Do you want to be a captain? Go ahead!

By Order of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation No. 378 dated November 08, 2021 «On approval of the Regulations on certification of crewmembers of sea vessels», the restriction on the mandatory  higher education for seafarers who want to work as officers is removed. According to the Seafarers Union of Russia, the new version of the Regulation now complies with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification Watchkeeping for Seafarers and the Maritime Labor Convention. In the interests of the Russian seafarers, the SUR has been seeking the lifting of the restriction for the past 10 years. Recall that when developing the Provisions, the SUR pointed out specific flaws in the text of the document, objected to some of the projected standards, but officials from the transport department did not pay attention to the fundamental remarks of the trade union. Among others the union asked for the removal of the requirement of compulsory higher education for seafarers who want to hold command positions on ships. At the discussion stage, the SUR achieved only a partial abolition of this restriction so cadets who entered college before July 1, 2013 were allowed to hold the positions of Captains, Ch. Mates and Ch. Engineers. After the specified date, graduates of nautical colleges could become Captains, Ch. Mates and Ch. Engineers only if they had a degree qualified. In general, the opinion of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation on this issue was that higher educations will allow getting deeper knowledge. The amendments to the Regulation were due to the need to implement the requirements of the Polar Code and the International Safety Code for Ships Using Gases or Other Fuels with a Low Flash Point (MGT Code), and with a gradual transition to electronic document management. The latter was also reflected in the new version of the Regulation. Besides there is no longer a need for a certificate of sailing as all information will be taken from the seaman’s book and other supporting documents. The SUR notes that this will undoubtedly make life easier for seafarers, since it will eliminate the human factor and bureaucracy. As for the lifting of the restriction on the mandatory higher education, the Seafarers Union of Russia is convinced that this will increase the competitiveness of Russian sailors in the world merchant fleet, and after the entry into force of the Regulations on Certification of crewmembers of ships, a career at sea will depend only on them, namely on their desire for professional growth, work experience and competence. The SUR has always maintained the position that secondary maritime education in our country is of high quality and Russian seafarers have been proving this for decades. It remains to add that the amended document was registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on November 30, 2021, will enter into force on March 1, 2022 and will be valid for six years, until March 1, 2028.