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For some time now I have received conflicting definitions from colleagues as to 'sea service' requirements for cadet and subsequent tickets. Although the MCA have made this clear in their guidance, I can't help but think many applications for NOE's are based upon wrong assumptions and definitions. I understand that it is the MCA's policy to police this, but should we not be more clear ourselves?
Maybe a problem does not exist although, from experience, some individuals appear to 'bend the rules'.
The MCA states that;
Sea service is calculated from the date of engagement to the date of discharge.
Watchkeeping Service is Actual Sea Service spent as a Watchkeeping Officer in full charge of navigational watch (or supervised watchkeeping if applying for Officer of the Watch) for no less than eight hours out of every 24 hours whilst the vessel is engaged on a voyage.
Sea service being used for the first CoC and revalidation.
Watch-keeping Service being used for qualification of subsequent CoC's of which 18 months is required for CM and MM.
Now, reading this correctly, it appears that any vessels that spends time in port (that must be all vessels) for a good proportion of the day during a port call is not likely to be at sea long enough for all the watch keeping officers onboard to incur enough hours to count as a watch keeping day. Strictly speaking, as the MCA testimonial pro-forma for qualified deck officers does not include a separate statement clarifying the total number of weeks and days spent watchkeeping in a voyage, a new testimonial would need to be completed and signed on every port call. This does seem unlikely to take place.
Should the MCA not include the statement, as they do on the Cadet pro-forma testimonial, to aid in the clarification of the above in relation to actual watch keeping time? It appears to me that many just detail the voyage from and to dates, without counting the actual watch keeping days - which would be incorrect if the vessel did not spend all the time at sea on passage.
Maybe a problem does not exist although, from experience, some individuals appear to 'bend the rules'.
The MCA states that;
Sea service is calculated from the date of engagement to the date of discharge.
Watchkeeping Service is Actual Sea Service spent as a Watchkeeping Officer in full charge of navigational watch (or supervised watchkeeping if applying for Officer of the Watch) for no less than eight hours out of every 24 hours whilst the vessel is engaged on a voyage.
Sea service being used for the first CoC and revalidation.
Watch-keeping Service being used for qualification of subsequent CoC's of which 18 months is required for CM and MM.
Now, reading this correctly, it appears that any vessels that spends time in port (that must be all vessels) for a good proportion of the day during a port call is not likely to be at sea long enough for all the watch keeping officers onboard to incur enough hours to count as a watch keeping day. Strictly speaking, as the MCA testimonial pro-forma for qualified deck officers does not include a separate statement clarifying the total number of weeks and days spent watchkeeping in a voyage, a new testimonial would need to be completed and signed on every port call. This does seem unlikely to take place.
Should the MCA not include the statement, as they do on the Cadet pro-forma testimonial, to aid in the clarification of the above in relation to actual watch keeping time? It appears to me that many just detail the voyage from and to dates, without counting the actual watch keeping days - which would be incorrect if the vessel did not spend all the time at sea on passage.
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