100 ton or 500 ton?

Right now I hold an AB special license. I have worked on a 100 ton crew boat 28/14 for three and a half years now. I believe I have enough sea time to go straight to my 500 ton captains licence, and have been told you can then work on a 1600 ton vessel as a mate, and be grandfathered in. Is any of this true? Does anyone have any suggestions. Since I have no interest in working on crew boats anymore and would like to move up to a 1600 ton vessel. Do I even have to mess with a 100 ton license? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Al.

[B][U]IMHO[/U][/B]…suggest you start by investigating the “checklists” on the NMC site??

Negative on the 500 ton bit. All you can get is a mates license and unless you are going to get the trade restricted OSV version you are looking at around $20k in school and all that goes along with it.

http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/checklists.asp will get you started.

With all the changes coming with in the next year your best bet would be to just get a 100 ton master and plan on working your way up from there.

Jemplayer, I think I still can work on a 16000 ton vessel as a mate with a 500 ton license, correct? I also read this on the link to the NMC. " Applicants for mate 1600 who were issued thier mate 500 officer endorsement AFTER February 1, 2002; NO further exams required. I am not quite sure what that means for me.

even if you hold a 500 ton master, you can not sail as a 1600 ton mate unless it says 1600 mate on your lic.

[QUOTE=Alster;48023]Jemplayer, I think I still can work on a 16000 ton vessel as a mate with a 500 ton license, correct? I also read this on the link to the NMC. " Applicants for mate 1600 who were issued thier mate 500 officer endorsement AFTER February 1, 2002; NO further exams required. I am not quite sure what that means for me.[/QUOTE]

You can’t if all you hold is Master not more than 500 GRT. To work as a mate on a vessel over 500 GRT and not more than 1600 GRT vessel you need a license as mate or master not more than 1600 GRT.

[QUOTE=Alster;48023]Applicants for mate 1600 who were issued thier mate 500 officer endorsement AFTER February 1, 2002; NO further exams required. I am not quite sure what that means for me.[/QUOTE]

It means just that - no further exams necessary, as the exams for the 500/1600 GRT level are the same. However, you still need the additional sea time, per the checklist (and CFRs) for the larger ticket.

There are a batch of members here who have upgraded to Master 500 GRT, and the same applies to them. They have tested at the 500/1600 GRT level, and now (only!) need 720 days of sea time on vessels over 100 GRT, and the USCG will issue them a Master 1600 GRT ticket.

Is it true that a person that has a 500T master,with the 3000 ITC OSV, can work as a 1600 mate in the GOM on an OSV?

[QUOTE=mike50;48058]Is it true that a person that has a 500T master,with the 3000 ITC OSV, can work as a 1600 mate in the GOM on an OSV?[/QUOTE]
You can work as Master on anything under 3000ITC. Most of the larger OSVs are operating within the tonnage calculated under ITC. As previously stated, you need the 1600 Mate on your license to operate on any vessel greater than 500 but less than 1600 calculated under GRT.

Thanks for the info Water. Thats kinda what I was thinking and trying to get at. Appreciate the help.

[QUOTE=water;48038]It means just that - no further exams necessary, as the exams for the 500/1600 GRT level are the same. However, you still need the additional sea time, per the checklist (and CFRs) for the larger ticket.

There are a batch of members here who have upgraded to Master 500 GRT, and the same applies to them. They have tested at the 500/1600 GRT level, and now (only!) need 720 days of sea time on vessels over 100 GRT, and the USCG will issue them a Master 1600 GRT ticket.[/QUOTE]

I believe its 360 days to upgrade from 500 ton Master to 1600 Ton Master, It’s 720 days to upgrade from 500 ton or 1600 ton Mate.