ENG1 Seafarer's Medical Certificate...anybody know how to get one in the US?

I’m sorry, but isn’t the CG-719 a form and not a certificate? There is a big difference between the two.

Please somebody please tell me if the USCG issues a medical fitness [U][I][B]certificate[/B][/I][/U] that meets the standards set forth in the STCW Code? Is that not what the ENG1 is? All I ask other than how to get an ENG1, is why the USCG doesn’t issue a similar certificate since so many other nations have them?

Level playing fields are nice to have in billiards or one’s profession when it is a profession that requires internationally recognized certification. Unlike many others here, I want to be able to work someplace other that the GoM which means having papers that other nations or shipowners require/request and accept. A cable layer crossing the Pacific to Hawaii sounds a whole heck of alot more interesting than going in and out of Belle Pass for the next 15 years.

Here’s the guidance: http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/msn_1822.pdf (caution, reading may cause drowsiness; the use of alcohol while reading it will exacerbate this effect)

It’s now a form “MSF 4104” and it is a “certificate” carried onboard by the Mariner.
Cheers

[QUOTE=anchorman;41006] You like doing other people’s homework … you might as well go get the damn physical for c.captain too, because that about what it will take.[/QUOTE]

It’s the biggest part of my job these days unfortunately. The regs and hard headed sailors are a lot bigger problem than the machinery.

I guess you can take the boy out of the mud but taking the mud out of the boy is a lot more work. :smiley:

[QUOTE=c.captain;41008]I’m sorry, but isn’t the CG-719 a form and not a certificate? There is a big difference between the two.

Please somebody please tell me if the USCG issues a medical fitness [U][I][B]certificate[/B][/I][/U] that meets the standards set forth in the STCW Code? Is that not what the ENG1 is? All I ask other than how to get an ENG1, is why the USCG doesn’t issue a similar certificate since so many other nations have them?[/QUOTE]

Have you ever seen an ENG1?

What did the USCG tell you when you asked them those questions?

[QUOTE=Jeffrox;41009]It’s now a form “MSF 4104” and it is a “certificate” carried onboard by the Mariner.[/QUOTE]

That is the form used for domestic boaters. The medical certificate is called the ML5 and does not apply to STCW or international shipping.

The form of certificate the UK MCA uses is called the ENG1 and just like ours is accepted by port state authorities as a “medical fitness certificate.”

And just like the UK does not accept our USCG medical for their license purposes, the USCG will not accept the ENG1 for licensing purposes.

If you want to swim in the international pool get used to having to acquire flag state endorsements and other documents. The USCG might be a big player in the brown water but it’s just another bunch of bureaucrats making up their own paperwork as far as the rest of the world is concerned. And there are more of them than us.

[QUOTE=Steamer;41016]Have you ever seen an ENG1?QUOTE]

Geez, did I get my last post wrong … when I got to the office I looked at the ENG1s I have on file and discovered that they are indeed form “MSF 4104”

I deleted the post stating that was for the ML5. Please accept my apologies for posting incorrect information.

[QUOTE=Steamer;41016]Have you ever seen an ENG1?

What did the USCG tell you when you asked them those questions?[/QUOTE]

To answer your questions:

  1. no, I have not seen an ENG1, but the research I have done (Google) tells me it is a certificate issued by the MCA which is the UK authority for certification of seafarers. Correct?

  2. I havn’t asked the USCG about getting an ENG1 because they DO NOT issue them. What do you expect their answer to me would be if I did?

Speaking of Google, here is an ILO reference for medical fitness certificates for seafarers: Guidelines for Conducting Pre-sea and Periodic Medical Fitness Examinations for Seafarers

The Convention provides that the medical certificate shall remain in force for a period not exceeding two years from the date on which it is granted

Based on what I am reading, the USCG does not follow the STCW as written and nations other than the USA know this and do not consider American seafarers to be in compliance. They may not detain a ship in one of their ports over this but because of this they certainly have the right to not accept a US seafarer to serve on one of their ships. I’d like to be able to sail on a UK or other Red Ensign ship, but until I get an ENG1, I’m not going to be able to. If the USCG issued an STCW compliant medical fitness certificate to US mariners, European shipowners might not require an ENG1 or some other medical cert. It would be nice to know the certificates we are issued by the USCG can pass muster with non US shipowners. What is wrong with that? Again, look at the job posting by Subsea 7 for a master…they very clearly ask for “a valid medical certificate”. This isn’t something one gets from a rent-a-doc just to satisfy a requirement in the ad. These companies want a government issued medical certificate and American mariners don’t get them but we should.

[QUOTE=c.captain;41024] I havn’t asked the USCG about getting an ENG1 because they DO NOT issue them. What do you expect their answer to me would be if I did?[/QUOTE]

Good grief :rolleyes:

I think I understand where the problem is now. Good luck in your international job search.

Not about physicals but more to the bigger question of STCW compliance.

STCW Compliance: will we or won’t we?
The Manila STCW amendments and new training requirements are now transparent enough for all to see. In Washington, the U.S. Coast Guard’s maritime policy folks are quietly determining the “U.S. interpretation of the convention.” On the street, not everyone thinks that the “more is better” approach is the way to go. A fast-approaching implementation date looms large in the porthole as the implications of possible U.S. “exemptions” from the STCW code become more obvious.

The article is informative and interesting.

Not about physicals but more to the bigger question of STCW compliance.

STCW Compliance: will we or won’t we?
The Manila STCW amendments and new training requirements are now transparent enough for all to see. In Washington, the U.S. Coast Guard’s maritime policy folks are quietly determining the “U.S. interpretation of the convention.” On the street, not everyone thinks that the “more is better” approach is the way to go. A fast-approaching implementation date looms large in the porthole as the implications of possible U.S. “exemptions” from the STCW code become more obvious.

The article is informative and interesting.

Just wanted to address one apparent misconception regarding the ENG1. This is NOT some certificate issued by a governing body, it is what you get from an approved clinic that does the physical. In fact UK CeC (Certificate of Equivalent Competency) application process, which you MUST get if sailing under UK flag is what you want to do, does NOT require medical fitness at all. As you know you cannot renew in US without medical, not so in UK. You need ENG1 in order to board a vessel and it is generally good for 2 years, but is completely separate from the license.

[QUOTE=c.captain;41008]I’m sorry, but isn’t the CG-719 a form and not a certificate? There is a big difference between the two.

Please somebody please tell me if the USCG issues a medical fitness [U][I][B]certificate[/B][/I][/U] that meets the standards set forth in the STCW Code? Is that not what the ENG1 is? All I ask other than how to get an ENG1, is why the USCG doesn’t issue a similar certificate since so many other nations have them?

Level playing fields are nice to have in billiards or one’s profession when it is a profession that requires internationally recognized certification. Unlike many others here, I want to be able to work someplace other that the GoM which means having papers that other nations or shipowners require/request and accept. A cable layer crossing the Pacific to Hawaii sounds a whole heck of alot more interesting than going in and out of Belle Pass for the next 15 years.[/QUOTE]

Please cite the parts of STCW that call for a [U]medical[/U] certificate. The “certificate” mentioned in Regulation I/9 is the STCW certificate, not a seprate medical certificate.

The 2010 STCW calls for a (2-year) medical certufucate, but I’m not aware of it being in the STCW95.

[QUOTE=seadog!;41157]Not about physicals but more to the bigger question of STCW compliance.

STCW Compliance: will we or won’t we?
The Manila STCW amendments and new training requirements are now transparent enough for all to see. In Washington, the U.S. Coast Guard’s maritime policy folks are quietly determining the “U.S. interpretation of the convention.” On the street, not everyone thinks that the “more is better” approach is the way to go. A fast-approaching implementation date looms large in the porthole as the implications of possible U.S. “exemptions” from the STCW code become more obvious.

The article is informative and interesting.[/QUOTE]

Be sure to read the Coast Guard’s rebuttal in a follow-up that rejects the implied discretion to disregard portions of the STCW:
http://maritimeprofessional.net/Blogs/The-Final-Word-with-Joseph-Keefe/September-2010/U-S--Coast-Guard--Cherry-Picking-is-Not-an-Option.aspx

[QUOTE=c.captain;41024]…Speaking of Google, here is an ILO reference for medical fitness certificates for seafarers: Guidelines for Conducting Pre-sea and Periodic Medical Fitness Examinations for Seafarers
[/QUOTE]

As used in this link/quote, “convention” refers to the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, not the STCW. The medical certificate is per Regulation 1.2 of the MLC. It provides, in part “[t]he medical certificate shall be issued by a duly qualified medical practicioner…” Under STCW, a certificate is issued by a flag state, not a priovate practicioner.

I’m just going to repeat myself here, but this discussion about USCG isn’t really cutting it. If UK regulations are of any value (and their ENG1 is one to have, as it is likely to be recognized by all flag states) is issued by an approved doctor NOT UK authority MCA. Further, renewing or upgrading a license does NOT require ANY medical. The ENG1 is required to board a vessel and is disconnected from your license entirely. USCG decided that a medical is required to renew and by their reasoning they feel better about it. The assumption being that having a license automatically proves your health. AS we know, most companies have you take a medical annually or bi-annually in most cases, as their lawyers would not accept a 5-year old examination as proof enough of fitness for duty. Getting ENG1 in the States is possible in an approved facilities, a link to which was given earlier. If USCG decides to make changes, they will, but I wouldn’t count on it. They continue to renew documents with earlier dates (in spite of the supposed option to have a license issued on a specific date, it does not make any sense as your radar will have expired on a month it was taken and would render your license useless, and they should sinc the two) instead of doing what most states do with driver’s license.