Certificate framework
Governing: Merchant Shipping (Training, Certification and Safe Manning) Regulations 2021, regs 2(4), 2(11), 3, 43, 44. Cross-refer: GMDSS SRC/ROC/GOC.
Two authorities, two jobs
| Authority | What it does for you |
|---|---|
| SAMSA | Examines and certifies operators: SRC, LRC, GMDSS GOC and radio electronic certificates. Accredits the schools that train you. |
| ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa) | Licenses the station — the radio installation on the boat — and assigns the MMSI and call sign. |
You need both: a certificated operator using a licensed station. SAMSA's website publishes the forms: QMS-OF-1008.3 for application and issue of the SRC and LRC, QMS-OF-1008.1 for a GMDSS certificate and initial STCW endorsement, and QMS-OF-1008.2 for revalidation of a GMDSS certificate's STCW endorsement.
The ladder
The 2021 Regulations list the radio operator certificates in regulation 2(4):
| Certificate | Scope | Minimum age | STCW? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GMDSS first-class radio electronic | GMDSS operation and maintenance | 18 | Yes |
| GMDSS second-class radio electronic | GMDSS operation and maintenance | 18 | Yes |
| GMDSS general operator's certificate (GOC) | Radiocommunication, operational level (STCW IV/2) | 18 | Yes |
| Long range certificate (LRC) | Non-GMDSS ships; VHF, MF/HF, satellite | 16 | No |
| Short range certificate (SRC) | Non-GMDSS ships; VHF with DSC | 16 | No |
Regulation 43 covers persons on ships that must take part in the GMDSS. Regulation 44 covers ships not required to comply with SOLAS Chapter IV GMDSS provisions — which includes nearly all small vessels and many yachts under 300 GT. Regulation 2(11)(d) makes the point expressly: long and short range certificates are not issued or endorsed in accordance with STCW.
Training standards
SAMSA's Training Standards Code has a standard for each: STA-04-101 GMDSS radio operators (against STCW Code A-IV/2), STA-04-102 Short range certificate and STA-04-103 Long range certificate. Training is delivered by SAMSA-accredited schools, which issue course certificates on SAMSA's template for radio courses; SAMSA then issues the certificate itself.
Accredited SA schools describe the SRC course as about two days, ending with a practical and written assessment followed by the SAMSA exam process. Training providers also state that the SRC replaced the Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's Certificate, the old voice-only ticket that many older skippers still carry.
Validity
Regulation 3 requires certificates of competency to be revalidated at intervals of five years, but regulation 3(3)(a) excepts the certificates in regulation 2(4)(d) — the LRC and SRC. Read literally, the SRC and LRC do not need revalidation. The GMDSS GOC does: its STCW endorsement is revalidated on SAMSA's form QMS-OF-1008.2.
CAUTION — 'Radio licence' is ambiguous Skippers say "radio licence" for both the ICASA station licence and the SAMSA operator certificate. Inspectors and yacht captains will not. Use the right name.
TIP — Which first? Do the SAMSA SRC first. ICASA wants your operator certificate number on the station application, and you cannot get an MMSI programmed without it (Lesson 2.1).