How to Become a Seafarer in Sri Lanka: A Practical Guide

Eve Church
02 Oct, 2025
09 Mins read

A container ship flying the flag of Sri Lanka sailing past the Sri Lankan coastline

Are you a young Sri Lankan who is thinking about your future career? Maybe you’re wondering if a career at sea is right for you. If so, you’re in good company. Sri Lankan officers and ratings serve across fleets worldwide, and your country’s training pipeline is aligned with international STCW standards.

This guide explains the Sri Lanka–specific pathways, courses, documents, licenses, and endorsements you’ll typically need to work on commercial vessels, whether you’re looking to work on a cargo vessel, a tanker, or even a cruise ship. This will enable you to can chart a course from school to your first contract at sea.

Which maritime careers can Sri Lankans choose?

If you’re thinking about working on a ship, you’ll probably want to follow the lead of other Sri Lankan seafarers who usually choose one of three options:

Engine (Marine Engineering): Propulsion and power systems, fuel/lube, planned maintenance, diagnostics, refrigeration/HVAC, pollution prevention.

Deck (Navigation/Operations): Passage planning, bridge watchkeeping, COLREGs, ECDIS/radar/ARPA, cargo ops, mooring, safety and environmental compliance.

Electro-Technical Officer (ETO): Electrical power distribution, high-voltage safety, automation/PLC, controls and sensors, navigation/communications electronics.

For example, you could start your life at sea as a rating (ratings are hands-on seafarer jobs who join a ship as a Deckhand or a Wiper) and then work your way up. Or you can enter the industry directly as an Officer Cadet.

Sri Lankan students writing in their books in a maritime college

What should you study at school to become a seafarer in Sri Lanka?

For GCE O/L and A/L students, build a foundation that helps with a) finding work at sea and b) studying for your license exams:

English & Maritime English (SMCP): Necessary for clear radio/bridge/engine communication and keeping accurate logbooks.

Mathematics & Physics: Essential for understanding stability, navigation, thermodynamics, and for working with machinery.

ICT/Digital skills: Ships are highly digital – think ECDIS – and IT skills will be very helpful.

Useful extras: Technical drawing/CAD, basic electronics, geography/meteorology, and workshop/practical subjects.

Achieving strong results in math and science will make it easier to find an officer cadetship and will definitely help with passing your maritime exams.

How does maritime officer training work in Sri Lanka?

Officer education and licensing in Sri Lanka follow STCW rules and are overseen nationally by the Merchant Shipping Secretariat (which falls under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Aviation). Choose an academy or training center that is formally approved by the Administration so that your qualifications count towards your Certificates of Competency (CoC).

The Common Officer route – on deck or engine room:

Enroll in an approved program:

Deck: Nautical science / navigation (diploma/degree or professional program).
Engine: Marine engineering / operation of ship power plants.

Well-known providers include established maritime colleges in and around Colombo and private providers also deliver approved pathways and short courses. However, we recommend that you always verify their current approval status.

a maritime training academy in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Complete STCW Basic Training (BT) early

Personal Survival Techniques, Fire Prevention & Firefighting, Elementary First Aid, Personal Safety & Social Responsibilities, plus Security Awareness (and Designated Security Duties if required).

Cadet sea phase with a Training Record Book (TRB)

Sail as a Cadet (either on deck or in the engine room) and complete a structured TRB with watchkeeping tasks signed by ship’s officers. The total time will vary by route but this usually totals approximately 12 months across one or more trips to sea.

Stream-specific mandatory courses

Examples include ECDIS, Radar/ARPA, Bridge Resource Management (BRM) for Deck, Engine Room Resource Management (ERRM) and High-Voltage safety for Engine/ETO, GMDSS (ROC/GOC for deck officers), plus Proficiency in Survival Craft & Rescue Boats (PSCRB), Advanced Firefighting (AFF), Medical First Aid/Medical Care.

Assessment & licensing

After undergoing your education, sea time, and taking short courses, you will need to sit Sri Lanka’s national competency assessments. These will be written or oral or will take place on a simulator, depending on the rank and department you’re aiming for. These are administered under the Merchant Shipping Secretariat.

If you’re successful, you’ll obtain your first officer license – this is OIC-NW (II/1) (Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch) for the deck department or OICEW (III/1) (Office in Charge of Engineering Watch) for the engine department. With further sea time and management-level courses, you can then think about working to become a Chief Officer or Master (II/2) or a Second or Chief Engineer (III/2).

The ETO route:

You’ll typically hold an electrical/electronics degree or diploma, plus you’ll have undertaken an approved ETO course, high-voltage and automation safety modules, and a trainee sea phase before you achieve ETO (III/6) competence.

a Sri Lankan seafarer holding his diploma and smiling

Prefer to start earning first? The ratings route in Sri Lanka

Starting your maritime career as a rating lets you earn while you learn and then work towards gaining a higher rank later.

Undertake Pre-sea and STCW Basic Training at an approved seafarer training center.

Add RFPNW (II/4) for deck or RFPEW (III/4) for engine to form part of a watch.

Join a ship as an Ordinary Seaman (OS), Wiper, Motorman, or catering rating.

Keep meticulous sea-service records – info should include vessel name, IMO number, GT/kW, dates onboard, your rank and duties, and the trading area.

After sufficient sea time and assessments, work towards upgrading to an Able Seafarer Deck job (II/5) or an Able Seafarer Engine job (III/5). If you meet the entry criteria later, you can consider applying for officer training and trying your hand at earning your first CoC.

This route will suit you if you’re more of a hands-on learner rather than someone who enjoys learning in a classroom. It’s also a good option if you’re balancing finances with study.

What documents and medicals do Sri Lankan seafarers need?

Your crewing or manning agency (i.e. the recruitment agency) will tell you exactly what you need before you can start working on a ship, but you can expect to prepare the following:

Passport with a good amount of time before it expires.

Seafarer Identity Document (SID) where applicable.

Seafarer’s Service Book/Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) issued nationally.

STCW certificates - Basic Training, Security, and any role-specific CoPs such as PSCRB, AFF.

National CoC/CoP matching your rank/role once you’ve qualified.

Flag-State Endorsement (FSE) for foreign-flag ships. (Your employer/agency usually helps with this).

Medical fitness certificate from an Administration-approved maritime doctor This must be STCW/MLC compliant and if you’re working in a job on deck roles, you’ll need to meet color-vision standards.

Vaccinations/health records – for example, Malaria – depending on the trading area.

Visas for trading areas and port state requirements.

Employment contract through a reputable licensed crewing/manning agency.

seafarer documents and open passport on a desk

Always keep certified copies and backup copies in the cloud based – such as Google Docs, or in your Martide seafarer profile!

*Tip: Keep a close eye on document and certificate* expiry dates so that nothing runs out while your mid-contract and working at sea. If you upload your documents into your Martide account, we’ll send you a handy reminder when something needs to be updated.

Which endorsements will help Sri Lankans find jobs on ships?

The first thing to do is to decide what type of ships you want to work on as certain endorsements will be more useful for that fleet than others.

Passenger ships, ferries and cruise ships - crowd and crisis management will be useful.

Tanker familiarization & advanced tanker – for working on oil, chemical, LPG and/or LNG carriers.

Ro-Ro operations – good for working on roll-on roll-off ships such as car carriers.

Dynamic Positioning (DP) - useful if you ant to work on offshore support vessels.

High-Voltage competence – for those taking the Engine or ETO route.

Security: Ship Security Officer (SSO) or Designated Security Duties as required.

Expect refresher training every 5 years for key STCW modules such as Basic Training (BT), Advanced Firefighting (AFF), and Proficiency in Survival Craft & Rescue Boats (PSCRB).

Some Sri Lankan employers in the maritime industry will sponsor your endorsements after you start working with them, however being ready to set sail with relevant endorsements can help to speed up the rate in which you secure a position on a ship.

a man wearing safety gear standing on the deck of a container ship

How do assessments and licenses typically work in Sri Lankan seafarer jobs?

To summarize:

Train at approved centers so your course certificates are recognized.
Accumulate documented sea time (TRB entries and sea-service letters with vessel/IMO, GT/kW, dates, rank/duties, trading area information noted).
Sit competency exams under Sri Lanka’s national Administration (theory/oral/simulator as applicable) for your target certificate: OIC-NW/OICEW/ETO or Able Seafarer.
Secure flag endorsements when serving on vessels with foreign flags.

Keep in mind that requirements can, and do, change so look out for emails or notices from training providers and the Administration to make sure you’re one step ahead.

How do you find your first maritime job in Sri Lanka?

Most Sri Lankan seafarers sign up with licensed crewing agencies that are recruiting crew for international ship owners. It’ not set in stone, but most new Sri Lankan seafarers will:

Complete medicals with an Administration-approved maritime clinic.
Finish mandatory STCW training and pre-sea modules.
Organize documents (passport, CDC, SID, certificates).
Pass company screening (Marlins/CES/technical interview, and simulator tests for officer roles.
Arrange visas and flag paperwork - through your agency.
Join your ship!

How long will it take to find a job at sea in Sri Lanka?

This can vary and will depend on a number of different factors such as how many courses you need to take, how log your studies take, and how many seafarer job vacancies there are for your rank. As a general guideline however:

Ratings: Weeks to a few months for pre-sea plus Basic Training then joining a ship as an Ordinary Seaman, Wiper or Motorman then upgrading with sea time to an Able Seafarer job.

Officer (Deck): Often 2 - 3+ years including academy courses and cadet sea phases before OIC-NW (II/1).

Officer (Engine): Similar timeline to the above before OICEW (III/1).

ETO: Technical degree/diploma and approved ETO course plus trainee sea time and ETO (III/6) competence.

a man cleaning the ship's engine with a broom

Expect to undergo refresher training every five years for the core STCW modules and take additional courses as you progress to management-level licenses such as Chief Officer, Master, Second Engineer and Chief Engineer.

What personality traits are Sri Lankan maritime employers looking for?

To build a successful maritime career at sea, you’ll need a certain set of skills, personality and mindset. Maritime companies in Sri Lanka will like you to have :

Good English and an understanding of SMCP for radio, bridge and/or engine communications.

An appreciation of safety culture and teamwork by applying Bridge Resource Management (BRM) or Engine Room Resource Management (ERRM) principles daily.

Digital confidence – you may be working with ECDIS updates, Planed Maintenance System (PMS) entries, email handovers, and reporting.

Professionalism – ships can be dangerous workplaces and being punctual, respecting multinational crewmates and having sound judgement will be highly beneficial.

Documentation discipline - impeccable TRB entries and sea-service letters that are kept up-to-date and properly stored is vital.

A step-by-step Sri Lankan seafarer checklist to finding jobs at sea

Pick your stream: Deck, Engine, or ETO.
Choose your entry route: Officer (Administration-approved academy) or rating (pre-sea and Basic Training).
Complete STCW Basic Training at an approved center.
Undergo a maritime medical from an approved doctor.
Obtain your CDC (and SID if applicable) and organize scans/copies.
Find a cadetship or rating berth via a licensed crewing agency.
Finish sea phases and keep your Training Record Book up-to-date.
Complete mandatory stream courses (ECDIS, Radar/ARPA, BRM/ERRM, PSCRB, AFF, GMDSS, High-Voltage).
Sit competency exams for your CoC/CoP under the Merchant Shipping Secretariat.
Add endorsements, complete refresher training when required, and gain sea time to work towards higher licenses.

a cell phone with a seafarer jobs app on the screen

Finding maritime jobs in Sri Lanka: Conclusion

Sri Lanka’s seafaring pathway is structured, STCW-aligned, and recognized by maritime employers worldwide. Whether you begin your career at sea as a rating or as an Officer Cadet, your ability to build a successful life at sea depends on approved training, documented sea service, a valid medical, and disciplined record-keeping.

Choose the types of boats you want to work on in advance and pursue the endorsements that match them. Keep certificates valid, store digital scans safely, and look after your Training Record Book!

Good luck and if you’re looking for your next seafarer job, don’t forget to take a look at Martide’s maritime job vacancies!

Disclaimer: The information above is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing and is provided for informational purposes only as a starting guide. Requirements change and can vary by authority, flag, company, and vessel type. We highly recommend checking the latest guidance from Sri Lanka’s *Merchant Shipping Secretariat, your chosen maritime academy/training provider, and your employer or crewing agency before making decisions.*