Magnetic Compass Adjuster Course

Course Overview

The Magnetic Compass Adjuster (MCA) course is a two-day, intensive programme — one day theory, one day practical compass adjustment on a vessel — for ship Masters, navigation officers, and marine electronic technicians who want to adjust, calibrate, and repair magnetic compasses themselves.

The course is ABS Class Approved and TUV NORD ISO 21001 certified, and is delivered by faculty who have spent decades adjusting compasses at sea. The certificate has no expiry — it is a lifetime qualification.

Every commercial vessel must carry a properly adjusted magnetic compass under SOLAS Consolidated Edition 2004, Chapter V, Regulation 19.2. Per OCIMF guidelines, any compass developing more than 3° of deviation from the last recorded deviation curve must be re-adjusted — a common finding in SIRE vetting inspections. Per AMSA, a vessel with a poorly maintained compass can be delayed, detained, or the Owner and Master prosecuted.

Ship managers currently spend significant amounts hiring external compass adjusters to close SIRE findings and meet flag-state requirements. The MCA course trains your own officers to do the adjustment in-house — saving cost, removing scheduling dependency on third-party adjusters, and keeping the vessel compliant on every voyage.

Pre-requisites

The MCA course is open to maritime professionals responsible for navigation safety and compass calibration. Typical participants include:

•    Ship Masters and Navigation Officers — including officers preparing for a Master's ticket who want compass adjustment as part of their professional toolkit.

•    Electronic Navigational Aid (ENaid) service technicians — particularly those working in marine electronics service companies.

•    Marine professionals responsible for compass calibration, repair, and adjustment — including marine surveyors and consultants.

No prior compass adjustment experience is required — the course is structured to take an officer with standard navigation training to a fully competent compass adjuster over the two days.

Curriculum

The course is structured as one day of theory followed by one day of hands-on practical adjustment on a vessel.

Day 1 — Theory

•    Introduction including legal aspects and regulatory requirements

•    Principle of compass adjustment

•    Obtaining magnetic variation of a place

•    Magnetic effects of electrical currents

•    Ship's magnetism — permanent and induced

•    Compass design — general principles

•    Compass compensations

•    Use of Gauss meter in adjusting heeling magnets

•    Magnetic effects of Northern and Southern Hemispheres on heeling correctors

•    Coefficients A, B, C, D, and E

•    Transmitting magnetic compass bowls and repeaters

•    Compass repairs and compass liquid characteristics

•    Removing the bubble in a compass

•    Methods of detecting mechanical errors in compasses at sea

•    Assessment of safe distances of navigational and other equipment from the compass

Day 2 — Practical

•    Practical compass adjustment on a vessel

•    Producing a compass deviation card

Post-course support: delegates receive on-site call assistance from our trainer for the first year after completion — when you are on a vessel actually performing an adjustment and want a second opinion on a tricky deviation, you can pick up the phone.

Regulatory Framework

The course is built around the four regulatory and standards documents that govern magnetic compasses on commercial vessels:

•    SOLAS Consolidated Edition 2004, Chapter V, Regulation 19.2 — mandatory carriage and performance of magnetic compasses on commercial vessels.

•    IMO Assembly Resolution A.382(X) — Magnetic Compasses Carriage and Performance Standards.

•    STCW Convention, 1978, as amended, and the STCW Code — competence requirements for officers in charge of navigation watches.

•    ISO Standard 2269:1992 — Class A magnetic compasses, azimuth reading devices, and binnacles — tests and certification.

Allowed residual deviation: 5° or less on all headings. Re-adjustment is required when the compass is first installed, becomes unreliable, exceeds 5° deviation on one or more headings, after dry-docking or structural alteration, after electrical or magnetic equipment near the compass is changed, one year after the last adjustment if the deviation record is incomplete, or when deemed necessary by the Master.

Delivery

The MCA course is delivered as a two-day intensive programme — Day 1 theory, Day 2 practical compass adjustment on a vessel. Course timing is 11:00 – 18:00 each day.

Cohorts run once every month. Group bookings, corporate cohorts, and dedicated on-site delivery at a shipping company's training facility are available — speak with admissions for scheduling.

Post-course support: delegates receive on-site call assistance from our trainer after the course — when you are at sea, on a vessel, actually performing an adjustment and want guidance on an unusual deviation pattern, you can call the trainer directly.

Certification

On successful completion of the assessment, you receive a Magnetic Compass Adjuster Certificate that is:

•    ABS Class Approved — recognised by the American Bureau of Shipping on every vessel under ABS class.

•    TUV NORD ISO 21001:2018 certified — institutional accreditation of EOA's training management system.

Each certificate carries a unique reference number and is independently verifiable online via the EOA verification portal.

Validity: No expiry — the certificate is valid for lifetime. Once you complete the MCA course, you hold the qualification for the rest of your career.

Recognition: The certificate is accepted by shipping companies, marine surveyors, classification societies, port authorities, and SIRE vetting inspectors as evidence of competence to adjust magnetic compasses on commercial vessels.

Why Take This Course

Stay SOLAS-compliant on every voyage. Adjust your vessel's magnetic compass in-house whenever it drifts out of tolerance — no waiting on a third-party adjuster, no SIRE findings, no AMSA detention risk.

Cut compass-adjustment costs to zero. Ship managers currently spend significant amounts hiring external adjusters to close findings. Train one officer per vessel and that ongoing cost goes away.

Add a high-value capability to your CV. Magnetic compass adjustment is a specialist competence that opens doors — into compass repair, marine electronics service, port-side surveying, and consultancy roles after a career at sea.

Open in-house revenue streams (for service companies). Marine electronics and chandlery companies who train technicians in compass adjustment can offer it as a paid service to their existing customer base — adjacent to navigation equipment installation and servicing.

Who Has Trained With Us

EOA's Magnetic Compass Adjuster course has trained delegates from more than fifty maritime, electronics, and offshore service companies worldwide, including:

Jason · GMS · Mackay · Elcome · Zener · Altis · A.S. Moloobhoy · Master Systems · Maritronics · ASK Marine Services · Globaltech · Ashapura Marine Tech · Navicom · Panorama Nautical · MEEES · Vishwas Maritronics · OSPL · Equinox Maritime Solutions · IMG · Stagmarine · VM Marine · Fairdeal · Thawe Marine · SMT · Wheelmark Marine · IP Marine · Radio Holland · Ocean Skipper · Navigator United · Oceanic Marine · Nakilat · Kanoo Industrial · Voyage Marine · Arc Marine · Bow Marine · Atlas Marine Trinidad · OSSE · Enesel Group · Alphanav · Marin Tele · Marine Electricals · Lindblad Expeditions · Bak Group · Auto NavCom · Arvi Navigation · NTC · Ocean Safe · Seven Seas Marine · Seas Marine Services · Maqnah Trading · Geden Lines · Fremont · Marinetech · Zamil Offshore · Marine Mechanics · Marks Marine Radio.

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