§ 11.205 - Requirements for original officer endorsements and STCW endorsements.

(a) General. In addition to the requirements in part 10 of this chapter and §§11.201 through 11.203 of this part, the applicant for an original officer endorsement must also satisfy the requirements of this section.

(b) Experience or training. (1) All applicants for original officer or STCW endorsements shall present to the OCMI letters, discharges, or other documents certifying the amount and character of their experience and the names, tonnage, and horsepower of the vessels on which acquired. The OCMI must be satisfied as to the authenticity and acceptability of all evidence of experience or training presented. Certificates of discharge are returned to the applicant. The OCMI shall note on the application that service represented by these documents has been verified. All other documentary evidence of service, or authentic copies thereof, is filed with the application. An MMC is not considered as satisfactory evidence of any qualifying experience.

(2) No original officer or STCW endorsement may be issued to any naturalized citizen based on less experience in any grade or capacity than would have been required of a citizen of the United States by birth.

(3) Experience and service acquired on foreign vessels is creditable for establishing eligibility for an original officer or STCW endorsement, subject to evaluation by the OCMI to determine that it is a fair and reasonable equivalent to service acquired on merchant vessels of the United States, with respect to grade, tonnage, horsepower, waters, and operating conditions. An applicant who has obtained qualifying experience on foreign vessels shall submit satisfactory documentary evidence of such service (including any necessary translation into English) in the forms prescribed by paragraph (b)(1) of this section.

(4) No applicant for an original officer or STCW endorsement who is a naturalized citizen, and who has obtained experience on foreign vessels, will be given an original officer endorsement in a grade higher than that upon which he or she has actually served while acting under the authority of a foreign credential.

(c) Character check and references. (1) Each applicant for an original officer or STCW endorsement must submit written recommendations concerning the applicant's suitability for duty from a master and two other individuals holding officer endorsements or licenses on vessels on which the applicant has served.

(i) For an officer endorsement as engineer or as pilot, at least one of the recommendations must be from the chief engineer or pilot, respectively, of a vessel on which the applicant has served.

(ii) For an officer endorsement as engineer where service was obtained on vessels not carrying a credentialed engineer and for an officer endorsement as master or mate (pilot) of towing vessels, the recommendations may be by recent marine employers with at least one recommendation from a master, operator, or person in charge of a vessel upon which the applicant has served.

(iii) For an officer endorsement as offshore installation manager, barge supervisor, or ballast control operator, at least one recommendation must be from an offshore installation manager of a unit on which the applicant has served.

(iv) Where an applicant qualifies for an endorsement through an approved training school or program, one of the character references must be an official of that school or program.

(v) For an endorsement for which no commercial experience may be required, such as master or mate 25-200 gross tons, OUPV, radio officer, or certificate of registry, the applicant may have the written recommendations of three persons who have knowledge of the applicant's suitability for duty.

(vi) A person may apply for an original officer or STCW endorsement, or officer or STCW endorsement of a different type, while on probation as a result of administrative action under part 5 of this chapter. The offense for which the applicant was placed on probation will be considered in determining his or her fitness to hold the endorsement applied for. An officer or STCW endorsement issued to an applicant on probation will be subject to the same probationary conditions as were imposed against the applicant's other credential. An applicant may not take an examination for an officer or STCW endorsement during any period when a suspension without probation or a revocation is effective against the applicant's currently held license, merchant mariner's document, or MMC, or while an appeal from these actions is pending.

(vii) If an original license, certificate of registry, or officer endorsement has been issued when information about the applicant's habits of life and character is brought to the attention of the OCMI, if such information warrants the belief that the applicant cannot be entrusted with the duties and responsibilities of the license, certificate of registry, or endorsement issued, or if such information indicates that the application for the license, certificate of registry, or endorsement was false or incomplete, the OCMI may notify the holder in writing that the license, certificate of registry, or endorsement is considered null and void, direct the holder to return the credential to the OCMI, and advise the holder that, upon return of the credential, the appeal procedures of §10.237 of this chapter apply.

(d) Firefighting certificate. Applicants for officer endorsements in the following categories must present a certificate of completion from a firefighting course of instruction which has been approved by the Commandant. The course must meet both the basic and advanced sections of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Resolution A.437 (XI) Training of Crews in Firefighting. (Available from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR, England, telephone: + 44 (0)20 7735 7611, http://www.imo.org). The course must have been completed within five years before the date of application for the officer endorsement requested.

(1) Officer endorsement as master on vessels of 200 GRT or less in ocean service.

(2) Officer endorsements as master or mate on vessels of more than 200 GRT.

(3) All officer endorsements for master or mate (pilot) of towing vessels, except apprentice mate (steersman) of the vessels, on oceans.

(4) All officer endorsements for MODUs.

(5) All officer endorsements for engineers.

(e) First aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course certificates. All applicants for an original officer endorsement, except as provided in §§11.429, 11.456, and 11.467 of this part, must present to the OCMI:

(1) A certificate indicating completion of a first aid course not more than one year from the date of application from:

(i) The American National Red Cross Standard First Aid and Emergency Care or Multi-media Standard First Aid course;

(ii) A Coast Guard-approved first aid training course; or

(iii) A course the OCMI determines meets or exceeds the standards of the American Red Cross courses; and

(2) A currently valid certificate of completion of a CPR course from either:

(i) The American National Red Cross;

(ii) The American Heart Association;

(iii) A Coast Guard-approved CPR training course; or

(iv) A course the OCMI determines meets or exceeds the standards of the American Red Cross or American Heart Association courses.

(f) Professional Examination. (1) When the OCMI finds the applicant's experience and training to be satisfactory and the applicant is eligible in all other respects, the OCMI will authorize the examination in accordance with the following requirements:

(i) Any applicant for a deck or engineer officer endorsement limited to vessels not exceeding 500 GRT, or an officer endorsement limited to uninspected fishing-industry vessels, may request an oral-assisted examination in lieu of any written or other textual examination. If there are textual questions that the applicant has difficulty reading and understanding, the OCMI will offer the oral-assisted examination. Each officer endorsement based on an oral-assisted examination is limited to the specific route and type of vessel upon which the applicant obtained the majority of service.

(ii) The general instructions for administration of examinations and the lists of subjects for all officer endorsements appear in subpart I of this part. The OCMI will place in the applicant's file a record indicating the subjects covered.

(2) When the application of any person has been approved, the applicant should take the required examination as soon as practicable. If the applicant cannot be examined without delay at the office where the application is made, the applicant may request that the examination be given at another office.

(3) The qualification requirements for radar observer are contained in §11.480 of this part.

(4) An examination is not required for a staff officer or radio officer endorsement.

(g) Practical demonstration of skills. Each candidate for an original STCW endorsement must successfully complete any practical demonstrations required under this part and appropriate to the particular endorsement concerned, to prove that he or she is sufficiently proficient in skills required under subpart I of this part. The OCMI must be satisfied with the authenticity and acceptability of all evidence that each candidate has successfully completed the demonstrations required under this part in the presence of a designated examiner. The OCMI will place a written or electronic record of the skills required, the results of the practical demonstrations, and the identification of the designated examiner in whose presence the requirements were fulfilled in the file of each candidate.

[USCG-2006-24371, 74 FR 11237, Mar. 16, 2009]