January 11, 2008 FLEET / SAFETY LETTER 08093.GEN RE: SEAFARER APPLICATIONS (NB: This document also available in its entirety as a PDF)
January 11, 2008
FLEET / SAFETY LETTER 08093.GEN
RE: SEAFARER APPLICATIONS
For your information, for the years 2006 and 2007 this office processed applications for over 15000 seafarer ID books, licenses and endorsements, with an error rate of less than one half of one percent. In fact we recorded only 63 errors in the 2 year period resulting in an error rate of just 0.41%. This is very low but, admittedly, still not perfect.
Yet, while we strive to reach “perfection” in the documents we issue, we continue to be concerned about the quality of some of the seafarer applications being submitted from the standpoint of completeness.
As you are aware, an application that is missing material will be rejected on receipt and will not be processed until all missing documentation has been provided. Once the missing documentation is finally submitted, the application goes to the end of the queue. This not only extends the overall processing time for the specific document but results in added costs both to you as the shipowner/manager and to us, and reduces the efficiency of the overall operation.
In an attempt to assist you to provide more complete applications the first time without having them rejected, I have provided some guidelines below that you should consider. These guidelines, if followed, will also help to improve the efficiency of the processing operation, reduce the overall processing time of all applications, will save you time and money, and hopefully will also save paper.
• Always include a cover letter identifying the vessel and any special requirements. • Only submit one application per person even for multiple positions or documents, such as “master”, “GOC”, “tanker endorsement”. • Do not use unusual abbreviations or abbreviations which may be misinterpreted: for example, “mm” could mean “motorman” or “messman.” • Tick all appropriate boxes in Section I. • Check personal details in Section II against passports or birth certificates. They must agree. • Staple, glue or paste a color, passport-sized, photo in the space indicated. • Complete in detail Sections III, IV and V. Depending on the situation and circumstances, if an applicant ticks “yes” in Section III for denial of mariner documents, revocation or suspension of any documents, or crimes, he may be time restricted on his Vanuatu document or, in the worst case, may have his application rejected. • We need evidence of 5 years of sea service. No more. Do not submit evidence of seatime for more than the last 5 years, unless specifically asked for it. If the applicant does not have 5 years, give us what he has. • It is imperative that Sections VII and VIII are signed by officer applicants: all must sign Section VII; all deck officers (and other radio officers) must sign Section VIII. Your senior personnel manager or other company executive must also countersign these sections witnessing the fact that the officer read the required material and will abide by it. Should it be determined that an officer submitted fraudulent documentation, this could impact your company.
• We need certified or verified copies of the following documentation: • valid up to date national licenses and STCW certificates (all pages - some of these are several pages long) with expiration dates more than 2 months out • copies of short course training certificates: PSSR, PST, first aid and firefighting documents for all ratings and junior officers applying for endorsements • copies of advanced firefighting certificates for master, chief officer and chief engineer • copies of GOCs for each deck officer and other radio personnel • copies of medical care certificates for those designated to be medical care providers • copies of security training and proficiency documents for ship security officers • Use both sides of each sheet of paper. • Do not send us copies of blank pages of CDC books or passports. • Do not send us any more than one copy of any document - these just get thrown away. • Use one staple only to staple the entire packet together. The use of multiple staples just slows down the process as these must be removed. • Always provide a purchase order number if your company requires these for payment. • Always include a courier way bill if you have bulk or discounted rates with a courier, otherwise you will be charged for our courier costs which are quite a bit higher. Note that we only will use TNT, DHL or Fedex couriers.
A medical report form, completed no more than one year prior, must accompany every application. If you chose to use a form other than MED1 it must contain all the elements of MED1 at a minimum, including drug and alcohol test results. Do not submit an application without the drug and alcohol test results or if the applicant=s blood pressure is above 159/99 - it will be rejected. Do not send us copies of inoculation records.
We do not encourage the use of Confirmation of Receipt of Applications (CRAs) but if you require them, you must clearly identify this on your cover letter. You will be invoiced for these CRAs. We will generally not issue CRAs for ratings. A CRA will not be issued based on faxed, emailed, or incomplete documentation: we must have the original application in hand with all supporting documents.
If you are ever questioned by Port State Control officers relative to Vanuatu documents, contact us at
for any clarifications or, if necessary, call us.
Note that these guidelines apply not only to SOLAS/STCW vessels but they also apply to non self-propelled craft, MODUs, or fishing vessels, as may be modified by the Vanuatu MODU Abible@ or specific guidance provided to fishing vessel owners or owners of non self-propelled craft.
If you have any questions, please contact Denise Robertson or Raul Gaubeca at
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