The USCG Licenses of 500 GRT Mate Near Coastal and 1600 GRT Mate Near Coastal need you to provide documentation that you were performing bridge watchkeeping duties under the supervision of the master or a qualified officer.
This can be done as a member of the deck department including as a training mate, an OS, AB or any other title that your company uses for someone who is standing bridge watch and helping out.
In addition to actually sailing in this capacity, you also need to provide the paperwork to back it up.
The most common way is for your employer to provide the text below into your annual sea service letter.
<MARINER NAME> served on <VESSEL NAME> from <START DATE ON LETTER> to <END DATE ON LETTER>. <MARINER NAME> served as a <POSITION SERVED> for <NUMBER OF DAYS SUPERVISED> while performing bridge watchkeeping duties under the supervision of the master or a qualified officer.
If you are or were an active duty service member and you were sailing as a Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD) that time will also count as performing bridge watchkeeping duties under the supervision of the master or a qualified officer.
We hope this made your life a little easier and if you have other questions the MM-SEAS team is always here to help!
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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.
