2020
News
Coronavirus - Your questions answered: How can I renew my certificate?
26 Jun, 2020
My certificate expires soon and I cannot work without renewing it. How can I revalidate it with all the lockdown restrictions?
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has put out a number of briefings on extensions to medical certificates, annual leave entitlement and SMaRT training payments, for example.
The MCA will give a six-month extension, starting from March 2020, to anybody who needs to revalidate but is unable to complete their safety training. Full details below:
Issue or Revalidation of a UK Certificate of Competency (CoC) where a seafarer is unable to complete the updating/refresher training requirements but needs to join a vessel.
Any seafarer that is unable to complete some or all of the updating refresher requirements for the issue or revalidation of a CoC, should send a scanned application to the MCA*.
The seafarer will be issued with a Temporary CoC valid for a period of 6 months providing that they can meet all the other requirements. They will also receive a letter from the MCA extending the validity of the training that they were unable to update/refresh.
They should accompany their application with:
- Scanned copies of their original STCW Safety Training Certificate that will no longer be valid; and
- The applicable self-declaration for the STCW training that requires updating/refreshing from MSN 1865 (annex B,C,D and E).
Where STCW requires a standard to be met prior to the issue of a new CoC, the MCA will be unable to issue the CoC until this standard has been achieved.
Where a Seafarer is unable to complete updating training requirements but needs to join a vessel:
Any seafarer required onboard a vessel who is unable to complete some or all the updating/refresher requirements but originally completed the MCA-approved training should send an email to [email protected] this be accompanied with:
- a company letter confirming the vessel they need to join and the date they are required;
- scanned copies of their original STCW Safety Training Certificate that will no longer be valid; and
- The applicable self-declaration for the STCW training that requires updating/refreshing from MSN 1865 (annex B,C,D and E).
The MCA will then issue the seafarer with a letter from the MCA extending the validity of the training that needs updating/refreshing.
More information is available on the Nautilus website via the following links:
- https://www.nautilusint.org/en/news-insight/telegraph/nautilus-faqs-on-covid19-coronavirus/
- https://www.nautilusint.org/en/news-insight/news/mca-revises-medical-certification-extensions-from-three-to-six-months/
- https://www.nautilusint.org/en/news-insight/news/nautilus-wins-extension-for-smart-funding-for-cadets-during-covid-19-lockdown/
- https://www.nautilusint.org/en/news-insight/news/uk-updates-seafarer-annual-leave-guidance/
Thank you to Nautilus International for contributing this information.
(Information correct as of June 2020)
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