# The Merchant Shipping (Port State Control) Regulations 2026, Paragraph 2


The person must, as a minimum, have either—
(a) passed professional examinations from a marine or nautical institution and gained relevant seagoing experience as a certified ship officer holding or having held a valid certificate of competency issued in accordance with the provisions of the STCW Regulation II/2 or Regulation III/2, not limited as regards the operating area or propulsion power or tonnage,
(b) passed a professional examination recognised by the Secretary of State to qualify as a naval architect, mechanical engineer or any other engineer working in a maritime field and worked in that capacity for at least five years, or
(c) a relevant university degree or equivalent, and have training and a qualification which the Secretary of State considers are sufficient, in relation to the inspection of ships from a safety perspective.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348280098/schedule/2/paragraph/2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/draft-merchant-shipping-port-state-control-regulations-2026/schedule-2/paragraph-2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.