OOW UK COC

Introduction:

 Officer of the Watch (OOW) is a position of an officer sailing on merchant vessels who bears the responsibility of watchkeeping, navigation, communication, log-keeping and Emergency responses. In-order to apply for OOW  Role there are various Eligibility criteria that need to be fulfilled, in addition to all the required certifications and the courses. This blog covers all the essential information needed for the aspiring “Officer of the Watch (OOW)” candidates.       

The pathway to becoming an officer of the watch involves clearing an OOW Examination. The exam enables seafarers to achieve STCW Officer of the Watch (OOW) certificate by the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) written examination route and oral exams by MCA.

You could become a OOW license holder if you are sailing as a deck rating or if you have sailed as deck cadet. However, the qualification criteria for both is  same. Hence, students need to complete a minimum of 36 months sea service including 6 months of watch-keeping  sea service on merchant ships before they can appear for OOW exams in UK. However, a good knowledge of Math and Science is considered essential to clear the written OOW examination in UK.

 To obtain a UK Certificate of Competency (COC), one must meet the eligibility requirements which also involves 36 months of sea-service. After becoming eligible and applying for the Certificate of Competency (COC), the individual must attend an 8-month program in the UK that incorporates both training and examinations.

*Prior academic qualification for example - Class XII Science, Class X, Diploma in Nautical Science (DNS) and BSc Nautical Science, pre-sea courses from India are not approved by the MCA, UK. Hence, one needs to do a complete 36 months sea time before applying for OOW COC

Eligibility for OOW UK COC:

• The minimum age requirement is 19yrs
• Application form as required by the university. For details connect with us on education@seaandbeyond.com
• Passport (1st page + address page)
• CDC (1st page +sea service stamped pages)
• Minimum 36 months of sea service (If sailing done with different shipping Companies then there is need to take sea-time letter from all the companies to obtain a total sea-time of at least 36 months)
• 6 months of bridge watch-keeping certificate from the Master/ the company (with mention 8 hours of bridge watch-keeping duties every day)
• Qualification to UKVI English Language Test
• Notice of Eligibility (NoE) by the MCA.
• Medical fitness certificate recognized by MCA 

 OOW UK COC Courses & Certification:

Besides the above requirements, candidates must have successfully completed the following UK COC OOW courses and obtain their following certificates before the Certificate of competency (COC) can be issued by the MCA.

The MCA, UK approved STCW advanced courses (AFF+MFA+PSC&RB) are now being done in Mumbai and details can be checked here

 The UK COC courses include:

• GMDSS General Operators Certificate
• STCW Advanced Fire Fighting (AFF)
• STCW Medical First Aid Onboard Ship (MFA)
• Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Craft (PSC&RB)

Note: UK COC Short courses must be completed before MCA Oral Exam

The program  OOW UK COC also consists of the following three short courses and MCA signals which will be included in course during training:

• Efficient Deck Hand (EDH) – A steering Certificate is also required to hold this qualification
• Navigation Aids and Equipment Simulator Training (NAEST) Operations.  This course includes an MCA approved ECDIS Course.
• HELM (Operational)

OOW UK COC Course Fees: £8350 Approx. (It is approx. and may vary)

Course Dates: The program runs on a tri-annual basis, with batches starting in January, April, September.

Course Duration: 8 months (Offline in UK)

OOW UK COC COURSE CONTENT:

• Celestial Navigation
• Navigational Mathematics & Science
• Ship Construction
• Emergency Response & Communication
• Marine Law & Management
• Meteorology
• Chartwork & Tides
• Ship Stability
• Cargo Operations
• Bridge Watchkeeping
• Nautical Science Graded Unit 1

Conclusion:

 Once all these necessary requirements are met, the candidate becomes eligible for officer of the watch (OOW) license. Overall it takes approx.11 months for a person to receive UK COC. If you are interested in applying for the officer of the watch (OOW) and if you desire a seamless experience with all the services conveniently accessible in one place, check this out or write to us on education@seaandbeyond.com or

 call/whatsapp on +91 8928896420 or +91 9326970603

Note-- Sea and Beyond does not charge anything from any candidate for any of these services.