ETO — Electro-Technical Officer

About the certificate

The Electro-Technical Officer certificate was introduced by the 2010 Manila amendments under STCW Regulation III/6, recognising that a modern ship is an electrical and automated plant as much as a mechanical one. The ETO is responsible for electrical power generation and distribution, high voltage systems, automation and control, bridge and communication electronics, and the instrumentation the whole plant depends on. Demand has grown faster than supply, and the rank commands salaries close to those of senior engineers.

Key topics

• Power generation and distribution — alternators, AVR, synchronising, load sharing, protection
• High voltage — switching and isolation, earthing, permits, insulation testing
• Motors and drives — induction motors, star-delta, soft starters, variable frequency drives
• Automation and PLC — ladder logic, sensors, control loops, alarm and monitoring systems
• Electronics — rectifiers, inverters, UPS, batteries, harmonics
• Navigation and communication equipment — radar, ECDIS, GMDSS, gyro — maintenance and fault finding

How the assessment works

• Approved education and training, plus seagoing service with a record of training
• Competence assessed against the STCW Code Table A-III/6 tables
• Written examination and an oral or practical assessment, by administration
• High voltage safety is examined seriously — it is the part that kills people

Start practicing

Topic-wise practice across all eleven ETO subject areas.

Take an ETO exam Concept refresher

11 chapter briefs — points, traps, 60-sec recall