Ok…so I have my AB Special w/ Lifeboatman and soon to be RFPNW, but my employer demands an AB Limited to work AB. I’m looking at getting layed off for the fall/winter and don’t want to sit on unemployment not building seatime towards that Limited ticket. I may have an in for the fall/ winter at a Misissippi River Co. That operates vessels over 100gt. So…here’s my question…in the requirements for an AB Limited, what the heck does “540 days of deck service on vessels 100 GRT or over, not exclusive to rivers & smaller inland lakes of the U.S.” mean? Does that mean none of the time can be on rivers or that not ALL the time can be on rivers? Don’t want to waste my time if the time won’t count towards the limited ticket. Thanks for any help
Want an honest answer? Just total up your seatime and if you have the required 18 months, send it in with an application. You have already taken the exams. Just submit your seatime. I assume you have your original sea service letter, that, combined with only 6 more months equals a limited. It really doesn’t take much. Was any of your original time offshore? Just submit what you have. Your seatime does NOT expire when you use it. (the original 12 months) use all of it. The requirements do NOT specify 540 day (In addition to your original 360) It is 540 days TOTAL. do you have 540 days total? If so put in an application. It seems you are hung up on the greater than 100 tons, not exclusively on rivers or lakes. What that means is: Do you have ANY time on vessels that are NOT serving on rivers or lakes? If so, then you are good to go. The wording is such that it means exactly what is says. If you are working on “vessels under 100 tons or serving exclusively on rivers or lakes” then that time does not cover the definition. If you have had any seatime on vessels over 100 tons, and have worked on NON river or lake vessels (or vessels that are certified to work other than rivers and lakes) all you need is to submit the increased seatime.
Here is the quote from the CFRs: [U] (2) Able Seaman—Limited. Eighteen months service on deck in vessels of 100 gross tons or over which operate in a service not exclusively confined to the rivers and smaller inland lakes of the United States.
(3) Able Seaman—Special. Twelve months service on deck on vessels operating on the oceans, or the navigable waters of the United States including the Great Lakes.[/U]
What type vessels do you (have you) worked on? What does the certificate of documentation state for vessel service? If it says coastwise you’re good to go. Just need to have a sea service letter written correctly by the office.
[QUOTE=cappy208;115660]Want an honest answer? Just total up your seatime and if you have the required 18 months, send it in with an application. You have already taken the exams. Just submit your seatime. I assume you have your original sea service letter, that, combined with only 6 more months equals a limited. It really doesn’t take much. Was any of your original time offshore? Just submit what you have. Your seatime does NOT expire when you use it. (the original 12 months) use all of it. The requirements do NOT specify 540 day (In addition to your original 360) It is 540 days TOTAL. do you have 540 days total? If so put in an application. It seems you are hung up on the greater than 100 tons, not exclusively on rivers or lakes. What that means is: Do you have ANY time on vessels that are NOT serving on rivers or lakes? If so, then you are good to go. The wording is such that it means exactly what is says. If you are working on “vessels under 100 tons or serving exclusively on rivers or lakes” then that time does not cover the definition. If you have had any seatime on vessels over 100 tons, and have worked on NON river or lake vessels (or vessels that are certified to work other than rivers and lakes) all you need is to submit the increased seatime.
Here is the quote from the CFRs: [U] (2) Able Seaman—Limited. Eighteen months service on deck in vessels of 100 gross tons or over which operate in a service not exclusively confined to the rivers and smaller inland lakes of the United States.
(3) Able Seaman—Special. Twelve months service on deck on vessels operating on the oceans, or the navigable waters of the United States including the Great Lakes.[/U]
What type vessels do you (have you) worked on? What does the certificate of documentation state for vessel service? If it says coastwise you’re good to go. Just need to have a sea service letter written correctly by the office.[/QUOTE]
My problem lies in the fact that most of my service is under 100GT…Mostly fishing in Alaska. By the time I get laid off I will have about 100 days over 100GT and close to 600 sea service days total. I have no time on rivers or lakes. My time is mostly Near Coastal. As I read the regs., The 500 days I have served under 100GT essentially count for nothing toward a limited, which I personally think is ridiculous…but that is another topic. So are you saying I should just submit an application with 100 Days over 100GT and 440 days under 100GT? That would certainly be rejected I would think. I am looking to take whatever job I can find on a vessel over 100GT through the winter, get that limited and work AB. One of the companies I have an interview with operates vessels over 100GT, but mostly on rivers. That is the reason for my question. Don’t want to waste my time if it won’t count.
I can certainly understand your concerns, who would want to gain deck experience on a larger vessel. Such a waste of time.
Of course I want experience on larger vessels. I’m assuming that last post was sarcastic. What I don’t want is to accumulate time on larger vessels that the Coast Guard won’t let me count towards an AB limited. I should gain experience on larger vessels that they WILL count, right?