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  • Writer's pictureNate Gilman

How do I get my USCG Master 100 GRT Near Coastal Captain's License under 46 CFR § 11.428?

Updated: Mar 25, 2022

46 CFR § 11.428 is the most straightforward path to become a Master 100 GRT Near Coastal. You only need 720 sea days in the deck department, with 360 of them on Near Coastal or Ocean Waters.



Most 100 ton courses include Master 100 GRT Near Coastal as one of the USCG Licenses you can obtain. Most USCG Approved Courses can only be used once and only for one USCG License.


If you are thinking about taking a Master 100 ton USCG Approved Course and have 720 sea days in the deck department, with 360 of them on Near Coastal or Ocean Waters we highly recommend getting your Master 100 GRT Near Coastal under 46 CFR § 11.428


What about my tonnage?


To qualify for a 100 ton

If you have 180 days on vessels 51 GRT or larger OR 360 days on vessels 34 GRT or larger you qualify for a 100 ton.


To qualify for a 50 ton

If you have 180 days on vessels 26 GRT or larger OR 360 days on vessels 17 GRT or larger you qualify for a 50 ton.


I don't qualify for 50 or 100 ton with my current sea time. What do I do?

No worries! Tonnage limitations will apply if you are on smaller boats. This also makes sense as you will probably be working on smaller boats anyway. We recommend not worrying about them and just focus on getting the right type of license for what you currently want to do.


Tonnage limitations are really simple and easy to remove with just 90 sea days once you hold your new MMC! For a mate and a master under 200 GRT all you need is sea time while holding your license to remove them. Here's a blog post that goes into detail.



We hope this made your life a little easier and if you have other questions the MM-SEAS team is always here to help!


We do prefer to answer questions live with screen sharing to make both of our lives easier.


We hold free live virtual master classes Monday and Wednesday from 5:00 - 5:30 pm PT inside of mmseas.com under License Guidance and then Daily Master Classes.


Pro MM-SEAS members get access to our daily live master classes and office hours Monday thru Friday from 5:00 - 5:30 pm PT. You also get access to unlimited live 1 on 1 calls with one of our USCG Licensing Specialists. Pro MM-SEAS members can access these features inside of mmseas.com under License Guidance.


Need to renew, upgrade or get your first USCG license?
We're here to help.

Always Free | $299 if you file with us

(Includes pay.gov fees)

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