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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS IS POSTED ON THIS PAGE... Towing Vessel and Tugboat Industry Towing Vessel Operators Meet New Requirements After May 06 Source: Marine News October 2005 The United States Coast Guard is reminding the maritime community the final deadline is approaching for changes in requirements for who is allowed to operate towing vessels. Beginning May 21, 2006 as per 46 CFR 15.610 and 46 CFR 15.910, all towing vessels at least 8 meters in length must be under the direction and control of a person licensed as master or mate (pilot) of towing vessels, or licensed as master or mate of vessels greater than 200 gross register tons holding either an endorsement on his or her license for towing vessels or a completed Towing Officer Assessment Record (TOAR) signed by an approved designated examiner and documentation of at least 30 days under observation and training aboard a towing vessel on the applicable route..... To read the remainder of this article click here! New Towing Vessel Officer License Career Path The Coast Guard has established requirements and rules for licensing mariners who operate towing vessels, whether inspected or uninspected. The interim rule became effective on May 21, 2001, and the final rule became effective on September 15, 2003. As a result, new towing vessel licenses have been created with levels of qualification, enhanced training and operating experience, which also includes practical demonstration of skill. View and print the Towing Vessel Officer License Guide for the Coast Guard requirements for Inland and Near Coastal Towing Vessel Licenses. Towing Vessel Officer License - Abbreviated Guide of Coast Guard Requirements Coast Guard Approved Towing Vessel Apprentice Mate (Steersman) Course Course Length: 16 hours (2 days) This course provides training to mariners seeking a license as Apprentice Mate (Steersman) of Towing Vessels. Any student successfully completing the course will satisfy the examination requirements of 46 CFR 10.205(i) for original issuance or 46 CFR 10.209(c)(iii) for renewal of a license as Apprentice Mate (Steersman) of Towing Vessels or Master or Mate (Pilot) of Towing Vessels; provided that they either: (1) hold a license as Master Not More Than 150 or 200 Gross Tons; –OR– (2) hold a license as Master 25, 50, or 100 Gross Tons and have completed our 36-Hour Upgrade Master of Vessels Not More Than 100 Gross Tons to Master Not More Than 200 Gross Tons course WITHIN ONE YEAR of completion of the Apprentice Mate (Steersman) course; –OR– (3) have completed our 56-Hour Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) and our 24-Hour Upgrade OUPV to Master 100 Gross Tons and our 36-Hour Upgrade Master of Vessels Not More Than 100 Gross Tons to Master Not More Than 200 Gross Tons course WITHIN ONE YEAR of completion of the Apprentice Mate (Steersman) course. Towing Vessel Officer Designated Examiner Training Candidates for the Towing Vessel Officer USCG License must be able to demonstrate proficiency and ability to the levels required in a Towing Officer Assessment Record (TOAR). To document their demonstrations of proficiency in the TOAR, candidates must be assessed by a qualified Designated Examiner (DE). Part of the Coast Guard’s definition of a Designated Examiner is "a person who has been trained or instructed in techniques of training or assessment." This training course satisfies that part of the requirement for a Designated Examiner. A certificate of completion from this training is accepted by the U.S. Coast Guard as meeting the intent regarding the DE in the Coast Guard’s Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) 4-01, Licensing and Manning for Officers of Towing Vessels.Tank Barge Dangerous Liquids/Tankerman (Barge) PIC Course Length: 34 hours (5 days) This course provides training to mariners who wish to obtain an endorsement to their US Coast Guard Merchant Mariners Document as Tankerman-PIC Barge (DL). The Tank Barge Dangerous Liquids course satisfies the training requirements 46 CFR 13.309 for endorsement as Tankerman-PIC (Barge). This course is principally intended for candidates who hold or will hold a USCG Merchant Mariner’s Document and serve as or will serve as Tankerman/PIC Barge (DL). Ideally, students will have met the USCG requirements for participation in the minimum number of transfers (five loadings, five discharges, two commencements and two securings) prior to attendance. If not, they have one year from the course completion date to meet these requirements. Students are expected to be able to read and speak English. The course will also be of value to others serving as supervisory personnel in the industry or on vessels directly involved with the bulk shipment of dangerous liquids by water. Federal Law Requires Inspection of Towing Vessels On August 9, 2004 President Bush signed the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004. The Act included a single sentence making towing vessels the 15th category of vessels inspected by the Coast Guard. The single sentence in the Act will probably represent one of the most significant federal actions affecting the towing industry since towboat operators were required to be licensed by the Coast Guard in 1972... Complete Article on Inspection of Towing Vessels Federal Register Notice on Inspection of Towing Vessels Homeland and Maritime Security Maritime Vessel Security - After July 1, 2004 After September 11, 2001, both the U.S. Congress and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) resolved to develop comprehensive maritime security standards. On November 25, 2002. Congress passed the Marine Transportation Safety Act (MTSA), and on December 12, 2002 IMO adopted amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. Together, the MTSA and ISPS Code provide statutory and international instruments to implement security measures for the nation’s maritime community. July 1, 2004 marks the full implementation and enforcement of the MTSA and ISPS Code. This date probably marks one of the more significant days in maritime history.... Complete Article on Maritime Security After July 1, 2004 Limited Tonnage Vessel Industry STCW-95 and its Impact on International Operations of Vessels Less Than 200 GRT With the transformation taking place in the United States as we implement the requirements of the 1995 amendments to the STCW Convention and the STCW Code, an issue has been created for vessel owners and the mariners who operate them. The Coast Guard’s interpretations of both licensing and STCW requirements threaten the ability of U.S. mariners to work on offshore support vessels and other vessels of less than 200GRT overseas... Complete Article on International Operations of Vessels Less Than 200 GRT For More Information Contact: |
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