Basic Polar Code course in Kalmar, Sweden 28/5 – 30/5 is just finished.
This time it was participants from 6 different countries and full class. Discussion and information sharing amongst all participants have been effective and satisfying. The participants are working on tankers, cruise vessels, mega yachts and offshore vessels.
Which ships are affected?
Certificate requirements meet ship officers who will serve on board ships covered by the Polar Code. This means ships meeting the SOLAS Convention who operate the polar areas according to the Polar Code after July 1, 2018.
What sailors are affected and what certificates?
There will be two ship master certificates that will serve on board vessels covered by the Polar Code.
Certificate of Basic Polar Service;
Those who will need a certificate for basic polar service are ship officers serving on passenger ships and tankers at open water in polar areas. The basic certificate will also be required for ship commander, in addition to the master and chief mate, serving on vessels in a polar area with an ice concentration of at least 1/10 or areas where icebergs occur, regardless of the type of vessel.
Certificate of Advanced Polar Service;
Those who will need a certificate for advanced polar service are the masters and chief officers serving on vessels in the polar area with an ice concentration of at least 1/10 or areas where icebergs occur.
How do you get the certificate?
A certificate of basic polar service will be available based on an approved basic education. A certificate for advanced polar service will be available on the basis of approved basic and advanced training and two-month seagoing service as ship officer. The seagoing service shall be made as a ship officer in the polar areas. There will also be an opportunity to cover seagoing services outside the polar areas. Services can be credited in the Bothnia, Gulf of Bothnia and Gulf of Finland. Such service shall be made between 1 November and 31 March, and the master or shipping company shall certify that the sailor served in water with an ice concentration of at least 1/10.
Transition?
The certificate will also be available on the basis of transitional rules, which means that those who meet these requirements do not need to complete an education to obtain first-time certificate. The Transport Agency may, until July 1, 2020 issue a certificate of basic polar service to the person who has served as a ship commander in the polar area before 1 July 2018 for at least three months during the last five-year period or has completed the corresponding service in an area outside the polar areas as above. The Transport Agency may, until 1 July 2020 issue a certificate of advanced polar service to the person who, before 1 July 2018, has served as Master or Chief Officer over at least three months in the last five-year period or has completed the corresponding service in a non-polar area as described above.
