I currently plan on working towards updgrading my 100 ton master near costal to 500 ton oc/nc. I have the required sea time, and basic safety training. According to the checklist all I would need is advanced fire fighting to receive permission to test for my 500 ton. The Maritme school represantative told me the same thing and she said that I could even receive the national license. Is that bs or the truth? And what classes at minimum would I need to test if this is not the truth? Thanks
You’re an American looking to test for 500 Ton? That IS the National License. Maybe she told you you could get the 3,000 Ton OSV Master as well? It has a seperate checklist.
Yes I am a US mariner. The checklist was for 500/1600 ton oceans/ near coastal master. There are no required classes on the checklist besides basic and advanced fire fighting.
My Question is;
What are the required classes to sit for my 500 ton? According to her all I needed was advanced fire fighting and I could take the test and get national endorsement for 500 ton oceans.
I think you mean according to her (presumably a knowledgeable professional) and the official USCG checklist. Would it also make you more comfortable if a random gcaptain poster confirms it? How many clues are you looking for?
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So can you actually confirm the answer I was given based on your experience? Based on my research I was lead to believe that I would need at least:
Radar unlimited
Visual signaling
Bridge resource management
AB
PSC
Advanced fire fighting
BST
Celestial
Leadership and managerial
Medical provider
AARPA, ECIDIS, GMDSS (based on vessel)
There was nothing wrong with the first two answers as they pertain to the national endorsement. I’ll confirm if it makes you feel better. Except you need both basic and advanced firefighting.
Most of those other courses you’ve listed are for the companion STCW endorsement and you’ll find those on a separate checklist. STCW is not required to get national endorsements. But national endorsements are required for STCW.
The 500/1600 is essentially a dead license, at least in the oil field it is.
Very rarely do you find a vessel with a GRT over 100 tons. Most everything just has a GT these days.
What that means is while yes someone can just have a 500/1600 with out a 3000 ITC they can not run the vessels that just have GT even if the number is below your national license.
You need to go look at the checklist again, a lot has changed over the last 2 years. You now have to take ALL the stcw classes and assessments that unlimited officers take if you want an unrestricted license, so you have to look at the checklist for OICNW and Master.
Seatime also changed as you have to have 1080 days on your OICNW before you can get your master 3000.
Only you can decide if dropping roughly $60k after room and board on a license these days is worth it.
A little example of how worthless the national endorsement has become. My national license is master 1600 oceans and Master 10,000 OSV oceans. My STCW license is Master 3000 ITC oceans and OICNW grater the 500 ITC, as the coast guard did away with OICNW over 500 under 3000. Because I now have no limit to my OICNW I was offered a “3rd mate” spot on a drill ship. I have never completed any of the STCW requirements for anything above a Master 3000, just been around long enough to finely be grandfathered into something.
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The license is almost useless without the international addition which then you would be required to take a whole bunch of classes.
Whether the vessels is GT or GRT doesn’t matter. You can’t sail outside the boundary line without the proper STCW endorsement unless you’re on an exempt vessel.
You are limited by your national license at all times. Foreign crewing people have historically not known how to read US licenses though.
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Realize this post is 2 & 1/2 years old, however wouldn’t that 500 Ton NC Masters License make you able to go Master of Towing (Inland, NC or WR) much quicker than going steersman or Mate(Pilot) with way less hassle?
I think so. There was one point where I had enough time on an AHTS that I could have gone to a one day class, gotten all my stuff signed off and had a Master of Towing Oceans.
Never followed through with it as towing is just not something I’m interested in.
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Winner, winner, chicken nugget dinner.
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I’m 110% lost after reading your post and I’m trying to determine what deserved your reply.
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