To All Fishing Vessel Owners, Deck Officers And Ratings In Fishing Vessels And To Nautical Colleges.  

The following amendments are to be made in Chapter 3:

Section 3.4 Page 7

After "sea service" add "as a watchkeeping deck officer in fishing vessels of 12 metres or more in length" and in lines 4 and 5 insert "endorsement" in place of "certificate".

Section 3.12 Page 10

Insert the following new paragraph after the table of additional qualifications  "As from 1 June, 1998, all candidates for a Skipper Full Certificate of Competency or a Skipper Limited endorsement will be expected to produce a 4 day Firefighting Course certificate.  Candidates seeking a Skipper Limited endorsement will also be expected to produce a Navigation Control Course (Fishing) certificate as  from 1 June, 1998.  Details as to the availability of 4 day Firefighting Courses may be obtained from (1) The Fire Brigade Training Centre, Marino, Dublin 9 or (2) Cork City Fire Brigade, Anglesea Road, Cork".

Page 12
 
Add new Section 3.26

3.26  "Transfer from Fishing Vessels to Merchant Ships.

Service performed in seagoing Fishing Vessels may be counted in full for entry to the Deck Officer in Merchant Ships  examinations but a  minimum of 12 months sea service in Merchant Ships will be required.

The following exemptions from Merchant Ship Deck Officer examinations will be available:-

The holder of a Skipper Full Certificate of Competency issued under the Fishing Vessels (Certification of Deck Officers and Engineer Officers) Regulations, 1988 will be exempt from the whole of the written part of the Deck Officer Class 5 examination.

The holder of a Second Hand Full Certificate of Competency issued under the Fishing Vessels (Certification of Deck Officers and Engineer Officers) Regulations, 1988 will be exempt from the Chartwork and Practical Navigation and Meteorology papers in the written part of the Deck Officer Class 5 examination.  In both the above cases, candidates will sit the orals and signals parts of the Deck Officer Class 5 examination.

Holders of Fishing Vessel Certificates of Competency who qualify for the issue of Class 4 or 5 Deck Officer certificates of competency and wish to obtain a command endorsement on such certificate will, at the discretion of the Examiner of Masters and Mates, be granted remission  from a proportion of the 3 years watchkeeping service required for such endorsement.  This remission will take into account the total watchkeeping service performed".

Mr. Thomas Carroll,
Secretary General,
Department of the Marine and
Natural Resources,
Dublin 2.

19 November,  1997