Charter companies have been running to cuba since relations were relaxed. Coast guard is very involved in our business and actually check the endorsements on our licenses before we depart. As long as your within 200 miles with a near coastal you are good.
Now, to throw a curve ball in there after this I will upgrade to 200 ton oceans and be able to do charters across the Atlantic if I want.
The company I work for does offshore sailing instruction.
Just because the local inspectors allow it doesn’t mean they are correct. Whether or not they allowed it won’t matter in court if something happens, they’ll only look at what’s actually legal.
I guess that’s what I’m saying, it is legal to run charters to Cuba, same as running to Bahamas, there is no law to stop you from doing it.
Except I’m fairly certain that a US 100 ton Near Coastal license isn’t legal on a run to either. Just because the local USCG inspectors wrongly allow it doesn’t make it legal and if anything happens and it ends up in court that won’t be a valid defense.
Edit: Unless something has changed in recent years the only countries that recognize our Near Coastal license are Canada and Mexico.
If I haven’t said it before, I’ll repeat it now!!
You must have the most complicated and ridiculous Maritime Certification System in the world.
Other Maritime Nations manage by following the STCW Convention.
Simple, understandable and recognized by most other Maritime Nations.
But then again; why make it simple when you can do it the American way??
Don’t you need to have a 200 GRT license to get the STCW less than 500 GT added on?
You can add stcw to any license, just not an oupv it must be a master.
I am aware of people who have gotten temporary permits to go to Cuba. They did it on COIs for only 20 miles offshore routes, and with Near Coastal licenses and no STCW. I don’t know what the legal basis was, but the USCG specifically permitted it.
I am aware of boats in the US Virgin Islands that routinely go back and forth to to the BVIs. The six-pack boats have to get BVI inspection (they get 12 paasengers). They do it on Near coastal licenses without any STCW. I believe the US/BVI have an MOU that covers that. It use to be similar in the Bahamas.
A lot of the STCW countries have inspection requirements and Master’s license requirements for “commercial yachts” - crewed charter or daysail. Other countries do not have uninspected 6-passenger boats like the US.
From looking at the CFR it looks to me like you need either a Master/Mate of Towing or a 200 GRT license to get STCW II/3. It’s not very clearly spelled out though so I may be incorrect.
I do not know, but logically, if the USCG can issue an unlimited license restricted to 2000 tons, then I don’t see why they could not issue a 200/500 ton license restricted to 100 tons or less.
46 CFR 11.317 Requirements to qualify for an STCW endorsement as master of vessels of less than 500 GT limited to near-coastal waters (management level)
(d) Seafarers with one of the following national officer endorsements are eligible to apply for this endorsement upon completion of the requirements in the following table:
They issue a license as mate or master of vessels not greater than 2000 GRT and to get that require you to take the exam for licenses greater than 1,600 GRT (the unlimited exams). It isn’t an unlimited license until the tonnage limit is removed.
If they did what you’re saying then he’d have to test for 200 GRT, like one does for a 150 GRT license.
This table is correct. However, I do not believe that it restricts the issuance of the endorsement to just those licenses.I believe that table is designed to provide a clear path/flowchart for the anticipated end user/applicants.
The start of 46 CFR 11.317 states:
"(a) To qualify for an STCW endorsement as master, an applicant must—
(1) Provide evidence of 12 months of service as OICNW, on vessels operating
in oceans, near-coastal waters, and/or Great Lakes. Service on inland waters,
bays, or sounds that are navigable waters of the United States may be substituted
for up to 50 percent of the total required service. Experience gained in the engine department on
vessels may be creditable for up to 1 month of the service requirements;"
It may have to do with the exams taken and the 100 ton license may not have adequate exams to equal STCW standards.
Yes, of course, by taking the 200 ton exam. I hear that there isn’t much difference between the100 and 200 exams.
The checklist Rrayfield looked at is correct. It’s for less than 500 GT, (200 GRT).
All vessels on international voyages require STCW. If it wasn’t required for less than 500 GT (200 GRT) there would be no need for STCW Code Section II/3 and 46 CFR 11.317, 11.319. 11/321, and 11.323. For certain small vessels on DOMESTIC near coastal voyages, it may be possible to get an STCW endorsement without further obligation, see 46 CFR 11.301(h) and 46 CFR 15.1101(a)(2).
Training is required for all OICNW and Master STCW endorsements. The specifics will depend on the tonnage of the endorsement, and in this case, whether it is limited to near-coastal.
See 46 CFR 15.1101(b).
No. You can get the Master Less Than 500 GT endorsement with any national endorsement (license) as Master ( but not OUPV, as an “operator” is not a “master”). If you held a national endorsement for less than 100 GRT, you would be constrained by that tonnage limit even when operating under STCW.
It’s not in Table A-II/3 of the STCW Code.
Is it going to be removed from the CFR then?
