Posted:
November 12, 2015
American Maritime Officers and STAR Center will soon launch the Great Lakes Open Water Pilotage Program, which is designed to provide U.S. Coast Guard licensed unlimited tonnage deck officers with the necessary training and experience to obtain USCG Great Lakes Open Water First Class Pilotage (FCP) Endorsements for the five Great Lakes Pilotage Regions.
Officers who successfully complete this program will be eligible for jobs available with AMO-contracted companies operating vessels on the Great Lakes, and will have the requisite knowledge and USCG endorsements to be employed as a FCP in the five Great Lakes Pilotage Regions.
Officers enrolled in the program will gain knowledge of and proficiency in the pilotage endorsement requirements for the 'Local Knowledge' and 'Chart Sketch' portions of the USCG pilotage exams. Upon attaining knowledge and proficiency in the required areas, officers will be prepared to sit for the USCG pilotage exams for each of the five Great Lakes regions.
Program Entry standards
Program participants must meet these requirements:
The program is divided into two phases.
Phase One - Sea Service Requirements
In this phase, the officer completes his or her USCG sea service requirements per 46 CFR 11.705 for an original FCP endorsement, including:
Participants are expected to submit a completed USCG 719B application in accordance with the USCG First Class Pilotage Checklist, and be approved to sit for all five Great Lakes regions (or portion thereof) PRIOR to being accepted into Phase Two of the program.
Phase Two - Pilotage Exam Preparation (approximately six weeks)
In this phase, those who have completed the necessary round trips and obtained USCG approval to sit for the exam will be instructed on the requirements to successfully prepare for and complete the 'Local Knowledge' and 'Chart Sketch' sections of the USCG pilotage exam for each of the five Great Lakes regions.
Students will attend STAR Center for the amount of time necessary to successfully complete all five USCG exams. Each of the five Great Lakes regions is expected to take approximately one to two weeks of preparation.
STCW Credit: Per 46 CFR 10.232 (b)(1), service on the Great Lakes will be credited on a day-for-day basis up to 100 percent of the total required service toward a near coastal or oceans STCW endorsement.
Enrollment
Phase One: Those seeking to complete the round trips/sea service required to sit for their Great Lakes pilotage should contact:
Brian Krus
AMO Senior National Assistant Vice President
Mobile: (216) 571-9666
Office: (800) 221-9395 Ext. 6007
Phase Two: Those who are eligible and hold a USCG letter to sit for pilotage exams should contact:
Jerry Pannell
STAR Center Director of Member Training and Officer Development
Office: (800) 445-4522 Ext. 7507
STAR Center should also be contacted if additional information on the program is needed.
Phase Two study preparation is scheduled to begin at STAR Center on January 19, 2016.
AMO and STAR Center to launch Great Lakes Open Water Pilotage Program
American Maritime Officers and STAR Center will soon launch the Great Lakes Open Water Pilotage Program, which is designed to provide U.S. Coast Guard licensed unlimited tonnage deck officers with the necessary training and experience to obtain USCG Great Lakes Open Water First Class Pilotage (FCP) Endorsements for the five Great Lakes Pilotage Regions.
Officers who successfully complete this program will be eligible for jobs available with AMO-contracted companies operating vessels on the Great Lakes, and will have the requisite knowledge and USCG endorsements to be employed as a FCP in the five Great Lakes Pilotage Regions.
Officers enrolled in the program will gain knowledge of and proficiency in the pilotage endorsement requirements for the 'Local Knowledge' and 'Chart Sketch' portions of the USCG pilotage exams. Upon attaining knowledge and proficiency in the required areas, officers will be prepared to sit for the USCG pilotage exams for each of the five Great Lakes regions.
Program Entry standards
Program participants must meet these requirements:
- 46 CFR 11.703 - masters or mates with officer endorsements of more than 1,600 gross registered tons meet the service requirement of this section (round trips still apply).
- Agree to sail on the Great Lakes for an AMO-contracted company in accordance with the terms and conditions of the program's agreement of reimbursement.
The program is divided into two phases.
Phase One - Sea Service Requirements
In this phase, the officer completes his or her USCG sea service requirements per 46 CFR 11.705 for an original FCP endorsement, including:
- Completion of a minimum of 12-round trips properly documented:
- As quartermaster, wheelsman, able seaman, apprentice pilot or equivalent capacity standing regular watches at the wheel or in the pilothouse as part of routine duties over the route sought, AND/OR
- As an observer, properly certified by the master and/or pilot of the vessel, AND
- At least 25 percent of the round trips must be during the hours of darkness, AND
- One of the required round trips must be within six months of date of application
- A total of 12 documented round trips are required for open water pilotage.
- Once 12 round trips are properly documented, an individual can make application to sit for USCG pilotage exams for all five Great Lakes regions.
- A single trip that includes transit on two lakes can be documented as two round trips.
- Trips can be documented using the Great Lakes Trip Verification Book (available from STAR Center or AMO).
Participants are expected to submit a completed USCG 719B application in accordance with the USCG First Class Pilotage Checklist, and be approved to sit for all five Great Lakes regions (or portion thereof) PRIOR to being accepted into Phase Two of the program.
Phase Two - Pilotage Exam Preparation (approximately six weeks)
In this phase, those who have completed the necessary round trips and obtained USCG approval to sit for the exam will be instructed on the requirements to successfully prepare for and complete the 'Local Knowledge' and 'Chart Sketch' sections of the USCG pilotage exam for each of the five Great Lakes regions.
Students will attend STAR Center for the amount of time necessary to successfully complete all five USCG exams. Each of the five Great Lakes regions is expected to take approximately one to two weeks of preparation.
STCW Credit: Per 46 CFR 10.232 (b)(1), service on the Great Lakes will be credited on a day-for-day basis up to 100 percent of the total required service toward a near coastal or oceans STCW endorsement.
Enrollment
Phase One: Those seeking to complete the round trips/sea service required to sit for their Great Lakes pilotage should contact:
Brian Krus
AMO Senior National Assistant Vice President
Mobile: (216) 571-9666
Office: (800) 221-9395 Ext. 6007
Phase Two: Those who are eligible and hold a USCG letter to sit for pilotage exams should contact:
Jerry Pannell
STAR Center Director of Member Training and Officer Development
Office: (800) 445-4522 Ext. 7507
STAR Center should also be contacted if additional information on the program is needed.
Phase Two study preparation is scheduled to begin at STAR Center on January 19, 2016.