up to 60 nautical miles from a safe haven, extended short range up to 150 nautical miles, and unrestricted navigation.

For unrestricted operation the required master and officer qualifications become progressively more demanding as gross tonnage increases. Yacht ratings are also specified, while sailing yachts of 500 GT or more can require an additional rating compared with equivalent motor yachts under the tables published by the Directorate.

Radio and basic safety certification remain part of the picture

The notice separately addresses radio qualifications and basic training. Yacht ratings must hold at least the specified STCW basic training or equivalent, while yachts at or above 500 GT also bring security-awareness requirements for crew including cooks, stewards and stewardesses.

GMDSS requirements vary by gross tonnage and sea area. The notice states, for example, that yachts at or above 500 GT require at least two deck or navigation personnel holding General Operator’s Certificates, although Restricted Operator’s Certificates are accepted where the yacht is certified to operate only in Sea Area A1.

Owners and managers now have a single reference document

The practical value of Yachting Notice 19 is that it brings the accepted qualification routes and manning tables into one current reference for Malta’s commercial-yacht fleet. It includes Transport Malta qualifications alongside recognised RYA/MCA, IYT, Croatian and Slovenian yacht certificates as well as STCW routes where specified.

The Directorate also leaves a route open for other non-STCW or equivalent qualifications to be considered individually. For owners, captains and management companies, the immediate action is therefore to compare current crew certification and the yacht’s Minimum Safe Manning Certificate against the new notice and ensure a copy is carried on board.