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

Evidence of attainment of appropriate standard of competence

7.  Each candidate must keep the following written records—

(a) a record of the necessary practical skills he has mastered and the knowledge and experience he has gained which are relevant to the class of licence or endorsement he wishes to apply for (the “Task Record Book”), and

(b) a record of his service and experience on vessels and in waters which are appropriate to the class of licence or endorsement he intends to apply for.

8.  Subject to paragraph 9, a candidate’s standard of competence must be assessed by a person who is—

(a) appointed for that purpose by the Secretary of State, or

(b) appointed by a person approved by the Secretary of State for the purpose of appointing examiners.

9.—(1) A candidate is deemed to have the appropriate knowledge of basic personal survival and fire fighting techniques and first aid if he produces evidence to the Secretary of State that he has successfully completed a course the subject matter of which satisfies the requirements of paragraph 3.

(2) A candidate is deemed to have the competencies required for the issue of a radar endorsement if he produces evidence to the Secretary of State that he has successfully completed the Small Ships Navigation and Radar Course.

(3) In this paragraph, “successfully completed” means completed to the satisfaction of a person approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency who has provided the course.

10.  An application for an assessment of competence or part of an assessment—

(a) must be in such form and contain, or be accompanied by, such particulars and documents as the Secretary of State may specify, and

(b) must be accompanied by the prescribed fee.

11.  A candidate attending for the part of the assessment described in paragraph 12(1)(c) must produce his Task Record Book to the examiner.

12.—(1) The assessment may, at the examiner’s discretion, consist of all or any of the following—

(a) a practical test of seamanship and vessel handling skill in a variety of circumstances chosen by the examiner and conducted on board a vessel of a kind reasonably representative of the class of vessel the command of which the licence or endorsement would authorise in waters appropriate to that class of licence or endorsement,

(b) a written or oral test of the candidate’s knowledge underpinning his practical skills, and

(c) oral questions about the entries in the Task Record Book,

(2) Different parts of the assessment may, if the examiner agrees, take place on different occasions.

13.  In the case of a candidate holding a qualification mentioned in regulation 35(1), a boatmaster’s certificate issued in an EEA State other than the United Kingdom or a Rhine navigation licence, the examiner may, in conducting his assessment, take account of the experience which the candidate has had of commanding or having charge of vessels.

14.  The examiner must as soon as practicable submit a report of his assessment to the Secretary of State and if he is satisfied that the candidate possesses the necessary competencies the Secretary of State must issue the appropriate boatmaster’s licence or endorsement to the candidate.