If your sea time has been on vessels less than 200 GRT, the CG-719S form is the preferred method of tracking sea days.
Do I need a new CG-719S for each vessel?
Yes. You will need a separate form for each vessel you worked on. They can all be for the same company.
What needs to be on a company Sea Service Letter?
The letter must be on letterhead from either the company that employed you or the vessel on which you served.
Include the date the letter was written.
Also include:
- vessel name
- official number
- vessel type
- propulsion type
- tonnage
- engine horsepower (when applicable)
- the beginning date of service
- the end date of service
- number of underway days
- position held when aboard
For any officer endorsement, the letter must also supply a breakdown of the number of days of service within 3 years of the date of the letter. For any Tankerman endorsement or renewal of any endorsement, the letter must supply a breakdown of the number of days of service within 5 years preceding the date of the letter.
The letter must indicate whether the service was 12- or 8-hour days. If the service is 12-hour days, it must attest that a two-watch system has been authorized by the vessel’s Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection (COI), and the COI must actually authorize that.
Where do I get a sample sea service letter?
Sample letters can be found at this USCG site.
We hope this made your life a little easier and if you have other questions the MM-SEAS team is always here to help!
MM-SEAS is free to use on your own and if you need some more personalized help you can upgrade to MM-SEAS Expert Access inside of the site.
No matter what, when you are ready to submit your application you can do it yourself, or you can hand the whole thing to us. An MM-SEAS Navita Navigator walks you through submitting in Navita, the Coast Guard's new submission portal, on a short video call. No computer, or not up for a video call? Our team gets your application submitted to the Coast Guard for you anyway. A Stress-Free MMC is $399. Two MM-SEAS licensing experts check every page, we pay your Coast Guard fees at submission and charge your card so you never touch pay.gov, and we stay on it with the National Maritime Center until your credential is issued.
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About the author
Nate Gilman is President and Co-Founder of MM-SEAS. He hawsepiped from the deck to a 3rd Mate Unlimited license with full STCW compliance over more than 15 years at sea, and is a veteran of the NOAA Commissioned Corps. He works directly with the National Maritime Center, USCG-approved training schools, and vessel operators on credentialing policy, and writes on sea service documentation, evaluation standards, and how mariners move up the license ladder.
