Merchant Shipping Act, 1951 (Act No. 57 of 1951)RegulationsMerchant Shipping (Training, Certification and Safe Manning) Regulations, 2021Part 2 : Assessment11. Declaration and proof of qualifying service |
| (1) | Certificates of discharge or a duly completed Seafarer’s Record Book shall be accepted as sufficient proof of the sea service recorded therein. |
| (2) | Proof of service in port operations or other ships engaged in short voyages shall be in the form and manner as set out in the Quality Standards System of the Authority. |
| (3) | Each candidate shall be required to make a declaration of qualifying service, and shall be required to explain, in writing, to the satisfaction of the examiner concerned, any period of discontinuity in such service. |
| (4) | Qualifying sea service towards a certificate shall have been performed not earlier than 10 years before the date of application for the certification concerned. |
| (5) | A candidate for a deck officer certificate, where service in charge of a watch is required, shall produce certificates of watchkeeping service signed by the respective Masters of the ships on which he or she has served, stating that he or she has acted in a watchkeeping capacity for at least eight hours out of every 24 hours' service claimed. |
| (6) | A candidate for a first deck officer certificate shall produce watchkeeping testimonials signed by the Masters of the ships on which they have served. |
| (7) | A candidate for an Engineering Officer certificate, where service in charge of a watch or as a designated duty engineer is required, shall produce certificates of watchkeeping service signed by the respective Chief Engineers of the ships on which he or she has served, stating that he or she has acted in a watchkeeping capacity for at least eight hours out of every 24 hours' service claimed or have been on duty for at least 24 hours in every 72 hours' service claimed on ships having a periodically unmanned engine room. |
| (8) | A candidate for a first engineer officer certificate shall— |
| (a) | produce watchkeeping testimonials signed by the respective Chief Engineers of the ships on which he or she has served; and |
| (b) | submit proof of having completed the approved workshop training course at an accredited training institution. However, a candidate who has completed approved trade training may apply to be exempted from parts of the workshop training which he or she has already completed. |
| (9) | Sea service performed in foreign territories within the limits of near coastal voyages of that country shall only count as sea service towards near coastal certification, provided that all voyages of less than 150 NM is considered to be a near-coastal voyages. |
| (10) | Sea service performed on a ship not registered in the Republic shall count as qualifying service unless the service cannot be verified by the Authority. |