Entry & progression
Governing: 46 CFR 11.302 (officers); 12.602 (ratings); 15.1105; NMC checklist MCP-FM-NMC5-241 (02), 18 Aug 2022. Builds on: L1.2. Content: MCA Basic Safety Training in the xplor library.
What Basic Training is
11.302(a) and 12.602(a) require evidence of meeting the STCW standard in four elements:
| Element | STCW Code table |
|---|---|
| Personal survival techniques | A-VI/1-1 |
| Fire prevention and firefighting | A-VI/1-2 |
| Elementary first aid | A-VI/1-3 |
| Personal safety and social responsibilities | A-VI/1-4 |
For an original endorsement the NMC checklist expects Coast Guard-approved courses in all four elements, completed within the last 5 years.
The five-year rule
11.302(b): “Every 5 years seafarers … must provide evidence of maintaining the standard of competence for BT.” 12.602(b) says the same for ratings, and 15.1105(c)(2) makes it a condition of holding a muster-list duty on an STCW vessel.
What sea time covers, and what it does not
11.302(c) accepts “onboard training and experience, through evidence of 1 year of sea service within the last 5 years” for:
- donning a lifejacket; boarding survival craft; initial actions in a lifeboat; streaming a drogue; operating survival craft equipment and location devices;
- using SCBA; a rescue in a smoke-filled space with a smoke generator and breathing apparatus;
- elementary first aid; personal safety and social responsibilities.
11.302(d) accepts only approved shore assessments for:
- donning and using an immersion suit; jumping safely from a height; righting an inverted liferaft; swimming in a lifejacket; staying afloat without one;
- portable extinguishers; small fires; extensive fires with jets and sprays; foam and powder; smoke-filled enclosed spaces with SCBA; water fog in a fire-and-smoke room; oil fires with fog, powder or foam.
WARNING – Sea time is half the answer A year on deck does not revalidate BT on its own. It excuses the onboard items. You still need a shore course for the pool and the fire ground.
The NMC checklist routes
| Route | Evidence (within 5 years) |
|---|---|
| A – sea service | 360 days in any capacity on a vessel required to hold regular fire, emergency and abandon-ship drills, plus a BT revalidation course (or firefighting and survival courses) |
| B – no sea service | A CG-approved BT refresher course, or valid courses in all four elements |
11.302(e): without the year in five, meet the original requirements again or complete approved or accepted refresher training.
Security endorsements are separate
The NMC STCW FAQ: “BT is not required for Security Awareness (SA) or Vessel Personnel with Designated security Duties (VPDSD).” See Lesson 3.1.
The yacht angle
- Drills count. The checklist wording is “a vessel that is required to hold regular fire, emergency, and abandon ship drills”. Commercially operated yachts should qualify. Keep drill records in the log and get the yacht’s sea service letter to state the drills.
- Record days, not months. 360 days is the checklist figure. A seasonal crew member may need two seasons.
- Private yacht time. Sea service on yachts and foreign-flag vessels is creditable subject to Coast Guard evaluation (10.232). Covered in USCG Engineering: Sea Service, Manning and the Yacht.
CAUTION – MCA BST refresher An MCA-approved STCW refresher is proof for your MCA certificate. For the US endorsement, use a Coast Guard-approved revalidation course unless the NMC confirms otherwise (Lesson 1.3).
TIP – Book the revalidation before the fifth anniversary Once BT lapses you cannot hold a muster-list duty on an STCW vessel (15.1105(c)). Build a margin of at least 3 months.