🔍 Key Concepts

• Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) structure: officer, staff officer, and rating endorsements • Difference between a department endorsement (Deck/Engine/Steward)** and a specific license/registry endorsement • Historical use of Certificates of Registry and how those roles are now carried on the MMC

💭 Think About

• Is a Purser considered part of the ship’s navigating/engineering crew, or part of the staff who support hotel/administrative functions? • Would a Purser be an unlicensed crew member working in the Steward’s Department, or a licensed professional officer with a specific title? • Which of the options sounds like a category of officer rather than just a department or legacy document name?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which roles on a passenger vessel are classified as staff officers under 46 CFR (e.g., medical doctor, purser, etc.). • Check whether Certificates of Registry are still issued as a separate document or have been incorporated as an endorsement on the MMC. • Confirm whether the Steward’s Department refers to unlicensed ratings (cooks, stewards, etc.) rather than licensed officers.