mca sea service testimonial yacht

Sea Service Verification On Large Yachts

• ‘Actual Sea Service’ being actual days at sea [including anchorage] associated with a sea passage
• ‘Stand-by Service’ being time spent on stand-by in port fully operational
• ‘Shipyard Service’ being time spent in a shipyard in or out of the water
• ‘Yacht Service’ being the overall time spent on board a yacht [as per seafarers employment contract]

Sea Service Verification on Large Yachts: MIN 543 (M)

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) has now published MIN 543 (M): Sea Service Verification on Large Yachts, outlining revised arrangements for the verification of Sea Service Testimonials (SST) for seafarers working on large yachts.

The MCA requires evidence of qualifying sea service in support of seafarer’s applications for a Notice of Eligibility (NoE) or for the renewal of a Certificate of Competency (CoC), and as well as direct applications to MCA, this formalises authority for verification via Nautilus International (Nautilus) and the Professional Yachting Association (PYA).

MIN 543 (M) formalises this arrangement whereby all seafarers employed in the large yacht sector, whether members or not, must have their sea service verified by either Nautilus or PYA before submitting this information to the MCA, otherwise you can expect processing delays of around 160 days.

MIN 543 (M): Sea Service Verification on Large Yachts

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• Maritime and shipping
• Seafarer management, training and certification
• Ship crew training and certification

Deck Officers and Ratings

Information on how to gain a UK CoC for Deck Officers or Deck Watch Rating Certificate

Application process

In line with MIN 655 , if you are applying for your first UK Certificate of Competency (CoC), you must post your application and original documents (except passport which must be an attested copy) at both NOE and CoC stages to:

Seafarer Certification 2/11 Maritime and Coastguard Agency Spring Place 105 Commercial Road Southampton SO15 1EG

For all other applications, please email your application and scanned documents to [email protected]

GMDSS applications should be sent to [email protected]

Please ensure your documents are included as attachments or within a .zip folder. Unfortunately, we cannot open .rar extensions or links to file-sharing services (e.g. OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox etc).

Fast track requests

It is unlikely we will consider expediting a NOE (including Resit) or Rating application within our service standard of 28 days, or within 14 days for all other applications.

If you have been waiting longer than this and need us to assess your application on an urgent basis, please ask your company to email [email protected] directly with your full name, date of birth and a compelling reason (including the vessel joining date).

For NOE applications, your company must also confirm to us that you meet all of the licence requirements i.e. the only barrier to gaining the licence is you need to sit the MCA oral exam.

For NOE resits, it is unlikely we will be able to consider a fast-track request if you’ve already had 3 attempts or more.

Booking your MCA oral exam

Information about how to book your oral exam will be emailed to you when you have met the requirements for an NOE.

Oral Exam Part A

From Spring 2023, the MCA OOW Unlimited, II/1, online oral examination will consist of the following elements:

• Part A: online computer-based proctored examination, and
• Part B: online face-to-face oral examination

Part A of the examination will be an integral part of the assessment for the MCA OOW Unlimited, II/1, Certificate of Competency (CoC). All OOW Unlimited, II/1, candidates with a first attempt Notice of Eligibility (NOE) issued from 1 May 2023 and all OOW Unlimited, II/1, candidates (including resits) with an NOE issued from 1 June 2023 must successfully complete Part A before being able to book Part B of the examination.

Further information can be found by accessing MIN 690 . The accessibility statement for the Part A exam can be found at Accessibility Part A exam ( MS Word Document , 2.31 MB ) .

Oral exam syllabuses

It is recommended that you review the relevant oral exam syllabus before sitting your MCA oral exam.

CoC requirements

If you pass your MCA oral exam, please see our guidance on the requirements for a deck CoC application .

If you fail your MCA oral exam and wish to resit it, please email the NOE Fail to [email protected] . The fee is currently £159 and should be paid for online to prevent delays.

This process also applies if you passed your oral exam more than 3 years ago.

Additional requirements for a third MCA Oral Exam attempt (or more)

From 3 July 2023, we will not be in a position to issue your NOE resit until we have received documentary evidence that you meet all of the CoC requirements (as per section 4.2 of MIN 690 ). Please send scanned copies of these documents by email to [email protected] when you apply for your NOE resit.

If you were issued with a NOE over 5 years ago but did not sit the exam, the fee is reduced ( currently £90 ). We’ll also need to see two forms of evidence showing 6 months’ seagoing service in the last 5 years.

Merchant Navy

• MSF 4274 - Application form for an oral examination leading to the issue of a certificate of competency (STCW) for masters, chief mates and deck officers in the merchant navy

For guidance on the licence requirements, please see MSN 1856 Amendment 1

• Deck Officer of the Watch II/1: sections 3.1 and 3.2
• Chief Mate II/2 Unlimited: section 3.3
• Master II/2 Unlimited: section 3.4

Commercial and private yachts (over 24m)

• MSF 4343 - Application form for an oral examination leading to the issue of a certificate of competency (STCW) for masters, chief mates and deck officers on commercially and privately operated yachts and sail training vessels

For guidance on the licence requirements, please see MSN 1858 Amendment 1 .

For conversions to a yacht CoC, please see: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/certification-for-deck-officers-on-commercial-and-private-yachts#conversions-to-a-yacht-coc

Watch rating certificate

• MSF 4371 - Application form for MCA issued watch rating certificate (navigational)
• MSF 4340 - Application form for MCA issued watch rating certificate (yachts)

For guidance on the certification requirements, please see MSN 1862 Amendment 1 .

• MSF 4260 - Application form for an oral examination leading to the issue of a certificate of competency (STCW) for masters and deck officers of tugs

For the licence requirements, please see MGN 495 .

Fishing CoC

• MSF 4345 - Application form for an oral examination, leading to issue, conversion or upgrade of a certificate of competency for fishing deck officers

To find more information about training and certification for deck fishing vessel crew, please see MGN 411 .

GMDSS STCW endorsement

• MSF 4354 - Application form for initial STCW endorsement and subsequent revalidation to GMDSS certificate of competence

For the endorsement requirements, please see MSN 1864 Amendment 1 .

Radio operators working on offshore oil and gas installations or fishing vessels do not need a GMDSS endorsement. If you do request an endorsement, you’ll need to comply with MCA application requirements and provide STCW basic training certificates.

Please contact AMERC if you’ve lost your original GOC or ROC certificate and need a replacement.

Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) licence

• MSF 4807 - Application for the issue of a vessel traffic services (VTS) operator logbook, VTS endorsements and VTS revalidations

For the licence requirements, please see MGN 434 Amendment 2 .

New tanker endorsements

• MSF 4210 - Application form for a tanker endorsement on a UK CoC

Sea service/training/occupation must be within the last 5 years :

Basic/Operational level

• Relevant MCA-approved Basic Tanker Training, and;
• MCA-approved Tanker Fire Fighting.

If you already hold Advanced Oil or Advanced Chemical tanker endorsement on your UK CoC, you automatically qualify for Basic Oil and Chemical endorsement (i.e. no training required).

Advanced/Management level

• You must meet the basic level requirements (as above) unless you are exempt because you hold the corresponding basic endorsement on your UK CoC, or you are applying for Advanced Oil/Chemical and hold the opposite Advanced Oil/Chemical endorsement on your UK CoC, and;
• Relevant MCA-approved Advanced Tanker Training, and;
• Two forms of evidence (e.g. discharge book and dangerous cargo testimonials) showing 90 days’ seagoing service on board a tanker carrying the relevant cargo.

Lapsed endorsements

If you previously held tanker endorsement(s) on your UK CoC but they were removed, you will still need to complete MSF 4210 and pay the fee, however, the requirements are:

• 90 days’ seagoing service on board a tanker carrying the relevant cargo, or;
• Relevant MCA-approved tanker training certificate(s), or;
• 30 months’ occupation in a role involving loading/unloading dangerous cargo.
• MSF 4350 - Application form for an IGF Certificate of Proficiency

For guidance on the requirements, please see MSN 1866 Amendment 1 :

• Basic IGF - sections 9 and 10
• Advanced IGF - sections 9 and 11

For training for service on ships using fuels covered within the IGF Code, please see our list of MCA-approved training providers .

Given ordinary sea service testimonials do not cover all of the information we need, please consider using our IGF specific specimen report of service .

Limitation removal

To remove ECDIS or Davit limitations, please apply using form MSF 3901 .

You can also use this form to change your name.

CoC replacement

You can apply for a replacement using form MSF 4299 . If your CoC was stolen, you must report it to the Police.

CoC revalidation

Please see our detailed guidance on how to revalidate a UK CoC .

Royal Navy conversion to Merchant Navy

We have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Royal Navy, giving a route to Merchant STCW Certification based on the education and training, as well as experience, gained whilst in the Navy.

For those in the surface fleet, please see the Deck Royal Naval Conversion Flow Chart . More information can be obtained directly from the Royal Navy (contact details on request).

If you are a Submariner, we are currently in discussions regarding routes taking into account your education, training and experience. We can raise your case directly with our examiner for review if needed; please email us your Rank, service history and any relevant education and training.

PSSR, EFA and MFA

Your UK CoC is proof that you have met the requirements for PSSR (A-VI/1-4), EFA (A-VI/1-3) and MFA (A-VI/4-1). There’s also no requirement to update these three courses. If an employer is querying this, please refer them to sections 5.1 and 5.2 of MIN 643 .

Pre-August 1998 grandfather rights

If a seafarer had 6 months sea service prior to August 1998, they were not required to complete PSSR or EFA originally (as per section 2.4 of MGN 97 ).

‘First Aid at Sea’ certificate issued before August 1998 should be considered as equivalent to MFA (A-VI/4-1) as per MGN 147 .

Updated to reflect MIN 434 Amendment 2 for VTS personnel.

The email address for GMDSS applications has changed.

Added link to MSF 4340 (Yacht Rating Certificate)

Added Oral Exams Part A text and Accessibility attachment

'NOE resits' section - added: Additional requirements for third attempt (or more) advice in line with section 4.2 of MIN 690.

Added section on CoC requirements.

Updated information on how to book an oral exam.

Updated links to new M notices. Also added sections on how to book MCA oral exam and where to find the oral exam syllabuses.

First published.

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Sea, stand-by, watch and yard time clarified under MCA

We are an industry where bigger is better and appearances set the standard. With that ever-increasing desire by owners to push the envelope for a yacht’s overall length, we have seen that the safety regulations that dictate how a yacht is constructed and operated have not necessarily kept pace.

In a long-awaited document, the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) published a Marine Information Note (MIN) in January. Titled MIN 498 (M), this note finally addresses the sea time needed for a license holder to cross over from the restricted “yachting” system and into the unlimited merchant navy licenses.

The MIN outlines the requirements for deck officers or ratings using yacht service as qualifying seagoing service toward the issue of an unlimited Certificate of Competency. The MIN also contains the new seagoing service testimonials for those working on yachts.

First, let’s review how the MCA will require the sea service to be documented and the types of sea service that will be accepted.

The MCA requires that all yacht service be documented in the form of either (a) yacht service testimonials supported by a discharge book or (b) an MCA-approved logbook. Both of these documents must include an exact breakdown of the actual sea service, stand-by service, and yard time. For the purposes of the MIN, the MCA service definitions are:

• Actual Sea Service is time spent at sea, which may include time at anchor or river and canal transits associated with a passage.
• Stand-by Service is time immediately following a voyage while the vessel is under preparation for a subsequent voyage.
• Yard Time is time when standing by a build, refit or repair.
• Watchkeeping Service is actual sea service spent as a watchkeeping officer in full charge of a navigational watch for at least four out of every 24 hours while the vessel is engaged on voyage.

The MCA states that seagoing service on yachts will be counted as a combination of actual sea-service, standby service and yard service. There are a few restrictions:

• Stand-by Service cannot exceed the number of days performed on the previous voyage and in no case exceeds a maximum of 14 days in each period.
• Yard Service cannot exceed a maximum total of 90 days for Officer of the Watch (OOW) and 30 days for Chief Mate or Master.

As a result of the above definitions, under no circumstance can stand-by service exceed actual sea service.

Now that the MCA has defined what type of sea service is required, let us review the requirements for the three levels of unlimited tonnage licenses.

To qualify for the issue of an OOW unlimited Certificate of Competency, the candidate must, from the age of 16, have completed 36 months seagoing service. Of that total, it must include at least six months engaged in bridge watchkeeping duties on vessels (including yachts) of more than 24m in length or more than 80 GT.

To qualify for the issue of a Chief Mate unlimited Certificate of Competency, one must have completed 18 months seagoing service as a deck officer while holding an OOW unlimited license. Sea service must be attained on vessels (including yachts) of more than 24m in length or more than 80 GT.

To qualify for the issue of a Master unlimited Certificate of Competency, the candidate must have completed 18 months seagoing service as a deck officer while holding a Chief Mate unlimited license. The sea service must be attained on vessels (including yachts) of more than 24m in length or more than 80 GT.

If an officer already possesses an OOW unlimited or a Chief Mate unlimited Certificate of Competency, and is serving on a yacht, there are additional stipulations to complete before raising to a higher Certificate of Competency. The license holder’s seagoing service requirements listed above must include the completion of:

• At least six months on yachts of 500 GT or more operating beyond UK-categorized waters, or if outside the UK, beyond the harbor limits; OR
• At least six months on vessels of at least 24m, made up of voyages of more than 300 nautical miles.

If a candidate has sea service on a yacht of over 3,000 GT that has spent more than 2/3 of its time proceeding to sea, then that sea service can be counted as per MGN 92 (M), i.e. at the full rate. A breakdown of the vessel’s movements must be provided with the application. This will be assessed by the MCA on a case-by-case basis.

If an officer already holds an MCA OOW for yachts less than 3,000 GT and the officer is applying for an OOW unlimited Certificate of Competency, it is not required to show evidence for six months of watchkeeping duties.  If the candidate does not hold an MCA OOW for yachts less than 3,000 GT, one will need a letter from the captain stating that the candidate has been engaged in watchkeeping duties under the supervision of a qualified officer for at least six months.

If one holds an OOW, Chief Mate, or Masters Certificate of Competency limited to yachts of less than 3,000 GT, the officer must first obtain an OOW unlimited license before progressing to a Chief Mate unlimited Certificate of Competency. It is not possible to skip over any of the unlimited licenses.

And finally, the MCA clearly states in the MIN that completing more than four hours watchkeeping within a 24-hour period cannot be counted as more than one day watchkeeping time. For example, if an officer completes a 12-hour watch within a 24-hour period, the officer can only count this as one day of watchkeeping service. Additionally, if the same officer completes two separate six-hour watches within a 24-hour period, the officer can only count this as one day of watchkeeping service.

Capt. Jake DesVergers is chief surveyor for International Yacht Bureau (IYB), an organization that provides flag-state inspection services to yachts on behalf of several administrations. A deck officer graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, he previously sailed as master on merchant ships, acted as designated person for a shipping company, and served as regional manager for an international classification society. Contact him at +1 954-596-2728 or www.yachtbureau.org . Comments on this column are welcome at [email protected] .

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Unlimited sea service requirements for yacht crew

The mca has released a marine information note outlining the requirements for deck officers wishing to use yacht service as a qualifying sea service towards the issue of an unlimited coc.….

• At least six months on yachts of 500gt or more operating beyond UK categoried waters, or if outside the UK then beyond the harbour limits, or;
• At least six months on vessels of at least 24m, made up of voyages of more than 300 nautical miles

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