Sri Lankan Seafarers: Documents, Recognition and Jobs

Sri Lankan officers, engineers and ratings serve on container ships, tankers and bulk carriers for foreign owners. Colombo lies close to the main East-West shipping route and is a large container transhipment port, which makes it a practical place for crew changes. Training is provided by approved institutions, among them the Mahapola Ports and Maritime Academy and private maritime campuses in Colombo.

Certificates and seaman’s book in Sri Lanka

• Certificates of Competency are issued by the Merchant Shipping Secretariat under the ministry responsible for ports and shipping.
• Sri Lankan seafarers hold a Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC); check the current issuing office and renewal rules with the issuing authority.

STCW status and recognition by foreign flags

Sri Lanka is a Party to the STCW Convention and appears on the IMO list of Parties confirmed as giving full and complete effect to it (the “white list”, IMO circular MSC.1/Circ.1164 and its revisions). Check the latest revision before relying on it.

Foreign flags issue STCW Reg. I/10 endorsements on Sri Lankan CoCs after verification. Check each flag’s list of recognised countries before the contract.

What employers ask Sri Lankan seafarers for

• CoC from the Merchant Shipping Secretariat with the flag endorsement
• CDC, passport and seafarer medical certificate
• Sea service on container ships, tankers or bulk carriers, depending on the vacancy
• Availability to join at Colombo or at the ship’s port, with travel documents ready

Endorsements and seaman’s books for foreign flags

Our partner International Ship Registry handles flag endorsements of CoCs (STCW Reg. I/10) and seaman’s books for ratings, for example the Belize seaman’s book, on behalf of seafarers and crewing agencies.

How to register

1. Create a free seafarer account and confirm your email address.
2. Choose Sri Lankan as nationality, then add your rank, sea service, CoC, STCW certificates, medical and seaman’s book, and upload copies.
3. Make your profile visible to verified employers and apply to the jobs for your rank.

Create seafarer account See all jobs

Jobs by rank and ship type

• Deck jobs
• Engine jobs
• Catering jobs
• Cadet jobs
• Jobs by ship type
• All jobs

Seafarers of other nationalities

• Egyptian seafarers
• Filipino seafarers
• Indian seafarers
• Ukrainian seafarers
• Indonesian seafarers
• Turkish seafarers
• Pakistani seafarers
• Nigerian seafarers
• All nationalities

Seafarers: see how Seafarers Recruitment works for seafarers. Employers and crewing agencies: post a vacancy or search crew.