Mate Class 4, Deck Marine Certificate of Competency
- What your certificate will qualify you for
- Sea service
- The paperwork and payment
- Training
- What you need to provide to revalidate
To be eligible for this Certificate of Competency you must be at least 18 years old.
Your Certificate of Competency will expire after 5 years. It is up to you to revalidate it.
What your Certificate of Competency will qualify you to act
- to act as Chief Mate on trading vessels less than 80 metres in length for offshore waters, within 200 nautical miles of the coast
- or act as watchkeeper on a trading or fishing vessel less than:
-
- 35 metres in length for unlimited domestic operations
- 80 metres in length for Australian Coastal and Middle Waters within 600 nautical miles
- 100 metres in length (less than 3000GT) for offshore operations within 200 nautical miles
- The only time a Mate Class 4 can be Master of a vessel is if the Master of the vessel is unable to perform his or her duties.
Sea Service
You need 36 months (720 days ) qualifying sea service which must be on vessels greater than 15 metres and include:
- At least 12 months (240 days) sea service within the past 5 years.
- At least 30 months (600 days) sea service on a commercial vessel.
- At least 50% beyond sheltered water limits
You need to provide us with evidence of this sea service, which can be in the form of one of the following:
- A Record of Service book signed by the Master Owner or Agent of the vessel (Record of Service books lodged without a supporting Testimonial will not be considered for watch keeping service).
- A testimonial from the Master or owner of the vessel(s) on which the service took place (if possible on company letterhead). This testimonial should clearly indicate the name and registration number of the vessel, rank/duties on board, dates of commencement and completion of service. Any gaps (e.g. sick or annual leave) should be indicated.
- A Statutory Declaration with all the above details.
The paperwork and payment
If this is the first time that you are applying for a Certificate of Competency you will need to complete the forms listed on the forms page.
You can pay on line, in person or you can mail your payment, if paying by mail please do not send cash.
Training
To obtain this Certificate of Competency you need to undertake a training course or provide evidence of training. You will need to contact the training provider to obtain course details. Remember that passing a training course is only part of the process.
Before we issue you with a Certificate of Competency you will need to do the following training and provide us with evidence of the following. These are normally part of your course but can be undertaken separately:
- Certificate in Elements of Shipboard Safety or Occupational Health and Safety at Sea.
- Current Senior First Aid Certificate. We will not accept expired certificates.
- Basic Radar.
- Marine Radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency or equivalent.
What you need to provide to revalidate:
Certificates of Competency are issued for 5 years and can be revalidated at any time in the 12 months before it expires or at any time after it has expired.
You need pay the appropriate fee, and complete the forms listed on the forms page.
In order to revalidate you will also need to provide sea service, go to the revalidation page for details.
