Certificates of Equivalent Competency (CECs): Fishing Vessels. Proposed Merchant Shipping Notice (MSN)
Consultation from Wednesday 20 January 2010 to Wednesday 14 April 2010
(12 weeks)
Circulation
The MCA has produced a draft MSN stating the current policy about the use of CECs on UK Flagged Fishing vessels. It will replace MGN 220 (F) and the information for Fishermen contained in MIN 340 (M+F) and provides information about eligibility and how to apply.
To view a copy of the MSN please Click Here. (PDF 139KB)
To view a copy of the consultation list please Click Here (PDF 32.4KB)
To view the consultation responses please Click Here (PDF 20.6KB)
What is the Consultation about?
The proposed MSN relates to the certification of officers serving on fishing vessels as outlined in the Fishing Vessels (Certification of Deck Officers and Engineer Officers) Regulations 1984/1115, as amended by 1995/1428 and 1998/1013 and is consistent with EC Directives 89/48/EEC, 92/51/EEC (as amended by 2001/19/EC), 2003/103/EC (as implemented by SI 2006/89) and Decision 2004/108EC
The new guidance clarifies the MCA’s policy concerning the need for an Officer holding a non UK Certificate of Competence (CoC)to hold a CEC and that it is the responsibility of Owners and Operators to ensure that at least one person on board every fishing vessel is competent in English language to the required standard.
Key Points.
• To serve as an officer on board a UK-registered fishing vessel you must have a CEC issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) unless you hold a UK Certificate of Competency (CoC).
• To be eligible for a Fishing CEC you must hold a Fishing CoC accepted by the MCA.
• To be eligible for a Fishing CEC you are not required to provide evidence of knowledge of English language. However it is the responsibility of the owners and operators to ensure that at least one person on board every fishing vessel is competent in English language to the specified standard.
• All Skippers must hold UK Legal and Administrative Processes (UKLAP) Grade I before a full Fishing CEC is issued.
• The owners and operators are responsible for ensuring that Second Hands and Engineers have knowledge of UKLAP to enable efficient ship operation as detailed in the UKLAP Grade 2 syllabus.
• Application forms for CECs are available to download from the MCA website. Only original signed copies are accepted.
• Applicants for Fishing CECs must submit a completed application form, two passport approved photographs, an accepted non-UK Fishing CoC, a passport or discharge book and the current fee.
How to respond
The consultation period began on 20 January 2010 and will run until 14 April 2010 (12 weeks).
We would welcome an early response if possible. However all responses must be received by the deadline of 14 April 2010.
Please tell us your views on the issues which affect you or which you wish to comment on.
Please quote the paragraph numbers from this document when commenting about any of the proposals.
If you would like further copies of this consultation document it can be found at
www.mcga.gov.uk under ‘Current Consultations’. Or you can email cec@mcga.gov.uk
Please send consultation responses to:
CEC Fishing MSM Consultation
Seafarer Training and Certification Branch
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Bay 1/21 Spring Place
105 Commercial Road
Southampton
SO15 1EG
Fax: 0044 (0)2380 329252
Email: cec@mcga.gov.uk
Please tell us:
Are you responding as an individual or representing the views of an organisation or business?
If the response is on behalf of others then:
• what type and size of organisation or business it is?
• who do you represent?
• how were the views gathered?
• what type of operations are the organisation’s members or the company with?
Are you a company or a sole operator and if employing others then how many?
We would also appreciate specific comments on the potential costs or benefits of the proposals.
A list of those consulted is available. If you know of others who may wish to be included in this consultation please forward copies of the document to them. You may be our only contact in your organisation so please ensure that the consultation is circulated to the relevant people.
Information provided in response to this consultation, including personal information, may be published or disclosed in accordance with the access to information regimes (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004).
If you want the information that you provide to be treated as confidential, please be aware that, under the FOIA, there is a statutory Code of Practice with which public authorities must comply and which deals, amongst other things, with obligations of confidence. In view of this it would be helpful if you could explain to us why you regard the information you have provided as confidential. If we receive a request for disclosure of the information we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the Department.
All responses, including those given in confidence, will be included in any overall statistical summary of responses.
The Department will process your personal data in accordance with the DPA and in the majority of circumstances this will mean that your personal data will not be disclosed to third parties.
If your address details require any amendment or if you do not wish to be consulted in future please let us know.