Question about NCIV 14-14 assessments and how to obtain them for AS-D

Maritime Topics Maritime Training & Licensing
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I have seatime that qualifies me for AB unlimited, and under the new temporary regulations that also qualifies me in terms of the sea time, for AS-D, and STCW RFPNW.
The one thing I think that is holding back my plan is the assessments. NVIC 14-14 Table A-II/5 for AS-D and also NVIC 6-14 Table A-II/4 for the STCW RFPNW.

The school I have been considering MPT, tells me they will sign off on most of my NVIC assessments but not all of them as part of their bundle of courses for AS-D. including PSC, STCW RFPNW, and other courses.

I am trying to figure out how I can obtain these. I have been trying to wrap my head around the official NMC coast guard documents, including of course the checklists for AS-D and STCW RFPNW and the NCIV 14-14, I’ll link below the NCIV 14-14 assessments.

My first question is:
On the AS-D checklist, it states under assessments “Provide evidence of meeting the Standards of Competence specified in Table A-II/5 of the STCW Code”
And in the NCIV document on page 69, it lists table A-II/5

From what I can tell reading this table on page 69, None of the assessments require them to be done onboard a vessel with a QA (qualified assessor) and lists options of completing assessments in a simulator or by examination. among other options.

However,
On starting on Page 13 there it another table under the heading “assessment guidelines for AS-D”… Although it does note "The use of these Assessment Guidelines is not mandatory and alternative means of having achieved the standards of competence in the STCW Code will be considered.

But on this table, for example, Task 2.4.A regarding anchoring, it says under the column “Performance Condition” “On Board Ship”… Meaning the assessment has to be done on board a ship?

Should I just ignore this table and just be looking at the table on page 69? Table A-II/5, which is the minimum requirement listed on the AS-D checklist for assessments??

My second Question:
Does anyone know of any school that will help me meet ALL of the assessment requirements and sign offs for unlicensed AB unlimited, AS-D, & STCW RFPNW all in one go? Again I have the required seatime under the temporary sea time requirement changes for both the AB endorsements and the AS-D & RFPNW endorsements. I only need cg approved class education, exams and assessments signed off according to the checklists for AS-D and STCW RFPNW.

Third Question:
If I were to take the bundle of courses at MPT and get most, but not all, of my NCIV assessments done, How would I go about getting my remaining minimum assessments from able A-II/4 and table A-II/5 of the NCIV signed off by a Qualified Assessor without being onboard a ship with them? Is that even possible or am I reading the table A-II/5 wrong?? Or are there any entry-level type jobs I could get with National AB-Unlimited that I could work to obtain my NCIV assessments done for the international endorsements I’m after?

Appreciate anyone who is willing to read such a loaded post with so many questions. If anyone is familiar with current assessments and endorsement requirements or can read what I am reading and tell me if I am interpreting that right/wrong, this would be solid help for me.

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Read the part immediately after that you omitted:
In accordance with 46 CFR 12.601(b)(1)(i), alternative Assessment Guidelines must be approved by the National Maritime Center before use.

You do them exactly as written, or you or the assessor get prior approval to do anything different.

NO. See above. Also, there is no page 69, every page has a number on the bottom (e.g. Enclosure 3, page 20 of Enclsoure(2)). If you are referring to the 69th page of the pdf, i.e. the last page of enclosure 3, that is just where thew assessor notes the vessel ands dates they served with you and provides the full name of the assessor whose initials earlier in the document certify the assessment was done (exactly as described in Enclosure (2)).

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Are we looking at the same PDF?

you’re right it’s not page 69 but page 69 of the PDF

Titled “Table A-II/5
Specification of minimum standards of competence of ratings as able seafarer deck”

This table linked above here on edumaritime.net, Is the same as page 69-75 of the pdf I posted above.

And on the USCG checklist for STCW AS-D it lists this table under the requirements of assessment.

You’re saying this is the wrong table?

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That’s not a Coast Guard document, It appears to be just the table of competence in the STCW. You need to demonstrate having those competencies to get the endorsement. Column 3 of that table tells you what STCW allows as acceptable ways to demonstrate competence. Those are options for countries to use to implement STCW. Those countries then develop how they will implement the Table.
They are not required to accept all of them. The U.S has implemented it as described in NVIC 14-14. As I have already noted the U.S. provides two ways to meet the STCW requirement: 1) the assessments in the NVIC exactly as written; or 2) alternative assessments that have been reviewed and approved by the Coast Guars PRIOR to use. No other options are acceptable.

It’s a checklist. It tells you what you have to do, not how to it. Note on page 2 under the heading assessments:
Provide evidence of meeting the Standards of Competence specified
in Table A-II/5 of the STCW Code
How do you do that? What is the evidence you have to provide? See above and my previous response.

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Ahh I see that makes sense to me now thank you.

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As used in the STCW table “in-service experience” is STCW-speak for working on a ship. “Assessment of evidence…” is evaluating the evidence, assessment is used differently than the USCG uses to refer to the demonstrations of competence.

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Do you have any suggestions on what might be a good direction to go to find a boat to get on specifically for the NVIC sign offs required for AS-D and STCW RFPNW?

If I renewed my expired MMC It only has OUPV Master, Wiper, OS, Towing endorsements. However I believe I could obtain AB unlimited with my sea time, as long as I took the appropriate class and exam.

From my understanding the vessel has to be over 200grt. And the mate has to be 200grt w/ STCW master or OICNW 500grt or greater ratings. Or they can be qualified assessor. For them to be eligible to sign me off for my NVIC’s

I’m kind of split right now if I should go into the SIU piney point apprenticeship program, and forget about my 600 sea days as deckhand… Or if I could viably find a job that might lead to me getting all the assessments done that I need for my NVIC’s… Or if there is another unlicensed program or school that would be able to sign off on ALL of my NVIC’s.

My goal is just to start working ASAP and obtain AS-D as soon as I can.

I wanted to go to Maritime school for licensed 3rd mate, I was in contact with Cal Maritime. unfortunately I was a slacker and not focused in highschool, I graduated 05 and got a HS diploma but had a low GPA and not all the prerequisite classes for state university. I was told by Cal Maritime admissions that I would have to go to Junior college and get a minimum of 60 credits, and do required classes for state uni before I could then transfer into Cal Maritime and start their 4 year program for Licensed 3rd mate… A process that would likely take me 6 or 7 years in a total. So I gave up on going that route and am now just looking to enter as AS-D or AB

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Join MSC or go looking in the Gulf…you’ll have to sail as an os but sounds like not for long. Where are you located? Have you tried any of the union halls other than SIU?

Could try Coastal or Alaska Marine HWY.

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I’m located in California but I’m looking to move to a new state to set up residency soon once I figure out what I am doing. Probably going somewhere that doesn’t have state income tax.

Would I be able to get jobs and sail as AB unlimited instead of as an OS? I believe I qualify for AB unlimited already with the relaxed temporary rules on sea time, although I would be very green when it comes to larger vessels like Tugs, Barges, or larger.

I’m currently going through the process of SIU apprenticeship program to get a class date, as a backup plan if I can’t get my endorsements on my own with the sea time I already have.

I was considering joining MSC as AS-D for the nice bonus they are offering for those with endorsements that give a 2 year commitment. I think that if I join MSC as an OS then I won’t be able to get the bonus even if I return to work as AS-D after that, so I wouldn’t be too interested in MSC as an OS.

I just wonder what’s the fastest and most likely way I could get a contract right now or with AB-unlimited, PSC and stcw basic training which would lead to me being able to get all the NVIC sign offs I would need after doing classes at MPT.

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Is there a reason why you’re so dead set on ASD/deep sea? I’ve seen ads for a few companies clearing 70-90k as an ab on tugs so wondering why you’re so dead set on that. Plenty of West Coast tug companies looking for people. Get on an oceans route or get in with a company like centerline or Crowley and get your RFPNW signed off on an ATB

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I’d like the schedule 3 months on 3 off… or 6 on 6 off. Not having to keep a rental or a house mortgage is a big bonus to me. I plan to live abroad during my time between contracts.

Tugs just don’t seem to offer that, from what I’ve seen they are usually weeks on weeks off. But if I could get my NVIC’s on a tug I would work a tug for a bit to get those.

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Sause, Dunlap, Foss all do longer hitches. You can always work over too. Just saying you’ll probably be making money faster going that route. MSC seems like a logical fit. Just something to consider…

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Live aboard where?

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Live abroad.

SE Asia. Thailand, S Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, and maybe Singapore.

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I was considering MSC if I could get my AS-D before hand and come in as an AB to MSC. They give a 25k sign on bonus for 2 year commitment. I wouldn’t want to go MSC as an OS though.

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If you have STCW BST then just join SIU and find an OS spot. If you really try you can probably get your assessments signed off all in one trip. Then just take an AB class somewhere and upgrade.

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Just to expand on what @Capt_Phoenix posted… Many ships these days no longer have OS billets. They have been replaced with DEUs (Deck Engine Utility) which is a combination Wiper-Ordinary Seamen billet. If I recall correctly time is credited 50% for each unless there is a breakdown of days in each capacity.

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I was under the impression that it was very hard to get OS (or DEU?) contracts at SIU because they all went to the Piney Point classes first to get them their 60 and 120 day sails as part of the apprenticeship program? Thoughts?

Also I am considering looking at my options right now. Kind of leaning towards tugs to see if I might get required signatures.

Do you think it would be a bad idea to go to MPT or Mitags for all my required classes for AB/AS-D, PSC, STCW RFPNW… and then send in for MMC for just AB-Unlimited and STCW basic safety and PSC to then try to get a job on a Tug or through an SIU contract with the hopes of scrambling to get the remaining NVIC assessment sign offs done within a year to then send in for the additional international endorsements AS-D and STCW RFPNW?

I’m just unsure what my next steps should be or what exactly I might need for Tugs…

Also I could even renew my old MMC before going to school, but it only had OUPV Masters, OS, Wiper endorsements on it iirc… I feel like it would be hard to find a job that could do sign offs if I only renewed this MMC with these endorsements? But maybe that would be the safer route as I could get the sign offs first before investing around $7k-$8k (class cost, hotel, plane tickets, MMC fees etc…).

guy at the SIU hall got my hopes up saying one of his guys that applied in octoboer got a march class date… But I just finished my step 2 of Application process after being accepted and they said on the phone they were scheduling people for January 2026 as the next class date :frowning: I still haven’t gotten a class date yet. The piney point apprenticeship program is my backup plan though. I really don’t have time to wait around, I need to get to work or at least into classes that will lead to work asap, and I don’t mind investing $8k or so to get my endorsements done, just these assessment sign offs that the schools don’t provide are a thorn in my side.

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There are still SIU ships with OS billets. I’d go to a hall and talk to them.

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Why not go to the classes at MPT, get everything signed off you can, and then approach an outfit like the Lane Victory or Jeremiah O’Brien? I’d bet if you were working on the volunteer crew they’d be willing to help.

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