§ 11.202 - STCW endorsements.

(a) General. When an original MMC is issued, renewed, upgraded, or otherwise modified, the OCMI will determine whether the applicant needs to have an STCW endorsement for service on a seagoing vessel and then, if the applicant is qualified, will issue the appropriate endorsement. The OCMI will also issue an STCW endorsement at other times, if circumstances so require and if the applicant is qualified to hold the endorsement.

(b) Basic safety training or instruction. Except as provided in paragraph (f) of this section, an STCW endorsement will be issued only when the candidate provides evidence of having achieved or, if training has been completed, having maintained the minimum standards of competence for the following four areas of basic safety within the previous five years upon assessment of a practical demonstration of skills and abilities:

(1) Personal survival techniques as set out in table A-VI/1-1 of the STCW Code (incorporated by reference, see §11.102).

(2) Fire prevention and firefighting as set out in table A-VI/1-2 of the STCW Code (incorporated by reference, see §11.102).

(3) Elementary first aid as set out in table A-VI/1-3 of the STCW Code (incorporated by reference, see §11.102).

(4) Personal safety and social responsibilities as set out in table A-VI/1-4 of the STCW Code (incorporated by reference, see §11.102).

(c) Competence in the use of Automatic Radar-Plotting Aids (ARPA). (1) Subject to paragraphs (c)(2) and (f) of this section, each candidate for an STCW endorsement as master or mate for service on vessels in ocean or near-coastal service must present a certificate of completion from an approved course or from accepted training on an ARPA simulator. The course or training must be sufficient to establish that the applicant is competent to maintain safe navigation through the proper use of ARPA by correctly interpreting and analyzing the information obtained from that device and taking into account both the limitations of the equipment and the prevailing circumstances and conditions. The simulator used in the course or training must meet or exceed the performance standards established under STCW Regulation I/12 (incorporated by reference, see §11.102).

(2) Training and assessment in the use of ARPA are not required for mariners serving exclusively on vessels not fitted with ARPA. However, when any mariner so serving has not completed it, his or her STCW endorsement will indicate this limitation.

(d) Endorsement for operator of radio in the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). (1) Subject to paragraphs (d)(2) and (f) of this section, each candidate for an STCW endorsement as master or mate for service on vessels in ocean or near-coastal service shall present:

(i) A certificate for operator of radio in the GMDSS issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); and

(ii) A certificate of completion from a Coast Guard-approved or accepted course for operator of radio in the GMDSS or from another approved or accepted program of training and assessment covering the same areas of competence. The course or program must be sufficient to establish that the applicant is competent to perform radio duties on a vessel participating in the GMDSS and meets the standard of competence under STCW Regulation IV/2 (incorporated by reference, see §11.102).

(2) Paragraph (d)(1) of this section does not apply to a candidate intending to serve only as a pilot or intending to serve only on vessels not required to comply with the provisions of the GMDSS in chapter IV of the Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (SOLAS). SOLAS is available from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR, England, telephone: + 44 (0)20 7735 7611, http://www.imo.org.

(3) Each candidate presenting a certificate described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section may receive a GMDSS endorsement.

(e) Procedures for bridge team work. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (f) of this section, each candidate for an STCW endorsement as master or mate for service on vessels in ocean or near-coastal service must present sufficient documentary proof that he or she understands, and can effectively apply procedures for, bridge team work as an essential aspect of maintaining a safe navigational watch, taking into account the principles of bridge-resource management enumerated in section B-VIII/2 of the STCW Code.

(f) Notwithstanding paragraph (b) through (e) of this section, §11.304, and §11.901, each mariner found qualified to hold any of the following officer endorsements will also be entitled to hold an STCW endorsement corresponding to the service or other limitations on the MMC, because the vessels concerned are not subject to further obligation under STCW because of their special operating conditions as small vessels engaged in domestic voyages:

(1) Masters, mates, or engineers endorsed for service on small passenger vessels that are subject to subchapter T or K of this chapter and that operate beyond the boundary line.

(2) Masters, mates, or engineers endorsed for service on seagoing vessels of less than 200 gross register tons (GRT), other than passenger vessels subject to subchapter H of this chapter.

(g) No mariner serving on, and no owner or operator of any of the following vessels, need hold an STCW endorsement, because they are exempt from application of STCW:

(1) Uninspected passenger vessels as defined in 46 U.S.C. 2101(42).

(2) Fishing vessels as defined in 46 U.S.C. 2101(11)(a).

(3) Fishing vessels used as fish-tender vessels as defined in 46 U.S.C. 2101(11)(c).

(4) Barges as defined in 46 U.S.C. 2101(2), including non-self-propelled mobile offshore drilling units.

(5) Vessels operating exclusively on the Great Lakes or on the inland waters of the U.S. in the Straits of Juan de Fuca inside passage.

[USCG-2006-24371, 74 FR 11236, Mar. 16, 2009]