100 ton master-500 ton master

Professional Mariner Forum
1

hi, currently right now i have enough sea time to test for the 100 ton masters and will be doing so in February. As of right now i can show the three years total time for the 500 ton master requirements. however im confused with the near coastal and ocean endorsement that are stated in the CFRs. currently i am going to a maritime academy and have one cruise under my belt, and have other sea time on small tugs, and 200 ton vessels. the question that i am wondering is that this summer when i intern with a company more than likely on an ATB on ocean/near coastal, can i use this time, and the time spent on the training ship to document for the 500 ton masters endorsement for oceans/near coastal. one reason i am asking this is because the people who are in charge at my school can not give me a straight answer. i have been told that the maritime academy is under a coast gaurd approve program and will not sign off/document sea time until graduation of the school and you receive a degree(i believe this is not true since you have to document sea time to get a licenses). i believe i will be able to have the ocean/near coastal endorsement if i can document this sea time and the time i will be spending this summer. i hope you guys can give me a lot of advice, criticism, and answer my question. even though everyone out there might know the cfrs up and down here is the requirements for the 500 ton master.
thanks Erik

The minimum service required to qualify an applicant for an endorsement as master of ocean or near coastal steam or motor vessels of not more than 500 gross tons is:
(a) Three years total service on ocean or near coastal waters. Service on Great Lakes and inland waters may substitute for up to 18 months of the required service. Two years of the required service must have been as a master, mate, or equivalent supervisory position while holding a license or MMC endorsement as master, mate, or operator of uninspected passenger vessels. One year of the required service as master, mate, or equivalent supervisory position must have been on vessels of over 50 gross tons.
(b) The holder of a license or MMC endorsement as master or mate (pilot) of towing vessels authorizing service on oceans or near-coastal routes is eligible for an endorsement as master of ocean or near-coastal steam or motor vessels of not more than 500 gross tons after both 1 year of service as master or mate of towing vessels on oceans or near-coastal routes and completion of a limited examination.

2

Hi Erik and welcome to the forum.

I think the first thing I need to clarify is if you currently hold any license. If not, then there isn’t any reason to look into the 500 ton Master because you need 2 years on a license (of which one year has to be on vessels over 50GT). The only non-licensed time that I can think of that might work would be military, but definitely not cadet or intern time.

So, you get your 100 ton next month, then you still need to get at least another 2 years of time as a mate or master (plus at least 1 other year) before you qualify.

Did that help or am I off the mark?

  • Jill
3

You need to work this with the academy. Although you haven’t given much detail, it does not sound like what you were ttold by the academy is wrong. Generally, time as a cadet can only be used as part of a Coast Guard approved profgram, and only towards the license the program is approved for. Time as a cadet generally cannot be used indepent of the program.

4

Thanks Jill and James it cleared the issue.

5

Jill, this should be an easy question for you. What are the requirements for upgrading from near coastal to open ocean? i hold a 100 ton w/ sail endorsement. could not find the answer on the NMC site. thanks in advance!