CFR changes/Submit comments!!!

[pwrmariner]

Check out CFR proposed changes on USCG licensing website. 11.424 "Masters of Oceans, Stream, or motor vessels of not more than 200 gross tons." What is "stream"??

12.522 engineman-12.518 does not state engine man is a qmed endorsement.

11.401 flashing light requirement for every one...Please by all means let your voice be heard submit your comments before Feb 2010 or these cfr changes become effective!!! Engineers, qmed, engine department READ READ READ!!! You will be catch 22'd out of qualifying for just about every position/advancement.

CFR proposed changes say a wiper can serve without rfpew but stcw 14-02 states even wipers have to have rfpew. Rfpew is assessment(s), how can you do the assessment(s). Without being onboard a vessel with an appropriate cooperating assessor??

Approved training/courses-For rfpew, yeah right. Challenge any one tell me the name of a school that has a current rfpew no osv limitation(s), or union affiliation, and does not take more than a week to complete. Has to be USCG approved and located in the US!! Oh yeah the rfpew course must be good enough to get the endorsement in it's entirety cause, without it you cannot sail aboard a vessel to get it.

[seahawk]

Were if you are interested in submitting comments do you go about it? I am pretty new to working offshore comparred to others but I have been trying to get all the requirements for working offshore and its getting harder and harder just to get a job.

[dougpine]

tell me the name of a school that has a current rfpew no osv limitation(s), or union affiliation...

Nothing wrong with a union affiliated school if they'll admit non-union students.

[pwrmariner]

SIU's Paul haul will NOT admit non union students. You need to sail at least 120 days with a union contracted vessel to be a union member eligible to take a class at Siu's school. Also the unlicensed apprentice program has been suspended, no more applications are being accepted. Check back in 2010!! The website for the upcoming changes can be accessed by typing "USCG licensing" in the search area of your web browser. Then go to the USCG site and scroll down. You will see a link to the proposed changes. Inside that pdf is some more hyperlinks--All in all you will get to the page to post your comment(s). "Alice in Wonderland style"!! Hey you wanna be a mariner these days, you gotta learn how to find the information. CFR's, USCG checklist(s), application packets, physical forms, OH MY??? Every 5yrs if your not upgrading, if you are upgrading, every 6months to a yr. Enjoy like the rest of us.

[YoungEngineer]

Okay take a peek at this.

180 days of approved seagoing service that includes training & experience associated with engine room watchkeeping functions & involve the performance of duties carried put under the supervision of a qualified engineer officer or qualified rating

I obtained my RFPEW about 3 months after i became a QMED working on a ISM vessel 4000 HP over 200 tons. The Chief was a 3 A/E limited chief and the other engineer i worked under was a 3 A/E staright out of the maritime college. They were not assessors in any way or had training for an assessor. I just handed them my assessor sheets and had them sign them. When i handed in my packet for STCW i gave them my signed sheets and POOF i had my RFPEW within a few weeks. Of course things may have changed in the last 2 years however i don't see why it is so hard for someone to get this endorsment. There is a ton of grey area in the policy letter as to who can or cannot sign your assessor sheets. As for a USCG approved school all i needed was my BST and my QMED to qualify for my STCW / RFPEW. Youngs Memorial in Morgan City, LA offers this 5 day school for $286.00. (BST) Classes do fill up fast so make sure to plan ahead of time if you work a 28/14 schedual and can make the classes. Sea School offers the QMED classes for a whopping $1,000 for 5 days but do give you a dorm room to sleep in and 3 meals a day. I am new to the industry and had to Hawspipe my way to become a DDE 4,000 with OICEW endorsment. It is not an easy road to take but with determination and effort you can get there in 2 years or less. I hope this helps any of you other hawspipers out.

FIX IT OR GO HOME

[pwrmariner]

!st thank you for the response; BST is not RFPEW and 5 days for qmed OSV at sea school is also not bst. And the class for qmed is not rfpew. As for a 3 A/E signing off congratulation(s), but the rule is 2 A/E or higher. So question; Was your STCW evaluated at the REC or NMC? Young Memorial's RFPEW is 1st limited to OSV's and 2nd last I checked there is no instructor. Also have you read 14-02 concerning the most current regulation(s) on RFPEW? If your answer is no, then please review and consider yourself fortunate you were able to get your's the way you did.
A 4000 dde requires two yrs of seatime, plus applicable training. ie Advanced fire, MCP,...So how do you get your dde 4000 in less than 2yrs? Remember the REC/NMC processing time, ounce you meet or even get close to meeting the sea service requirement(s)...even a 28/14 schedule working 12hr days. Only grants 360 sea service days a yr. So even if you were crafty and could get all your educational classes in your time off. and have all your USCG paperwork through the processing time, and...Your still looking at 2yrs to not only qualify you for a 4000dde, but to have it issued to you by the USCG.
Question; dde 4000 in less than 2yrs. do tell who was your evaluator??

[pwrmariner]

http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/marpers/pag/14-02.pdf
go check that out

2. This enclosure applies to engineering ratings certificated as oiler, fireman/watertender, or
junior engineer, or to wipers standing engineering watches on vessels to which the full effects of
the STCW apply. It also applies to tho se same ratings if they are part of the maintenance
department and may be assigned regular engine room watches if required.
3. Reference (b) requires all ratings forming part of an engineering watch on seagoing vessels
powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 kilowatts (kW) (1,000 horsepower [HP] or more)

to meet STCW standards.

The prospective shipboard assessor must be employed on the vessel serving as
the platform for the demonstrations, be a licensed engine officer holding a second assistant

engineer license or higher and hold an approved STCW-95 certificate.

This policy came out 24 July 2002, You got out the Army and started sailing in 2006.
What was the name of the company you worked for as a member of the engine dept. WITHOUT your STCW?? You were sailing illegally.
Also who issued your STCW RFPEW, with just a 3 A/E limited license? Cpt Stalford might want to know. Now maybe you see the difficulty, in meeting the requirement(s) legally.

[pwrmariner]

young engineer, gives me a thought. I mean it is perfect example at how regulated our industry is becoming. Regulation(s) are being added or changed or both faster than any one can keep up with. Even those writing them cannot keep up!! This should give us all grounds to write our congressional reps and request that the proposed changes not be made atleast until the USCG/NMC can at least keep up with the ones we already have.

[YoungEngineer]

Okay let me start from the begining. I have almost 4 years of sea service and roughly 250+ days per year. (overtime is not an issue out here). When i submitted my sea time letters to the REC it stated on the paperwork supervisory postion or equivilant in the engine room department. I was hired as a unlicensed engineer when i first started my carrer. So all my time accumulated was engine room time. I do understand that BST is not RFPEW it is just a requirment for your STCW. Sorry if i mis lead you on that comment. As for the 3 A/E signing off some of my assessments it was due to him being straight out of the maritime college with a STCW / OICEW endorsment which gave him a international endorsment of 2 A/E. I guess i should have stated that in the last comment also. As for my packet being submitted and evaluated it was at the REC, the NMC did not exist at that time. And for your last question no i don't think i was sailing illegally. The vessel i worked on was a vessel restricted to the GOM and STCW did not apply. Sorry for the fusteration and confusion that i might have caused. I will try to be more carefull in my posts as to not mis lead anyone. After going back and looking at the document you had posted things have changed very drastically from when i submitted my paperwork for the RFPEW back in 2007. Have a merry christmas and again i do apologize for the last post.

[jdcavo]

...As for the 3 A/E signing off some of my assessments it was due to him being straight out of the maritime college with a STCW / OICEW endorsment which gave him a international endorsment of 2 A/E...

The term "3rd/2nd/1st assistant engineer" is only used in the U.S. Internationally, they use simply "engineer" e.g. the U.S. First Assistant Engineer is called "Second Engineer" everywhere else (note the title of Section A-III/2 of the STCW Code).

[seadawg]

Were if you are interested in submitting comments do you go about it?

SUBMIT COMMENT @
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Re...00006480a58fc4

[NAUTICART]

SUBMIT COMMENT @
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Re...00006480a58fc4

NOTE : "2000 character limit" noted in upper corner of comment section. A lot of writing programs ( ie: Word, Wordperfect...) have a "character count feature".

If you can't find it, then try copying/pasting into one that does, and do a character count.

I just thought about it since there are a lot of fields to fill out before submitting, and that could save you some time if something happens "in-between",....Even if you don't have 2000+ what a pain to think to have to do it all over again.