AMSA Marine Notice 02/2013
AMSA has issued Marine Notice regarding the Validity and Revalidation of Certificates. The purpose of this Marine Notice is to draw the attention of ship operators, masters, officers, ratings and marine pilots to changes to the validity and revalidation of Certificates of Competency, Certificates of Proficiency as Rating and Certificates of Safety Training that are required by the Manila amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (STCW).
Changes to STCW introduced by the 2010 Manila amendments, require seafarers to complete additional requirements to maintain the validity of their Certificates of Competency, Certificates of Proficiency as Rating and Certificates of Safety Training beyond 31 December 2016. If the holder of one of these certificates does not take action to revalidate their certificate as outlined in this Marine Notice, it will not be valid after 31 December 2016 and therefore cannot be used after this date to serve on a vessel.
This means that all certificates, including those issued in perpetuity, if not revalidated, will expire on 1 January 2017. It should also be noted that all certificate holders will be required to satisfy revalidation requirements every five (5) years, to maintain the validity of their certificate.
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Source: AMSA