Recognizing STCW licenses?

I have tried without success to get some logical application of the STCW from the USCG. I also was informed that the purpose of the enactment of the STCW was to ensure that “everybody in the maritime industry worldwide had the EXACT SAME TRAINING” but when I asked the USCG why I could not go to another approved school in another “white list” country where I could take the classes for a cost of less than 10% of what it cost me here, they answered me NO WAY would that ever be acceptable!! I also asked why USCG approved training with much much more covered in the class than in any STCW was not grandfathered in and no satisfactory answer to that either. Short answer is that as US sailors we are just plain screwed! STCW is a farce and a humongous waste of time and money for any US mariner! Totally unecessary and just another scam shoved down the throats of the American public against our knowledge and desires!!!

[QUOTE=Emills505;33169]Wait a minute, wasn’t the whole point of STCW to have standardised(sp?) training throughout? I was told 11 years ago that the reasons for it were to ensure that every person sailing, no matter what flag they are sailing for, had the same basic training. Isn’t that what it was put in place for? If I am wrong, then I am wrong and I am sorry for that, but even though I had trouble spelling the word, I still know what the “S” stands for.[/QUOTE]

The USCG is like a first grader, they know addition but haven’t yet learned subtraction. They basically added the stcw required classes that IMO didn’t think we had and left all the classes we take but the IMO doesn’t care about.

[QUOTE=Steamer;33268]I think he wrote “opinions.”[/QUOTE]

Opps. Thanks Steamer. I guess I should read twice before I reply once! lol

Today it is correct to say that a holder of a non-US STCW will get zero credit for STCW training conducted outside the US/not USCG approved toward an application for any US mariner credential. Also true today is for those US vessels allowed to use non-US crew members - MODUs or OSVs operating outside US waters, the USCG will NOT issue any endorsement to any officer holding a non-US STCW to allow the non-US officers to legally serve on a US vessel as required by the STCW Code Regulation I/10. This endorsement requirement only applies to officers not ABs/QMEDs/OS

However the USCG is working on a system to endorse some (i.e. the most numerous countries) mariner credentials. Don’t expect to see this before 2011

Don’t forget I’am an US citizen born and raised in the USA.With a valid USA passport. My only sin is that I got married in Croatia and started my career here in europe. And got all of my STCW licenses here.

[QUOTE=Andy STCW;33316]Don’t forget I’am an US citizen born and raised in the USA.With a valid USA passport. My only sin is that I got married in Croatia and started my career here in europe. And got all of my STCW licenses here.[/QUOTE]

Yes. That citizenship a requirement. But it is also a requirement that you get all your license and STCW training here at a USCG approved facility. They do NOT currently accept other countries documents.

I’ve taken STCW classes at several different training facilities in the US and I’ve observed STCW classes at a number of training facilities “approved” by foriegn flags in other countries. There is a huge variation in the quality of training facilities. I’ve seen a few that may be better than the average training facility in the US, but generally they are lower quality. Some are incredibly bad. Keep in mind that these are “approved” by other flags. So I can see where the USCG is coming from in not accepting foriegn STCW training and documents.

This doesn’t even address fraudulent training centers and counterfeit documents.