Quick Checklist: Applying for your OOW NOE/Booking Form
By: Fred Wilson (but mainly Emma Wilson)
You are now ready to send off for your NOE - YAY!
NOTE:
This is a quick checklist to make sure you have not forgotten anything.
You don’t want any delays!
LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING…
Don’t be lazy, READ MSN 1858, Amendment 1 - Training & Certification Guidance: Uk Requirements for Deck Officers on Large Yachts (24m and over) to get an overview.
THEN...
❶ PRINT, READ, FILL OUT AND SCAN FORM MSF 4343 - Application for an oral examination
I have filled out an example for you HERE - please don’t copy my bad sense of ginger humour 👨🏻🦰though.
Please read this thoroughly before filling out the form, including the guidance notes.
Common mistakes are:
Not writing in BLOCK LETTERS
Your signature not fitting within the signature box
❷ ARE YOU OVER 19 YEARS OLD?
Yes or no.
❸ CHECK YOU HAVE ENOUGH SEA TIME
Since the age of 16, have obtained a minimum of 36 months’ onboard yacht service. This must include at least 365 days seagoing service on vessels of 15 metres or over in load line length, made up of:
A minimum of 250 days’ seagoing service and
115 days of any combination of the following:
⚬ Seagoing service;
⚬ Stand-by service - A maximum of 14 consecutive days may be counted at one time, but on no occasion may a period of standby service exceed that of the previous voyage;
⚬ Yard service - up to a maximum of 90 days continuously or in separate periods;
(For more detailed information, see “Sea Service & Days at Sea”)
❹ CERTIFICATES
RYA Yachtmaster or an IYT Master of Yachts Limited certificate.
Efficient Deck Hand (EDH) certificate - this certificate must have been issued at least 18 months before the issue of your COC, so do this course first.
STCW - Personal Survival Techniques, Fire prevention and fire fighting, Elementary first aid, Personal safety and social responsibility.
Proficiency in Survival Craft and rescue boats PSC&RB.
ECDIS.
Efficient Deck Hand (EDH).
GMDSS.
Helm Operational.
Navigation and Radar.
General Ship Knowledge.
❺ TRAINING RECORD LOG BOOK
For more information, see my blog “How to fill in your training record log book”
Just remember for your online oral exam - Min 690 “you must retain scanned copies of the overview signature pages from the TRB as these may be required during the online oral examination”
Send ORIGINAL TRB to:
UK Seafarer Services (Training & Certification)
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Spring Place
105 Commercial Road
Southampton SO15 1EG UK
* Please send it via recorded post, and have copies of everything - can you imagine if you lost it!
❻ ENG1 (or equivalent)
Must be valid when applying for your COC.
You can still sit your exam if it’s expired.
❼ COPY OF PASSPORT
Attested copy - Captain can do it with a ship’s stamp.
❽ PYA OR NAUTILUS SERVICE RECORD BOOK
❾ TWO PASSPORT PHOTOGRAPHS
UK-approved passport photos with “I confirm that this is a true current likeness of (your name)” and their usual signature and date.
Remember to get them to fill out the counter signature section within MSF 4343 form.
❿ PAYMENT
You must ensure you pay the appropriate fee online.
https://products.payments.service.gov.uk/pay/881210580ed146b2922c852ffccacf91
⓫ SCAN ALL YOUR SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO: deck@mcga.gov.uk
Don’t they need to be your original documents?
Recent Change (13/11/24)
The MCA now accepts scanned copies of all documents for NOE and COC applications, including first-time COC applications. While this hasn’t been officially amended on the application form (MSF4343), the MCA has confirmed this change to us directly.
HOWEVER! Please note that your original TRB should still be couriered to:
UK Seafarer Services (Training & Certification)
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Spring Place
105 Commercial Road
Southampton SO15 1EG UK
Please see the correspondence below:
Be aware of the new Style Certificates for UK Seafarers and those working on UK ships Min 655 (it has expired, but they still refer to it)
Do I need to send everything in for my NOE to be issued?
“Unless otherwise stated the documents listed in 4B to 4E are not required for the issue of your NOE, however, you can provide it at this stage. These documents must be received by the MCA prior to the issue of your COC”
In other words, you don’t need the documents below to apply for your NOE/booking link.
Proficiency in Survival Craft and rescue boats PSC&RB
Nav & Radar
ECDIS
General Ships Knowledge
EDH
HELM
GMDSS
This used to be helpful in the days when it could take up to 3 months to receive your NOE, but now that Nautilus/PYA check seatime and TRB’s it’s now relatively quick.
One small catch - Min 690 states that - “If a candidate is applying for their third attempt NOE, or any subsequent attempts, an NOE will not be issued until the MCA has received all the documentary evidence confirming that the candidate has met the required standard for the issue of the CoC”
Basically, if you have failed twice before, you will now have to have completed EVERYTHING, because obviously you need all the help you can get! -That never happens if you study with me though 😉
