Hi,
I’m an expat Brit now living in Texas. I hold a UK 2nd mates licence unlimited and my question is - I have recently heard it’s now possible to do a “crossover” and get a uscg 2nd mate unlimited licence (it never used to be possible).
Does anybody know where I could go to get more information on this? I’ve been looking for a long time including the uscg website but cannot find any relevant info… thanks
Steve
It is my understanding that because of the Jones Act, the only USCG license a non-citizen can hold is OUPV for vessels w/out federal documentation, 46CFR11.201(d). You may hold any rating, however, so you could qualify for A/B Unlimited, Tankerman, etc. with your UK seatime & if you have a grandfathered DPO certificate, you could run a DP desk if someone else were OICNW.
USCG licenses will “crossover” to MCA, but you still must do oral exam and can crossover only once; but an MCA license holder who is a US citizen would still need to go thru the entire USCG licensing process, including exams, tho foreign sea service would still count.
[QUOTE=BluesEnd;99841]Hi,
I’m an expat Brit now living in Texas. I hold a UK 2nd mates licence unlimited and my question is - I have recently heard it’s now possible to do a “crossover” and get a uscg 2nd mate unlimited licence (it never used to be possible).
Does anybody know where I could go to get more information on this? I’ve been looking for a long time including the uscg website but cannot find any relevant info… thanks
Steve[/QUOTE]
Did you try calling the NMC? 1-888-427-5662.
You must be a U.S. Citizen to obtain any endorsement over OUPV (for state registered vessel). We call this a “six-pack” license, which is for small vessels carrying 6 or less passengers for hire. If you are a “permanent resident”, you can be issued “ratings endorsements” such as Able Seaman etc. IF you are a U.S. Citizen, the Coast Guard will approve you for a ‘crossover’, but the other issue is that the training courses don’t necessarily crossover. I’ve helped a few clients that have been naturalized citizens and we have had issues with training courses. You won’t find any relevant information on NMC’s web site with respect to crossing over.
Good Luck Mate.
I’m a Chicago born yank and I graduated from the Nautical College Pangbourne (the only american citizen ever) and wore the R.N.R. officer’s uniform. Between 1970-74 I worked for Trinity House on buoy tenders as Navigation Officer out of Harwich, sailed the T.S.Royalist as a watch officer. But once I got back “home” my academy and sea time accounted for nothing. I worked as a black gang wiper and OS on the Great Lakes for years. I always regretted not staying with the TAR. …USCG… pffft.
I don’t know what the rules were back then but that isn’t the case now.
That may be, but my time still doesn’t count.
Why wouldn’t it? Sea time is sea time.
for example, and "O"Level in Navigation (Celestial, Radar, Coastal) counts for zero.
because yank CG only accepts paper from one of their accredited “schools” … Bah!
The training is separate from your “time”. If you have enough sea time sailing as third mate (and recency) you could sit for second mate right now.
Even someone who used to sail on an American license back then, if they let it expire, would have to redo all the classes including the new STCW requirements (which you didn’t meet in your previous training anyway).
I believe the only class you did before that you’d have to redo would be Radar, which requires renewal every five years anyway.
Thanks Capt, but I am all caught up now with yankee doodle paperwork. My MMC is good to go.
A troll who joined this forum five minutes ago revives a five year old thread. Hardly worth any response.
That said. I have known several foreign Masters (Brits, Scots, Irish, Canadian, Norwegian, and Indian) who married American women and moved to the US. They all got USCG licenses. I recall one of them saying that the USCG would only give him Chief Mate initially, but he moved up to USCG Master while continuing to sail as Master with his foreign license on foreign flag ships.
This troll may have had a bad personal experience 40 years ago, and have nothing better to do now than complain about it, but none what he says means anything today.
I’m just responding with my personal experience regarding the topic… troll indeed.