Sea time at the dock

Maritime Topics Maritime Training & Licensing
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Is it legal to get sea time credit while sitting at the dock?

2

I have heard of a lot of people logging sea time at the dock. Where I work deck guys get 1 sea day for 3 days at the dock. Engineers get 1 for 1 because the work is close to what you would be doing during a sea watch.

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[QUOTE=“sailormike;91530”]Is it legal to get sea time credit while sitting at the dock?[/QUOTE]

The simple answer is: It ALL depends upon HOW the sea service letter is written.

Honestly (?) Time at the dock doesn’t count. But, if the sea service letter doesn’t specifically show that, no one either looks, cares, OR has the ability to challenge the verification. The Bluesuits have neither the time nor the knowledge to challenge the issue.

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[QUOTE=cappy208;91559]The simple answer is: It ALL depends upon HOW the sea service letter is written.

Honestly (?) Time at the dock doesn’t count. But, if the sea service letter doesn’t specifically show that, no one either looks, cares, OR has the ability to challenge the verification. The Bluesuits have neither the time nor the knowledge to challenge the issue.[/QUOTE]

I tried looking this up in the CFR’s and couldn’t find it. any ideas where I can find where this is written?

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[QUOTE=“sailormike;91568”]

I tried looking this up in the CFR’s and couldn’t find it. any ideas where I can find where this is written?[/QUOTE]

It’s not in CFRs its in Navics. these are USCG ‘official’ interpretation of what the CFRs mean.

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[QUOTE=cappy208;91570]It’s not in CFRs its in Navics. these are USCG ‘official’ interpretation of what the CFRs mean.[/QUOTE]

Thanks I’ll look it up.

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When I upgraded to 2nd engineer, the Coast Guard didn’t even question my 60 days of ROS time.

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Everyone has at the dock or in the anchorage seatime. That is just the nature of the business. If you are on an active vessel that is underway most of the time, don’t worry about it. If you are on a vessel that rarely gets underway, that’s different story.

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I have never seen a discharge that separated at sea and at the dock.

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I would say the only time it may come up would be a casino “boat”. They never go anywhere yet they still have a crew on them.

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Yes, and you can get seatime credit doing lots of different stuff, 46 CFR 11.211 and 11.213 refers; Also I found this:
http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/credentials/forms/pdfs/sea_service.pdf

Key quotes:
“When reading the requirements, keep in mind that “sea service” means time on the vessel”
"To count your days of seagoing service accurately, you must understand that a “day” is defined in the regulations as “eight hours of WatchStanding or day-working not to include overtime.”

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I saw that as well. I’m just wondering is all a couple guys I work with said that yatchties don’t get sea time while sitting at the dock.

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The MCA will give yachties sea time for watching a BBC television documentary about boating.

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The UK MCA and Transport Canada both count ALL time while signed on to a vessel as “seatime.” I believe that most countries do it this way.

The UK MCA and Transport Canada both count seatime on vessels over 25 gross tons toward an unlimited license.

However, the USCG seems to think its worthwhile to have a silly rule saying that any day not actually underway does not count — which is impractical and very widely ignored. The USCG will NOT count ANY seatime on vessels under 200 Gross Register Tons (500 Gross Tons I.T.C.) toward an unlimited license.

Yet virtually everyone in the world, outside of the US, agrees that the Brits and the Canadians have much higher licensing standards than the US.

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[QUOTE=Fraqrat;91606]I would say the only time it may come up would be a casino “boat”. They never go anywhere yet they still have a crew on them.[/QUOTE]

Or any vessel whose name begins with “Cape” or ends with with “Responder.”

1 Like
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[QUOTE=Steamer;91656]The MCA will give yachties sea time for watching a BBC television documentary about boating.[/QUOTE]
Hence nobody recognises MCA ‘yacht’ qualifications
It confuses everyone as the MCA issue both yacht and real qualifications
PS You see see what they call an engineer

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Please stop spreading rumors as you sir, are absolutely wrong!

They give out sea time for watching old Benny Hill episodes. BBC television only counts towards “officer” licenses!

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[QUOTE=powerabout;91791]Hence nobody recognises MCA ‘yacht’ qualifications
It confuses everyone as the MCA issue both yacht and real qualifications
PS You see see what they call an engineer[/QUOTE]

What really confuses the issue is that the IMO allows them to use the same STCW codes for the toy licenses as the real ones. That is something that smacks of insider influence or the sort of scam that we usually attribute to American politicians. It is a certainty that neither maritime safety or the public good is served by that little fraud.

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[QUOTE=Steamer;91940]What really confuses the issue is that the IMO allows them to use the same STCW codes for the toy licenses as the real ones. That is something that smacks of insider influence or the sort of scam that we usually attribute to American politicians. It is a certainty that neither maritime safety or the public good is served by that little fraud.[/QUOTE]
They have been able to slip in the yachtmaster with a bosiet and call it a 200 ton license and it has standing under STCW-95
Megayachts generally spend most of their time tied to the dock which is reflected in the low insurance rates
I wonder if the NI will give console hours if you are on the sim tied to a dock?
They give you console hours for being in a classroom in the sea time reduction course, whatever that is?