Frequently Asked Questions

STCW stands for Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping and these standards were created by the International Maritime Organization to ensure that seafarers worldwide were being trained under the same standards. 

Some countries have different standards for seafarers that only work or trade in their domestic waters. When someone says you “need STCW” it is not referring to one specific course, but refers to the standards required for you to work on vessels operating internationally. Depending on what license you are seeking to obtain, where you are working, and what size vessel, you will be required to obtain any number of courses. 

Most of NEMO°’s maritime training courses are part of the STCW standards. Some of the courses, such as those that are part of the United States domestic licensing program, are not STCW. You must determine whether or not you need STCW based on the license and/or job you are looking for. We highly recommend checking with the Administration you want a license from before purchasing any courses. For example, US citizens looking for a USCG license should check with the National Maritime Center “NMC” or use our Career Checklists. 

Lastly, it is important to make sure that the course is “Approved” by the Administration of the Country you are seeking a license from. 

Courses meeting certain standards such as STCW must be approved by the Administration of a Country in order for those courses to be used towards an original license. Each NEMO° course has an “Approval” tab showing which countries approve that course for use towards a license. 

Some courses are approved by multiple countries and we are working to get more countries to approve NEMO° for use towards their national licenses. 

Visit the “Careers” tab for information regarding the licensing process. Our Career Tracks are designed to help you figure out what license you should pursue and what the requirements are to obtain that license. 

Click the “Careers” tab in the main menu bar and click “Career Resources” to learn more.

US Coast Guard licenses are available for US citizens.

At Northeast Maritime Institute, we provide services to help you achieve your USCG goals.  All merchant mariners that need assistance in their license and credential application processes are assisted at no charge, regardless of whether they are a NMI student or not.  A lot of these processes have an extended wait time and we want to make sure your applications are done correctly for little to no aggravation.  Simply stated, do not pay anyone for application assistance even if you have an unusual circumstance. Northeast Maritime Institute can provide information for drug testing and physical exams. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding your application process. 

Disclaimer: ***NMI does not provide formal advice regarding USCG license eligibility and cannot guarantee an individual’s eligibility for any specific license or credential.  NMI accepts no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or validity of general information provided. Information is provided purely as a courtesy, convenience and without cost.  Individuals seeking confirmation of eligibility for any specific USCG license or credential must contact the USCG directly for an evaluation.

Click the “Careers” tab in the main menu bar and click “Career Resources” to learn more. 

Obtain an internationally recognized STCW license from the Commonwealth of Dominica Maritime Administration. These licenses are available to US and non-US citizens looking to work on non-US flagged vessels. 

Sea time or “sea service” means service on board a ship relevant to the issue or revalidation of a
certificate or other qualification. The best way to document sea time is through a Seafarer Log Book. If you have served onboard a vessel, you should have been issued “discharge papers” identifying your time served onboard. Discharge papers can be used to document sea time. 

For USCG Certification:

Documenting your sea service with the USCG is relatively straight-forward. It is important to always keep track of your sea time using a log book. If you are not the Master of your vessel, make sure to have your captain or superior sign your log book to validate your sea service. That way, when you are applying for your license or upgrading, you have your sea time logged and ready to go. 

Observe the following when submitting your application to the National Maritime Center:

For documenting sea time on vessels less than 200 Gross Tons, use this form here.

• Remember that you must complete a separate Small Vessel Sea Service Form for each vessel you served aboard.
• If you are the owner of a vessel on which you are claiming service, you must also submit proof of ownership for that vessel. Acceptable proof of ownership may include: 1. Title 2. Registration (state registered vessels) 3. Certificate of Documentation (U.S. Coast Guard registered vessels) 4. Proof of insurance (which clearly identifies the vessel) 5. Bill(s) of sale. 
• If you are signing as the owner of a corporation that owns the vessel, you must include a copy of proof of ownership of the company, such as a copy of the articles of incorporation. (See 46 CFR 10.232.)
• Photographs or imagery of vessels are not acceptable as proof of ownership. 
• If you are not the owner of the vessel, someone with knowledge of your service must attest to its accuracy and validity in the proper location on the form by signing it and completing the associated required information.

For documenting sea time on vessels more than 200 Gross Tons, you will typically be issued discharge papers or documentation by the Master of your vessel. The following qualifies.

• Certificates of discharge
• Letters on official letterhead indicating the vessel details, dates of service, waters of
  service, and position(s) served in
• Other official documents such as service logs or discharge books from marine
  companies.

Those unfamiliar with the process of documenting sea service might ask the following questions:

What counts as sea service?

• Sea service is a measure of a mariner’s lifetime experience on boats, whether recreational,
  commercial, or military. It may be counted from the day a mariner turns age 16 and
  accumulates over his or her lifetime.
• A day of sea service is any day that a mariner served upon a vessel in an assigned position in
  either the deck or engineering department of a vessel (not a passenger). The position may
  include duties such as: handling lines, being a lookout, steering the boat, and other
  navigational or propulsion functions.
• Sea service never expires and may be reused when applying for new endorsements. It is the
  mariner’s responsibility to keep copies of all sea service records.

What counts as a “day”?

• A “day,” as defined by the regulations, is 8 hours of watch-standing or day-working, not to
  include overtime.
• Only on vessels of less than 100 gross registered tons (GRT): Credit for a full day
  will only be given for service of 4 hours or more (See 46 CFR 10.107, definition of “Day”).
  No credit will ever be given for days in which less than 4 hours were served.
• For the purposes of defining sea service requirements, the Coast Guard considers 1 month
  as 30 days, and 1 year as 12 months (or 360 days).

When can I claim time-and-a-half credit?

• For most vessels, no additional credit may be received for periods served over 8 hours.
  However, on vessels authorized by 46 U.S.C. 8104, 46 CFR 15.705, and the vessel’s manning
  requirements to operate a two-watch system, a 12-hour working day may in some cases
  be creditable as 1 1/2 days of service.
• If you work on a vessel operating with a Coast Guard authorized six-on-six-off watch system
  with only two watch standing officers (i.e., certain crew boats, supply boats, towboats and
  some commercial fishing boats), you may claim 1 1/2 days for each 12-hour day worked.
• For more information on this topic, please see 12 Hour Day / Time-and-a-Half Credit

For International Certification:

Sea time or “sea service” means service on board a ship relevant to the issue or revalidation of a
certificate or other qualification. The best way to document sea time is through a Seafarer Log Book. If you have served onboard a vessel, you should have been issued “discharge papers” identifying your time served onboard. Discharge papers can be used to document sea time. 

Depending on the license you are seeking to obtain, some NEMO courses can be taken in lieu of sea time, reducing the overall amount of sea time needed to obtain your license. 

An “Original” license is the license you receive from a particular country such as the United States. Using this “Original” license, you can seek work on STCW-compliant vessels flagged with other countries. In order to work on another country’s vessel, you must have your “Original” license endorsed by receiving an “Endorsement” from that country. This is essentially a verification that your license is valid and you meet the standards required to work. Not all countries recognize each other’s licenses. 

If you have no experience, we highly recommend applying to the College of Maritime Science for the Nautical Science degree program. This two-year degree provides you with a fast track to employment in the maritime industry and gets you a license much faster than other traditional routes. To learn more, visit www.collegeofmaritimescience.northeastmaritime.com