[QUOTE=jdcavo;57721]No one in the Coast Guard has ever requested to be approved as a Designated Examiner. There is no reason why someone in the Coast Guard cannot be a DE if they have the appropriate level of experience and training, and if their vessels’ operations are sufficiently equivalent to commercial operations that candidates can be legitimately assessed on their ability to operate a commercial towing vessel. I would suggest you encourage suitably qualified cuttermen to request approval as a Designated Examiner. It is a straightforward, simple process. Send an e-mail to D05-DG-NMCCourses and they will explain the process.[/QUOTE]
Are the requirements to be a DE spelled out anywhere? Preferably in the CFRs but anywhere, like in a policy letter? I can find a mention of Designated Examiners in the CFR but no reference to where the requirements for one are.
On a related note, I heard that the guidelines for DE changed recently (relatively) and now one must have 10 years as a master on towing vessels to get a DE. I wanted to verify that by seeing it in writing somewhere if possible.
Additionally, the company is telling a deckhand who is getting his license two things that I think are wrong and I want to clarify for future reference:
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That the TOAR he has mostly completed with his captain is invalid because he does not have a license yet. I was under the impression that a TOAR could be completed before receiving a license. Which is correct?
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That he needs “30 days training and observation” AFTER getting his license even though he has been a deckhand on the boats and waters he will be working on as mate for around two years now. Doesn’t previous tug deckhand time count as the “30 days training and observation” required for a TOAR to be valid?