Welcome to issue #1 of the Bluewater Buzz
Written specifically for crew, discussing the important points raised by the various superyacht associations on important training issues.
If you would like to hear more about specific topics please email us to
thebuzz@bluewateryachting.com
The Large Yacht Qualification Panel
The LYQP have been meeting annually for over 15 years, and this year was an exceptionally well attended event.
It has become a very important forum for the MCA to consult with our industry before making any changes to the rules and for us to make representations to them. Three associations were present: the PYA, MYBA and IAMI (International Association of Maritime Institutions – all the yacht and merchant navy colleges are members, they run the yacht deck exams).
This year there was a very large turnout for the LYQP; all of the yacht training providers were joined by representatives from yacht management companies for the first time. No less than 7 representatives from the MCA were also in the room – a record!
MCA Courses Too Tough?
The MCA raised a concern that the failure rate on orals for the Master 200 GT seemed high and questioned whether training should be enhanced.
Candidates seemed to have particularly poor knowledge of radar and navaids, amongst other things.
They asked the question as to whether a new in-class or online course, or at least a new written exam, should be put in place before the oral for this CoC (not the others).
Various options were discussed and this, again, will be further considered by the associations.
What are your thoughts on this?
Did you feel the training requirements you followed were enough for you to complete the course?
Email us with your comments and experiences to
thebuzz@bluewateryachting.com
MCA New Examiners
Captain Roger Towner, Chief Examiner, has now left the
MCA to work as a maritime consultant. A reorganisation is now in full swing which includes a major initiative to recruit examiners.
Harry Deans, the acting Head of Seafarer’s Training and Certification, along with Captain Ajit Jacobs, the new acting Chief Examiner, were both present at the LYQP and explained that they hope to have eight examiners at the headquarters in Southampton by the end of the year.
Anyone who has found difficulty in getting an oral exam slot should find the situation improving very soon.
Yacht Helideck Training
One of the management companies expressed the view that some more training was needed for yachts operating with helicopters.
What are your thoughts on this?
It will be discussed by the associations. Talk to
MYBA or the
PYA if you have any views.
Or feel free to email us directly with your comments and we will be happy to pass them on:
thebuzz@bluewateryachting.com
Peripatetic Training
The MCA has recently restricted the range of courses that can be delivered at multiple locations without a specific approval, for example on-board your yacht, aside from a few exceptions; Crisis Management & Human Behaviour, Crowd Control, the security courses and the medical courses are still allowed.
A case was made that the Advanced Fire and Survival
Refreshers should also be included, since, with a self-declaration, they are short theory courses which can be actually better delivered aboard since the theory can be reinforced with a whole ship exercise.
This was not accepted for the time being but the case is still being made!
GDPR presented by the MCA panic-free
There was a presentation from the MCA’s IT department on the implementation of GDPR (the EU’s General Data Protection Rules). This was possibly one of the clearest and simplest presentations on the subject that I have seen, devoid of any panic-inducing quotes and soundbites!
I have asked Harry Deans for a copy of the presentation, I will then make this available through the associations. In the short term you may notice that your passport number and nationality will no longer be appearing on course completion certificates. More detailed guidance about this will follow. In the meantime, don’t panic!
PDSD and PSA Problems
One of the management companies reported that they were having problems with Port State Control inspectors asking for PSA certificates as well as PDSD certificates, which obviously is not needed.
Nevertheless, we agree that in future we will print both STCW references on the PDSD certificate.
Keep in touch
Thank you for reading our first edition of The Buzz, this industry newsletter for Crew and Training will provide regular updates and hot topics. If you would like to provide any comments, or suggest topics, please get in touch with us.
