I was just told that even though I have ECDIS on my license my STCW is not valid after 12/31/16 because the USCG has decided that there will now be another new ECDIS exam required. Has anyone else heard of this? Is this the only additional thing that will be required in order to maintain STCW after 12/31/16? I’m so confused!
I don’t know much about ECDIS.
All I have heard about is the five day ECDIS course, and “type specific” training for the brand of ECDIS on your ship.
Type specific training is available for Transas and Sperry. I don’t know if there are approved courses yet for other brands. Maybe we might eventually have to attend type specific courses for half a dozen different brands.
That’s what confuses me… I get that I can’t work on ECDIS equipped vessels after 12/31/16 unless I take the course and get the endorsement… But why do they say not valid twice? As of there is another reason the endorsement is no good after that date?
[QUOTE=fishyluke;150668]That’s what confuses me… I get that I can’t work on ECDIS equipped vessels after 12/31/16 unless I take the course and get the endorsement… But why do they say not valid twice? As of there is another reason the endorsement is no good after that date?[/QUOTE]
Yes. The other reason our licenses wont be valid after 2016 is because we have not taken the STCW Leadership and Management course. At least that’s what I think.
Ok so then if I don’t take the leadership and management course I have no license? Or it just becomes a domestic license…
I’m not sure. Logically the STCW endorsements would not be valid, but the domestic endorsements should still be valid. But who knows what some green USCG officer coming aboard or the HR girls at the office might think.
I’m just going to go ahead and take both courses to remove the “Not valid(s)” from my license.
Because of the equipment costs and software licensing fees ECDIS probably isn’t going to get any cheaper than the $1,200 that most schools charge. So I’ll take that fairly soon.
The leadership course is just psycho-babble with no equipment. The $1,200 price is not justified. I’m going to wait on that one in the hope that more schools will offer it and the price will come down.
I use to think that the harbor guys were nuts to not take the STCW courses and thereby lose the authorization to work coastwise, but given how many expensive STCW courses there are now, with more to follow, maybe it does not make sense to do STCW unless you really think you are going to need it.
[QUOTE=fishyluke;150641]I have a 200 GRT master NC it reads:
Limited to vessels of less than 200 Gross Register Tons (Domestic Tonnage). Limited to near coastal voyages. Not valid after December 31, 2016. Not valid for service on ECDIS equipped vessels after December 31, 2016.
So why is the endorsement not valid after 12/31/16? Is the 200 ton license not recognized by STCW after that date?[/QUOTE]
That restriction for ECDIS should only be on the STCW endorsement. It should not be and does not apply to the national endorsement (license). If it is on the national endorsement page of your MMC, it shouldn’t be there, ask NMC to fix the error.
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[QUOTE=PaddyWest2012;150649]I believe it has to do with not having ECDIS. Doesn’t that endorsement become required for everyone after 1/1/17?[/QUOTE]
There are two different restrictions for STCW. If you do not have Leadership and Managerial Skills, your STCW endorsement will say that it is not valid after 12/31/2016. If you don’t have ECDIS training, your STCW endorsement will say it is not valid on vessels with ECDIS after 12/31/2016.
[U]This only applies to STCW endorsements[/U]. The 12/31/2016 date has no significance to national endorsements (licenses).
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[QUOTE=PaddyWest2012;150658]I was just told that even though I have ECDIS on my license my STCW is not valid after 12/31/16 because the USCG has decided that there will now be another new ECDIS exam required.[/QUOTE]
There are no ECDIS exams. If you have not previously taken a [U]Coast Guard approved[/U] ECDIS course, your STCW endorsement will be limited to vessels without ECDIS after 12/31/2016. To remove that restriction, you have to take an ECDIS course (not an exam).
[QUOTE=PaddyWest2012;150658]…Is this the only additional thing that will be required in order to maintain STCW after 12/31/16? I’m so confused![/QUOTE]
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[QUOTE=tugsailor;150660]…Type specific training is available for Transas and Sperry. I don’t know if there are approved courses yet for other brands. Maybe we might eventually have to attend type specific courses for half a dozen different brands.[/QUOTE]
The Coast Guard is not requiring, and thus is not approving, type-specific ECDIS courses. However, vessel operators are required to ensure that mariners are familiar with the specific type of equipment they will use on their vessels (all equipment, not just ECDIS - this is not a new requirement). It may be that some employers are choosing to meet their obligation by having you take a course that uses the same equipment as they have on their vessel, some may even erroneously say the Coast Guard is making them send you to a course. But they don’t have to use a course to meet this requirement, they can use other means of ensuring you know how to use the equipment on the vessel. [U]Type-specific ECDIS training is NOT a Coast Guard requirement[/U].
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[QUOTE=fishyluke;150689]Ok so then if I don’t take the leadership and management course I have no license? Or it just becomes a domestic license…[/QUOTE]
[B]IT DOES NOT APPLY TO YOUR LICENSE, ONLY THE STCW ENDORSEMENT[/B]. STCW endorsements can’t “become” national endorsements (licenses). They are separate things. All it can become is what it says, not valid.
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[QUOTE=fishyluke;150668]That’s what confuses me… I get that I can’t work on ECDIS equipped vessels after 12/31/16 unless I take the course and get the endorsement… But why do they say not valid twice? As of there is another reason the endorsement is no good after that date?[/QUOTE]
In this case, they should not have put both restrictions, they should have used the least common denominator and just said not valid after 12/31/2016. Then, if you get the Leadership and Managerial Skill training, but not ECDIS, the not valid (on any vessel) after 12/31/2016 restriction will be removed, and replaced with one that it is not valid on vessels with ECDIS after 12/31/2016.