That is a good consideration.
Which specific course?
I believe it’s the STCW Basic.
Then that’s what STCW you will have. That’s what you need to be an OS.
The deal on tonnage is simple and complex at the same time. The USCG, Academies, unions, and vessel owners, and their lobbyists and the Congressmen they have bought , have set the system up to make it easy for Academy grads and deep sea sailors to upgrade from Cadet to unlimited Master with only two exams, a few STCW courses and unlimited tonnage (over 1600) seatime. The system is set up to screw the rest of us and make it really difficult and expensive and complicated to upgrade tonnage. However, there are some big giveaways to the OSV guys.
With AB Unlimited you only need six months of unlimited seatime as AB to get Unlimited 3rd Mate, but in your case, you’ll probably get a tonnage limit. The minimum limit is 2000 grt.
If you sail on a ship over 10,000 tons, you should make out better on tonnage.
NMC evaluators make a lot of mistakes. They screw some people, but give others licenses that they don’t qualify for. They might be accurate 50% of the time.
You will probably get the most tonnage on your license the fastest sailing deep sea, on OSVs, or on drill ships. On OSVs, you work 12 hours days and get 1.5 days of seatime for each day worked.
OSVs will get you to 3rd Mate with a tonnage limit with 1/3rd fewer actual days of seatime, but you’ll probably be working 28/38 or 28/14.
Sailing deep sea you’ll be making 90 to 120 trips.
A combination of sailing deepsea and working OSVs in between trips while you age your union card might get you the most license in the least amount of time.
Anything over 1,600 GRT or 3,000 GT ITC is unlimited tonnage time. As a deckhand being on a “large OSV” (an OSV over 3,000 GT ITC) is ideal.
One calendar year working 28/14 on an OSV gives you 360 days of sea time.
The tonnage limits are used by formula up to 10,000 tons.
I think (I might be wrong) that if you submit seatime on say 50,000 ton ships, mixed with smaller tonnage seatime, that the evaluators at NMC are more likely to give you unlimited tonnage without a tonnage limit.
As long as 1.5 years of the 3 years required for 3M are over 3,000 GT then there’s no tonnage limit, no calculation required.
If I were a young guy with AB Unlimited trying to get an unlimited license without a tonnage restriction I would do it this way:
Sail AB deepsea on large unlimited tonnage ships out of a union hall: two (90-120 day) trips , and
Sail AB on the largest OSVs 28/28 in between deep sea trips.
If without STCW, I’d start on the Great Lakes where STCW is not required.
Alternatively, I’d consider Washington State Ferries where STCW is not required.
Thanks for all the info!
He’s a fisherman with Master 100 & Mate 200 who has worked on his own boats up to 100 feet (not over 199 GRT), otherwise Master 500 would have been required). I suspect that all his seatime is under 200. In theory, he should get a tonnage limit.
My speculation is that if an AB Unlimited sends NMC 180 days of seatime discharges from 50,000 ton deep sea ships, that NMC might look no further and issue 3rd Mate Unlimited without a tonnage limit.
Certainly, if the evaluator knew and followed the rules, and examined the prior small vessel sea time used to get the AB, there should be a tonnage limit.
On what grounds would that meet the requirements?
Correct, all my sea time is under 200.
You make me think that I should get more than 180 days on 50,000 ton for more leeway…
Worst case scenario if I was given a tonnage limit- do I just continue as an AB for more time and resubmit?
I don’t say that it meets the requirements.
I do say that I think the NMC evaluators favor big tonnage, and I think a favorable error is more likely when presenting big tonnage.
As long as it’s over 100 GRT it counts towards an unlimited license.
Is any of it over 100 GRT though?
Maybe but I doubt it. Their errors are normally when someone is complicated but this is fairly simple. “1,080 days over 100 GRT with at least 540 days over 1,600 GRT” is hard to mess up.
AB Unlimited + 180 days on deep sea big tonnage = Third Mate Unlimited.
(He’s obviously a deep sea sailor. Who needs to bother looking at the time he used to get AB Unlimited?)
I highly doubt that would be any evaluator’s thought process. I definitely wouldn’t suggest anyone bet $100 on it.
If you get a tonnage limit, the bigger the tonnage you present, the bigger the limit.
Yes some of it is over 100 GRT. The bulk is less than that.