Deck Officer UK COC- overview

Introduction 

CoC typically stands for “Certificate of Competency”, which is a document issued to seafarers who have completed the necessary training, sea service and assessments and are found to be competent by national maritime administrations of a particular country. The competency assessment regulations are governed by STCW convention. The specific requirements and regulations for obtaining a Certificate of Competency may slightly vary from one country to another. In the UK, these are governed by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) and complete information can be found in the M Notice MSN 1856 Amendment 1.

 In this blog, we will discuss about the important information regarding the process of obtaining a deck UK CoC

For the deck department there are three grades of CoCs

1. Officer of the Watch (OOW)
2. Chief Mate
3. Master

Note that with a Chief Mate unlimited CoC, one can upgrade to Master (less than 3000 GT) without any additional exams but on the basis of required amount of sea service

To obtain a UK CoC, the below basic criteria must be met:

1. Complete the minimum period of sea service
2. Undertake ancillary technical and safety training
3. Complete the appropriate programmes of education and training meeting the minimum vocational and academic standard
4. Pass an oral and written examination conducted by the MCA

Sea Service requirements:

OOW (Experienced seafarer route) “Ideal for ratings aspiring for 2^nd Mates CoC”: 36 months’ seagoing service with 6 months engaged in bridge watchkeeping duties.

Chief Mate: Have completed 12 months’ watchkeeping service while holding an OOW unlimited CoC.

Master: Have completed 36 months’ watchkeeping service while holding OOW unlimited CoC. This period may be reduced to 24 months if at least 12 months of such seagoing service has been served as Chief Mate while holding a Chief Mate unlimited CoC.

College Phase:

Those preparing for OOW and Chief Mate CoC are required to attend a college phase which is focused towards obtaining an academic qualification like HNC or HND (Higher National Diploma). The college phase will include preparation and conduct of HNC/HND exams as well as written and orals prep courses in addition to ancillary short courses.

The duration of the college phase will vary as per the grade. For example, OOW candidates are required to attend an approved program at a UK college and its duration is around 9 months. This is including HNC exam preparation, short courses, written and oral examination preparation. There may be a possibility of completing 3 months out of the 9 months remotely before going to the UK for the remaining 6 months.

For Chief mate candidates, the duration of this phase is around 9 months however 3 months out of the 9 months can be completed remotely before going to the UK for the remaining 6 months. This course is typically referred to as 3+6 blended learning program.

Written examinations:

Written examinations are conducted and administered by Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)

OOW and Chief Mate candidates are required to pass a written examination in addition to an oral examination. Written exams are typically conducted three times in a year.

Written examination has to be sat at an approved SQA centre in the United Kingdom and consists of below two subjects:

• Navigation
• Stability

Oral Examinations

All candidates irrespective of what grade they are studying for are required to pass an oral examination which is normally the last step in the process. To be eligible to appear for an oral examination in the UK, a candidate is required to possess a document called as Notice of Eligibility (NoE) which is issued by the MCA after verifying that the minimum stated requirements towards sea service, STCW certification and medical fitness meet the UK standards. NoE application form can be easily downloaded from the MCA website and it is called MSF 4274. The fee for obtaining the NoE is 220£. It usually takes around 14 working days to receive the NoE (provided that everything is in order!!)

The oral examination used to be typically conducted in the MCA examination centres all around the UK. However, since the outset of covid, the oral exams have been shifted online and can be taken from any part of the world as long as a steady internet connection is available. The syllabus for the oral examination as per the various grades can be found in the M notice MIN 653 Amendment 1. It generally consists of Navigation, Operations, Safety, Security and Pollution prevention aspects in addition to Colregs, Buoyage and Radar plotting. The exams are conducted one on one with the MCA examiner and generally last for about 1.5 hrs.

Since July 2023, the oral examination structure for OOW candidates has been modified. It now consists of the below two parts:

• Part A: online computer-based proctored examination, and
• Part B: online face-to-face oral examination   

Ancillary courses are as below:(In addition to your basic and advanced STCW courses)

• Efficient Deck Hand (EDH),
• Navigation Aids, Equipment and Simulator Training/NAEST (Operational or Management)
• Human Element Leadership and Management – HELM (Operational or Management)
• GMDSS (GOC)

Conclusion:

The process for obtaining a UK Certificate of Competency is a well structured and systematic one. The UK CoC has a high reputation and is widely recognized in the industry. It can also add to better prospects of getting a shore job later on in your career.

If there are any further questions or clarifications, please do reach out to us and we will be happy to assist you.
All the best with your preparation and we look forward to working with you.