The UK Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) has brought into force a new, alternative pathway to engineering qualifications to help simplify the number and levels of qualifications across the superyacht, and other small commercial vessel, sectors.
As a result the MCA have pulled together a series of pre-existing qualifications for engineering officers leading to certificates of competency (CoC) which are restricted to yachts only, into a single generic qualification called “Engineering Officer Small Vessel Certificate of Competency”. The details for the new pathway are covered within MIN 524.
Warsash Superyacht Academy, part of Southampton Solent University, announces at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show of their plans to phase in the new “Small Vessel Certificate of Competence” courses over the coming months, with a schedule as follows;
· January 2018 start for Second Engineer (Small Vessels) >9,000kW & 3,000GT
· June 2018 start for Chief Engineer (SV) >3,000kW & 500GT and >9,000kW & 3,000GT
The MCA will allow the current Y4, Y3 and Y2 (Yacht Restricted) courses to continue to run until 1 July 2021 as per MIN 524, however Warsash Superyacht Academy is phasing out Y4 in December 2017, Y3 and Y2 from May 2018.
Chris Patterson, Head of Marine Engineering at the Warsash School of Maritime Science and Engineering, says: “We recognise that the Small Vessel engineering certification is an exciting new development from the MCA. The structure provides a progressive career path for those across several industries, simplifying the number of qualifications required and allowing engineering officers to transfer their job to alternative industries with Small Vessel CoC. We are looking forward to running the new courses from January 2018 at Warsash”.
The Small Vessel (SV) certification is for engineering officers wanting to work on the following vessels up to 9,000kW and 3,000GT; commercial yachts, tugs, large workboats, fishing vessels, stand-by seismic survey vessels, oceanographic research vessels and Government patrol vessels. A CoC gained through this route will be transferable between the above industries.
The Academy also announces at the Monaco Yacht Show their new training partnership with David Store Navigational Management Ltd (DSNM) based in Hampshire, UK, the leading superyacht navigation management provider worldwide. The partnership offers a full range of deck courses including DSNM’s bespoke Bridge Operation Refresher course.
DSNM Managing Director, David Store said, “The partnership with Warsash seemed a natural collaboration as they share our ethos of providing the best service possible. Training is a key element of safety at sea and something we have been approached about hundreds of times over the last 17 years in business. We feel strongly that with our partnership with Warsash, we can offer a bespoke level of training to our clients worldwide that no other company currently offers.”
Where to find WSA at the Monaco Yacht Show
- In the SYUK Pavilion at Darse Sud QS103, Monaco Yacht Show
For additional information at the show, please contact Suzanne Galloway, Marketing Officer suzanne.galloway@solent.ac.uk, +44(0)7500 066906 or at MYS stand QS103
