So everyone with an appropriate license can do STCW assessments until December 31 2028.
Why not cut the malarky and just make that automatic and permanent?
Alternatively, if being certified as a Qualified Assessor makes a licensed officer so special and wonderful. Why not require that everyone become a Qualified Assessor in order to get a license or renew it. Don’t we want all officers to be wonderful?
If the USCG wants to enact the qualified assessor program then they need to stop extending this. No one has bothered get their QA, and a good number have let theirs expire, because they know they don’t need to since the USCG will just extend the deadline again.
It does kind of suck to spend a lot of time, money and aggravation. getting endorsements, and then have the USCG ignore them, or deprive us of the benefit of getting them.
There is so little USCG enforcement that a lot of companies are willing to ignore or bend inconvenient rules.
It should be similar to a credit card charge. Typically your card is charged when the item ships. The USCG should give me some money back now, and then charge my card when they actually enact the policy.
Man, there is a lot of wingeing going on in this thread. My perspective is that anything that makes it easier for the mariner to capture endorsements is a good thing, no?
But maybe I’m missing something in all of the above grumpy posts. Since it would appear that the lot of you have already bit the bullet and become QA’s, can you explain if it has added any real value? And by value, I mean did you learn anything that would make you a better accessor?
It won’t add value until it becomes less ubiquitous. Right now, it’s worthless, and everyone goes to the easiest guy that will just sign the assessments. Once that is shut off, then there might be some value as companies will try to retain qualified personnel, and then people will try to retain this endorsement they might actually perform better assessments… the value won’t come until it reduces the number of people that can sign. If they shut it off now, I might make a few extra bucks in dayrate.
When I started the assessor was the Captain or the Chief and if you didn’t cut it you got fired. This is to appease the Europeans who run the IMO and thus STCW. In the meantime, can you still get a cheap third world license with all the endorsements included for a reasonable price?
I was at first a bit P/O’d by the extension after spending the time to requal while away from work. After thinking about it, I did gain a little more knowledge and practical application so it really wasn’t a waste of time. I believe with the lack of mariners these days, the extension was a much needed step to help the current situation. A little more knowledge never hurt anyone.
I’m sorry but I’m confused on what this means exactly. Does this mean that Chief Engineers and 1st AE’s, that aren’t USCG approved QA’s, can sign off on your OICEW assessments until 2028?
Yes.
Maybe by 2028 all the folks that came up with the great idea of “qualified assessor” will be retired, transferred, or dead…and new blood can finally kill the idea for good.
Just wanted to clarify for the sake of my understanding: if the assessor holds the license and has been sailing for multiple years on the license…they can sign all the assessments? To include the ones about ice navigation, waste heat boilers, cargo stowage, etc? No limitation?
Management level licenses can sign off assessments within their area of knowledge. As an engineer I would not be signing off assessments related to navigation or cargo stowage.
“Within their area of knowledge” is vague though even within the license level. Within the NVIC for Unlimited chief mate/master there are assessments on ice navigation, roro’s, steam turbines, etc.
How many masters have knowledge in all 3 of those operations? It sounds like they’re accepting any master to sign all of those. Just want to make sure nobody has any extra info I’m missing.
I would think that NVIC 19 14 Policy on Qualified Assessors Enclosure 2 maybe something to consider.
Right I have been in that 19-14 a ton and still trying to see if anyone has had actual experience submitting.
“During this interim period, assessors must be in possession of the level of endorsement, or other professional credential, which provides proof that he or she has attained a level of experience and qualification equal or superior to the relevant level of knowledge, skills, and abilities to be assessed (46 CFR 10.405(a)(3)).“
And then that CFR just outlines how to become a QA: “to become a QA, an applicant must have documentary evidence to establish
- experience, training, or instruction instruction in assessment techniques
- qualifications in the task for which the assessment is being conducted
- Possession of the level of endorsement, or other professional credential, which provides proof that he or she has attained a level of experience and qualification equal or superior to the relevant level of knowledge, skills, and abilities to be assessed.
So even though that outlines how to be a QA, if we held the people following this QA waiver period until 2029….what credential or other proof would a master anywhere have that they are proficient in waste heat boilers, OWS, steam turbine engines, ice navigation, roro cargo…that are all found in the chief mate/master assessment book?
All assessments for all endorsements? F no. They can sign all the ones in the Specific NVIC IF they meet the qualifications described in that NVIC.
More relevant is the NVIC(s) for the specific endorsement(s), ie page 1 of Enclosure (2). If one cannot be bothered to read that they should not be signing off assessments.
Just read the damn NVICs. If you don’t think you are qualified then don’t sign.
Haha dude I have been reading the NVIC. There isn’t anything that covers every assessment. That was the point of QA. You’d be given a QA certification that listed any specific assessments you were not qualified for. The only specific section mentioned in enclosure 2 within 19-14 is cargo and stowage.
Just came here to see if anyone has recently submitted to see their experience on some of the more unique sign offs. The NMC has been reviewing everything harder lately.
The concept of doing QA’s is probably good, but it is overwhelmed by practical reality, and it becomes just another government mandated, unnecessary, fraudulent, pencil whipped, pile of bullshit.
For profit schools provide expensive courses where everyone is guaranteed to pass and get checked off for a fee.
Onboard, QAs are expected to go through the motions and pencil whip getting everyone checked off for free. No wonder no one wants to be a QA.
A similar situation for DEs doing TOARs. Many, if not most, companies and mariners expect the DEs to promptly pencil whip the TOAR. They want this done for FREE. Result: most tug masters do not want to be DEs.
If a company won’t pay an extra $50 a day for being a DE, or pay $1000 for actually doing a TOAR, or is going to demand prompt pencil whipping of the TOAR, who wants to be a DE?
So, the for profit schools come to the rescue with $2,000 , one day, pencil whipped TOAR assessments where everyone passes.