STCW A GUIDE FOR SEAFARERS - Maritime Professional Training

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INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT WORKERS’ FEDERATIONPART 1 — STCW certificatesCertificatesThe term ‘certificates’ covers all official documents required under STCW. It includescertificates of competence, endorsements, certificates of proficiency, and anydocumentary evidence showing that a requirement of the convention has been met.Certificates are important as they are the main paper evidence you have on hand toprove that your level of maritime education and training, your length of service at sea,your professional competence, medical fitness and age all comply with STCWstandards. Every party to the convention has to ensure that certificates are only issuedto those seafarers who meet STCW standards.Certificate of competence:This document is issued to masters, officers, radio operators and ratings forming partof a watch who meet the standards of competence relevant to their particularfunctions and level of responsibility on-board. The table below indicates the title of thecertificates under STCW and the various limitations and tonnage thresholds that apply.CAPACITY AREA LIMITATION TONNAGE LIMITATIONMaster Near Coastal Less than 500gtNoneLess than 3,000 gtNoneNoneChief Mate None Less than 3,000 gtNoneNoneOfficer in charge Near coastal Less than 500 gtof navigational watch (OOW) None NoneRating forming partof a navigational watch None NoneRadio operator GMDSS (GOC/ROC) NoneCAPACITY AREA LIMITATION PROPULSION POWERLIMITATIONChief engineer None 750 kw to 3,000 kwNone3,000kw or moreNear Coastal750 kw to 3,000 kwNear Coastal3,000 kw or moreSecond engineer None 750 kw to 3,000 kwNone3,000 kw or moreNear coastal750 kw to 3,000 kwNear Coastal3,000 kw or moreOfficer in charge None 750 kw or moreof engineering watch (OOW) Near Coastal Less than 3,000kwRating forming partof a engineering watch None None18STCW: A GUIDE FOR SEAFARERS
INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT WORKERS’ FEDERATIONEndorsement:A document issued to masters and officers, either as part of the certificate or as aseparate document. This attests (endorses) that the national certificate has beenissued in accordance with all STCW requirements. However, due to the ongoingproblem with fraudulently issued certificates, the amended 2010 STCW Convention hasmade substantial changes in regulation I/2 to tighten up on the endorsement process.It is now required that all endorsements are only issued by the administration afterfully verifying the authenticity of any certificates and documentary evidence, and thecandidate has fulfilled all requirements and has the standard of competence for thecapacity identified in the endorsement. There is also a requirement to ensure there isproper approval of the equivalent seagoing service and training and also to maintaina database of certification registration with a controlled electronic access.Endorsement of recognition:This endorsement certificate is issued by an administration as an official recognitionof the validity of a certificate issued by another administration. This procedure isnecessary as many merchant fleets are manned by seafarers certificated by otheradministrations. In other words, if you hold a certificate from country ‘x’ , but you areserving on a ship registered in country ‘y’ , then you need to apply to the maritimeadministration of country ‘y’ for a certificate authorising you to serve on shipsregistered under its flag. Under the 2010-amended STCW Convention regulation I/2all seafarers serving on foreign ships must obtain an endorsement.To obtain an endorsement of recognition, you will need to submit the original of yournational certificate of competence to the representative of the issuing administration.You cannot apply for an endorsement on the basis of another endorsement.administrations will also require proof of identity. In most cases you will have to paya processing fee that will vary depending on the type of certificate being endorsedand the charges set by different administrations. If you are employed, the employer(shipowner or manning agent) will normally take care of all the necessary paperworkand fees. Even though it is not a requirement of the convention, there are a numberof administrations that are now requiring a letter of employment as part of thedocumentation necessary to process an application for an endorsement of recognition.The way to submit your documentation varies from administration to administrationparticularly under the revised requirements, and while some may still accept a postalapplication and copies of the documents, it is more likely they will insist that theseafarer appears in person with all the original documentation. These face-to-faceapplications are processed before a representative of the administration at adesignated office (if overseas, this is normally held at the consulate of the country’sadministration).An STCW endorsement of recognition can only be issued by an administrationprovided that the certificate being recognised was issued in accordance with STCWrequirements and the original certificate presented is genuine. To verify that thecertificate in question has been issued in accordance with all requirements of theconvention, an administration should inspect the training facilities and certificationprocedures of another administration.STCW: A GUIDE FOR SEAFARERS 19
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