The title is a bit of a farse, because there is no easy move from one to the other. But here’s my experience doing it so far.
This applies to you if you’re a 4 year maritime academy grad with 3M Unlimited and all the crap that goes along with it.
I’ve been working on a tug and we stand 6x6 watches, so I stand 12 hours of watch per day. These days count as 1.5 days when counting sea time.
As it turned out, I was short on days in my seatime letter. My company had me embarked as a TRAINEE 2ND MATE for a lot of days. None of that time counted towards this licsene application. ONLY time as a 2M.
here’s a quote from the letter I got back:
Sea Service Form (CG719S) or Equivalent-
To qualify for Master 1600 Oceans, An academy Third Mate applies for Master 1600 GRT,
the CPR requires 1,440 days total service. You may qualify based on the Marine Safety
Manuel (MSM) by submitting 360 days as a licensed Master/Mate, your academy training
covers the remaining 1,080 days including 180 days as an AB. Howeyer the remaining 360
days must have been as master/mate on vessels over 100 GRT, and half the service must be
on Oceans/Near Coastal.
The last sentence is for applying for an Oceans 1600T Master. I decided to go for an 1600T Inland Master, as the majority of my sea time has been Inland time.
So, to wrap up, after graduating, you need an additional 240 days (of 6x6 watches) to apply for a 1600T Master.
If you’re going for an Ocean Master, 120 days of Ocean/Near Coastal + 120 days of Inland (or better).
Post questions in this sub-forum. There are also some very helpful, professional folks that cruise these forums. It’s the best resource I’ve been able to find.