Coast Guard Captain License

When most people think of a boat captain, they may conjure up images of a uniformed officer, leading a large passenger or commercial vessel and its crew over many miles of open sea. While this may be the case for some, many captains' seafaring missions are not as grand.

A captain is any Coast Guard licensed merchant marine officer who serves as the Master of small vessels (charter boats and small passenger vessels, for example). Clearly, the skipper of a cruise ship with hundreds of passengers will need a Coast Guard Captain License to operate his vessel legally. However, did you know that a person giving seasonal fishing tours to one or a few individuals must also be a licensed Captain?

Quality Marine Training offers prospective captains all the training courses they need, from Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV), Upgrades from OUPV to Master 100 gross tons and Master 200 gross tons, Assistance Towing and Auxiliary Sail endorsements as well as First Aid & CPR.

In order to meet the United States Coast Guard's requirements for a Captain's License for these purposes, it is important for prospective students to know what licensure and training is needed for the specific type of vessel they will work aboard and the work they will perform. Let QMT help you sort out what training and licensure you need from those you don't, so you can operate safely and legally.

Check out information on OUPV Captains License.

Captain's License - Master, Upgrades

In addition to Captain's License courses for the discretionary market mentioned above, Quality Maritime Training also offers Master and Mate training courses.

Unlike the Coast Guard Captain License coursework for the OUPV, Master 100 or 200 gross tons student, Master/Mate training is intended for those who wish to captain or mate larger tonnage vessels over 500 gross tons, such as deep draft or ocean-going vessels.

Additional courses in the Master/Mate training include courses such as Advanced Fire Fighting and First Aid & CPR, as well as courses geared toward the safe operation of more sophisticated vessels: Master 500/1600 gross tons; Radar Observer (Inland & Unlimited); Automatic Radar Plotting Aids (ARPA); Global Maritime Distress & Safety System (GMDSS); Bridge Resource Management (BRM); and Medical Care Provider.