Operator Seminar has now been confirmed and will be held on September 18 and 19 in Wellington. Registration details can be found on the MTA website or by contacting us directly on info@marinetransport.co.nz. This highly successful forum is open to anyone in the marine industry and will include a session with senior Maritime NZ officials. Attendees will have the ability to discuss MOSS and the new qualifications rules with them directly. The agenda will also include a discussion on accident investigations, some guidance on crew training and we hope to include an update on the Maritime NZ Code of Practice for swimming with marine mammals. As always, it promises to offer an excellent opportunity to network with fellow operators and members of the marine community. The event will kick off on the evening of September 18 with a cocktail function at the Maritime Museum to celebrate World Maritime Day.
In the meantime, the qualifications review has been enjoying some attention within the industry, as the QOL teams work toward meeting their deadline to produce a new draft rule by October/November this year. Other rules impacted by the overall review of qualifications are Part 20 (Operating Limits) and the 31 series rules covering manning levels.
If you are anything like me, you may have been utterly confused about the various numbers of licenses, qualifications
Key developments in the review include a new ticket to replace the LLO and ILM.
and acronyms described in the new QOL framework. When it comes to understanding the difference between licences and qualifications, you really need to be close to this side of the industry to grasp what is actually taking place with this review. In a nutshell, maritime licences are issued by Maritime NZ and may not necessarily be qualifications. Qualifications are achieved through sitting NZQA papers through approved Maritime Schools/Organisations. To date I have been impressed by the work done by both Maritime NZ and Competenz, particularly with regard to developing a new ticket for skippers operating in Restricted Limits. Key developments in the review include a new ticket to replace the LLO and ILM called Master Restricted Limit (MRL). At this stage, this new ticket will be split into, under 12m, and under 24m modules, with work still underway for the next level up, being proposed as over 500 gross tonne. Currently, similar tickets such as the LLO and ILM can only be achieved through attending a three or four week course at one of the maritime schools. However, in the future the MRL under 12m skipper application may be assessed using a taskbook onboard a vessel and signed off by an approved peer or assessor (another Master) with seatime criteria being 100 hours. The under 24m licence will enable a similar taskbook option to be completed onboard but with a 1000 hour seatime requirement. We have yet to see an impact statement for these rules and in particular, the transition and costs associated with any outcomes from the review. These are crucial issues, as it seems prices are set to escalate at every level within our industry in the near future. Finally, the new MTA website is now up and running. Check out the new members benefits and log in to register for the Vessel Operator Seminar in September on www.marinetransport.co.nz.
September/October 2012 Professional Skipper 59
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VIP.S89
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