Need a Ship’s Cook route for a UK-flagged yacht or ship? Start with the point that actually matters: the UK MCA looks at the official Ship’s Cook certificate held by the cook. It does not turn a private course provider into an “MCA-approved school” simply because the provider offers training online.
Cook’s Ticket gives suitable candidates a practical way to complete the recognised Danish training and assessment stage remotely. After passing, you receive a Cook’s Ticket Certificate of Completion and can then apply separately to the Danish Maritime Authority for the official Danish Ship’s Cook Certificate.
The official certificate is the important document for the UK route. The UK MCA accepts a Ship’s Cook certificate issued by another administration after that administration ratified MLC 2006 as equivalent for service as a qualified Ship’s Cook on a UK ship, subject to its published conditions. Denmark ratified MLC 2006 in 2011. 1
What the UK MCA actually requires
For a UK-flagged vessel in scope, the MCA requires a qualified Ship’s Cook on board. The rule is not based on yacht length. It is based on the vessel’s operating profile and the number of seafarers carried. 1
The MCA’s usual qualified-cook requirement does not apply where a ship:
- operates only within 60 miles of a safe haven and does not operate to, from or call at a port outside the United Kingdom; or
- ordinarily operates with fewer than ten seafarers on board. 1
That is why a captain or crewing manager should check the actual flag, safe-manning arrangements, voyage pattern and role description before buying any course.
The certificate — not a provider label — is the legal test
The MCA’s published equivalence rule is clear: it concerns a Ship’s Cook certificate issued by another administration. It is the official Danish Ship’s Cook Certificate issued by the Danish Maritime Authority that is accepted for this purpose — not Cook’s Ticket’s Certificate of Completion by itself. 1
The holder must also meet the MCA’s published basic safety-training and medical-fitness conditions for service on a UK ship. 1
The digital Danish route, step by step
Cook’s Ticket is operated by Rasborg ApS and appears in the Danish Maritime Authority’s public course-plan register under Recognition of ship’s cook training programmes. It gives experienced and eligible cooks a remote route through the training and assessment stage, without making travel to a fixed assessment centre the starting point. 2
The process is straightforward:
- Complete the Cook’s Ticket learning and assessment stages remotely.
- Submit the practical cookery video assessment and complete the remote-proctored final exam.
- Receive a Cook’s Ticket Certificate of Completion when you pass.
- Apply separately to the Danish Maritime Authority for the official Danish Ship’s Cook Certificate.
- Use the official certificate together with the medical, safety and other documents required for the vessel and flag.
Cook’s Ticket does not issue, register or guarantee the official Danish certificate. The Danish Maritime Authority makes that separate decision. 2
Why this route matters for yacht chefs
For a working yacht chef, a fixed classroom date can mean more than a course booking. It can mean leave planning, flights, accommodation, a relief arrangement and time away from the vessel.
A remote training and assessment route changes the logistics. You can complete the learning stages from a location that works for you, plan the practical cookery video in a suitable galley or kitchen, and arrange the final assessment when you have the right equipment, connection and uninterrupted time.
Remote does not mean informal. You still need a proper assessment environment, a laptop with webcam and microphone, reliable enough connectivity, a camera for the practical video and the underlying documents required for a later authority application.
What to check before you start
Is this a qualified Ship’s Cook role?
Ask the captain, vessel manager or crewing team whether the position carries the qualified Ship’s Cook responsibility. A galley can include several chefs and food handlers, but the certificate requirement is role- and vessel-specific.
Which flag does the vessel fly?
For a UK-flagged vessel, the MCA notice is the relevant starting point. For other flags, use the vessel’s own flag-state rules and the current Cook’s Ticket flag-state recognition record. Written confirmations concern the official Danish certificate issued by DMA, not the Cook’s Ticket completion document. 1
Are your supporting documents ready?
The authority application is separate. Depending on the candidate’s route, it can require evidence of professional qualification or apprenticeship, sea service, safety training, medical fitness and identity. 5
The practical conclusion
Do not reject the Danish route because it is not marketed as an “MCA-approved online school.” That is not how the MCA’s equivalence rule is written.
The useful question is simpler: can you complete recognised Danish training and assessment remotely, then meet the Danish Maritime Authority’s separate requirements for the official certificate that the UK MCA accepts as equivalent? For eligible cooks, Cook’s Ticket is designed to make that training-and-assessment stage practical from wherever they are.
Start the digital Danish route
Cook’s Ticket provides recognised digital training and assessment for ship’s cooks for USD 899. When you pass, you receive a Cook’s Ticket Certificate of Completion and can then apply separately to the Danish Maritime Authority for the official Danish Ship’s Cook Certificate.