The Merchant Shipping (Inland Waterway and Limited Coastal Operations) (Boatmasters' Qualifications and Hours of Work) Regulations 2006 (revoked)

Minimum age and qualifying service for licences and endorsements U.K.

11.—(1) A person may not apply for a boatmaster's licence, or an endorsement of a licence, of a class specified in column (1) of Table 1 at the end of this regulation (“Table 1”) if he is under the age specified in column (2) of Table 1 in relation to that class of licence or endorsement.

(2) Save as provided in paragraphs (6) and (7), a person may not apply for a Tier 1 boatmaster's licence of any class, or an endorsement of a licence, unless he can satisfy the Secretary of State that—

(a) he has completed in aggregate a period of qualifying service (the “qualifying service time”) not less than that (if any) specified in column (3) of Table 1 in relation to the relevant class of licence or endorsement , and

(b) the conditions in paragraph (3) are fulfilled.

(3) The conditions are that—

(a) the qualifying service has been undertaken during the period of 5 years ending on the date of the application, and

(b) in relation to the relevant class of licence or endorsement, a period not less than the period (if any) specified in column (4) of Table 1 (the “minimum qualifying period”) has elapsed between the first day of the qualifying service time and the date of the application.

(4) In calculating the qualifying service time (but not, except in a case where paragraph (8)(b) applies, the minimum qualifying period) for the purpose of an application for an endorsement of a Tier 1 licence, qualifying service undertaken for the purpose of an application for—

(a) the licence itself, or

(b) another endorsement,

is to be disregarded.

(5) A large passenger vessel endorsement may not be issued to a person unless—

(a) he holds a passenger operations (general) endorsement,

(b) in addition to the qualifying service time prescribed for the large passenger vessel endorsement, he has served as master of a passenger ship carrying fewer than 250 passengers for an aggregate period of 120 days, and

(c) not less than one year has elapsed between the first and last days of the period of service mentioned in sub-paragraph (b).

(6) A person may not apply for a fast craft endorsement unless, at the date of his application, he has completed a period of qualifying service—

(a) on vessels of the same type as the vessel on which he will normally serve as master, and

(b) on voyages following a route on which that vessel will normally operate,

which the Secretary of State considers sufficient to justify the issue of the licence.

(7) A person applying for a radar endorsement is not required to complete a period of qualifying service.

(8) A person may not apply for a relevant local knowledge endorsement in respect of the waters specified in column (1) of Table 2 at the end of this regulation unless—

(a) he has completed the qualifying service specified in column (2) of that table in relation to those waters, and

(b) in the case of an application for a relevant local knowledge endorsement for the Port of London area, the whole of that qualifying service has been undertaken after the expiration of the minimum qualifying period for the issue of a Tier 1(Level 2) licence.

(9) A person may not apply for a Tier 2 boatmaster's licence unless he can satisfy the Secretary of State that, at the date of his application, he has completed a period of qualifying service sufficient to justify the issue of the licence.

(10) In this regulation—

“qualifying service” means service which has been undertaken—

(a)

in the United Kingdom or in another EEA State,

(b)

in an appropriate deck capacity, and

(c)

(save in the case of qualifying service for a fast craft endorsement) in appropriate waters on vessels of a type appropriate to the class of licence or endorsement applied for;

“Padstow Harbour”, “Portsmouth Harbour” and “Isles of Scilly” mean respectively the waters so described in paragraph 6 of Part 3 of Schedule 3.

Table 1. Minimum ages and qualifying service time for boatmasters' licences: general

(1) Class of licence or endorsement	(2) Mini-mum age	(3) Qualifying service time	(4) Minimum qualifying period
Tier 1 (Level 1) without endorsement	18	120 days	12 months
Tier 1 (Level 2) without endorsement	18	240 days	24 months
A passenger operations (general) endorsement: for waters of category A and B only	21	60 days	6 months
A passenger operations (general) endorsement: for waters of category C and D and in a limited coastal area	21	120 days	12 months
A large passenger vessel endorsement	22	60 days	6 months
A towing and pushing endorsement: for waters of category A and B only	21	60 days	6 months
A towing and pushing endorsement: for waters of category C and D	21	120 days	12 months
A cargo endorsement	18	60 days	6 months
An oil and chemical cargo endorsement	18	60 days	6 months
A dredging endorsement	18	60 days	6 months
A fast craft endorsement	21	The period specified in paragraph (6)	N/a
A radar endorsement	18	N/a	N/a
A local knowledge endorsement	18	None, unless paragraph (8) applies	N/a
Tier 2 (passenger-carrying operations): vessels carrying not more than 100 passengers	18	The period specified in paragraph (9)	N/a
Tier 2 (passenger-carrying operations): vessels carrying not more than 250 passengers	20	The period specified in paragraph (9)	N/a
Tier 2 (passenger-carrying operations): any vessel	21	The period specified in paragraph (9)	N/a
Tier 2 (other vessels)	18	The period specified in paragraph (9)	N/a

Table 2. Qualifying service for relevant local knowledge endorsements

(1) Local area	(2) Qualifying service required
Port of London area	Not less than 60 days' qualifying service, undertaken in varying conditions including trips in different directions and trips during the hours of darkness, with the last day of that service being undertaken not less than 6 months after the first day
Padstow Harbour	6 voyages outward from the harbour and 6 voyages inward to the harbour under the supervision of a person authorised by the Padstow Harbour Authority
Portsmouth Harbour	Not less than 60 days' qualifying service with the last day of that service being undertaken not less than 6 months after the first day
Isles of Scilly	Not less than 60 days' qualifying service with the last day of that service being undertaken not less than 6 months after the first day