1. OBTAINING A CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCY
2. AWARD MEDALS
3. RECOGNITION FOREIGN NAVIGATION
4. BOARDING OF EUROPEAN MASTER AND CHIEF MATE
5. OBTAINING AN ENDORSEMENT OF RECOGNITION OF THE CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCY
6. OBTAIN AUTHORIZATION FOR BOARDINGS WITH A LOWER QUALIFICATION
7. MEDICAL COMMISSION
8. ENROLL IN THE SEA REGISTER

1 OBTAINING A CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCY

Certificates of competence are required to operate on board ships. They are issued following a specific procedures, regulated by Ministerial Decree July 25, 2016 They are divided into:

– DIRECTIVE level, for first officers, masters and chief engineer officers;

– OPERATIONAL level, for officers;

– SUPPORT level, for municipalities and certified seafarers.

In order to obtain certificates of competence, it is first of all necessary for the person concerned to be enrolled in the first category seafarers’ registers kept at the Harbor Master’s Office and the Maritime Office of Porto Santo Stefano. You can find the application and list of documents required for registration as a seafarer at the link www.guardiacostiera.gov.it The requirements for accessing the certifications (at Management Level, Operational Level, and Support Level) are contained in Ministerial Decree July 25, 2016. The relevant examination programs for the purpose of obtaining CoC and CoP certifications are contained in the November 22, 2016 Directorial Decree. All certifications are valid for five years, and the relevant renewal procedures are contained in Ministerial Decree March 1, 2016

2 AWARD MEDALS

Medals of honor for long navigation are conferred to seafarers enrolled in the seafarers’ registers, who have completed 20 years of navigation for gold medals, 15 years for silver medals, 10 years for bronze medals.

The application must be submitted exclusively to the relevant harbor master’s office and must be accompanied by the following documents:

(a) Application on simple paper with full personal details.

(b) Statement of Registry.

(c) Criminal Records Certificate ex art. 28, para 3.

3 RECOGNITION FOREIGN NAVIGATION

For the purpose of registration of navigation carried out on foreign-flagged vessels, it is required that periods of embarkation, resulting from appropriate certificates of disembarkation (discharges) issued by the foreign authority, be authenticated.

The main methods of authentication are:

(a) disembarkation certificate, endorsed by the special agent designated by the foreign flag authority and authenticated by the prefecture-territorial office of the Government (UTG) with which the signature of the same special agent is deposited; This procedure is currently possible for navigation carried out on vessels flying the Marshall Islands flag.

 (b) documentation from the National Social Security Institute attesting to the payment of contributions due for the period of foreign navigation;

(c) legalization by the Italian consular office of the signature affixed to the discharge by the foreign flag authority, without prejudice to the application of current international agreements on legalization;

(d) authentication, by the Italian consular office in whose district the seafarer’s port of disembarkation is located, of the signature affixed by the master, delegated for this purpose by the foreign flag authority, on the discharge. The aforementioned authentication may be replaced by legalization of the master’s signature, upon acquisition of the specimen of the same. This procedure is currently possible for navigation carried out on ships flying the flag of Gibraltar and the Isle of Man.

 The legalization of the signature required by subparagraph (c), shall be carried out by the Italian consular office competent for:

(a) in the port of disembarkation of the seafarer, in case the discharge has been endorsed there;

(b) the place of registration of the ship, from which the seafarer is disembarked;

(c) the place where the foreign flag authority that signed the discharge is located.

The complete modalities of recognition of foreign navigation are set out in the Ministerial Decree of June 6, 2017 (link)

4 BOARDING OF EUROPEAN MASTER AND CHIEF MATE

Article 292 bis of the Navigation Code, allows EU Masters and Chief Mate Officers to assume duties as a Master aboard ships flying the Italian flag.

Taking into account that under Italian law, the role of Master allows its holder to perform public functions, the EU Master who assumes Master’s duties  aboard a ship flying the Italian flag, will have to demonstrate knowledge of the Italian language and Italian legislation, through a special theoretical-practical examination at the Maritime Directorate, which allows him to keep the ship’s records.

The procedures for testing knowledge of the Italian language and legislation are conducted in accordance with Ministerial Decree No. 38 of Feb. 1, 2012, and by Ministerial Decree Sept. 2, 2015.

5 OBTAINING AN ENDORSEMENT OF RECOGNITION OF THE CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCY

The foreign seafarer holding the certificate of competency shall submit directly, or through the shipowner or his agent, a special application for endorsement of the certificate of competency on stamped paper. This application must be submitted to the Italian Diplomatic Consular Representation accredited in the country that issued the certificate of competency (CoC) whose endorsement is requested.

The application must be accompanied by:

– Photocopy of an identification document of the maritime worker (seaman’s booklet or other);

– No. 2 photographs preferably the same as those in the identification document of the maritime worker interested in validation (endorsement);

– A revenue stamp for the issuance of the endorsement certificate;– Copy of the certificate of competency (CoC) for which endorsement is requested.

6 OBTAIN AUTHORIZATION FOR BOARDINGS WITH A LOWER QUALIFICATION

Pursuant to Article 17 of Legislative Decree No. 71 of May 12, 2015, as amended and supplemented, in cases of extraordinary necessity, due to ascertained unavailability of maritime workers holding a certain function, the Harbor Master or Consular Authorities, if this does not cause prejudice to persons, properties or the environment shall issue, upon request of the shipping company, a dispensation allowing the performance of said function for a period not exceeding six months to another maritime worker holding a certificate qualifying him to perform the function immediately below.

For the positions of Master and Chief Engineer Officer, such dispensation is not permitted except in cases of force majeure, and then for the shortest possible time.

7 MEDICAL COMMISSION

Following the medical examination of seaworthiness, the seafarer undergoes a control visit by the Office of Maritime Health for the issue of certificates of

• Biennial visit;

• Seafarers’ eligibility examination for enrolment in the matriculation

• Prior boarding visit;

• Check-up after disembarkation due to illness;

• Medical examination requested by the shipowner.

In the event that, during the medical examination, pathologies are found, the Office refers the verification of fitness for navigation to the Medical Commission of first instance. If relevant pathologies are found, the office may deepen the examination, requesting that the seafarer be examined by the Medical Commission of first instance.

Following the judgment issued of suitability or unsuitability for navigation services, the seafarer may appeal against such judgment expressed, within sixty days from the date of issue of the same, to the Central Medical Commission established at the undersigned General Management.

The application, on plain paper, must be sent through the Harbour Master’s Office, to the Directorate General for the Supervision of Port System Authorities, Maritime and Inland Waterway Transport – Division 3, complete with the following paper or digital documents:

• the letter of notification of the first instance decision and the relative acknowledgment of receipt, important to see if the appeal is made within the terms of the law;
• medical documentation examined by the Medical Commission of First Instance;
• extract of the registration number duly updated by the Harbour Master’s Office;
• further medical documentation carried out after the first degree examination for a more in-depth examination by the Central Medical Commission.

It should be noted that during the examination of the appeal submitted, the Central Medical Commission may in any case request that the seafarer carry out further more in-depth or more recent medical checks before issuing the judgment of acceptance and/or rejection of the appeal presented.

8 ENROLL IN THE SEA REGISTER

According to Article 115 of the Code of Navigation, seafarers are divided into three categories:

(1) Officer and low force personnel assigned to deck services of engine and generally to technical services on board;

2) Personnel assigned to supplementary services on board;

3) Personnel assigned to local traffic and coastal fishing.

Pursuant to Article 119 of the Code of Navigation, Italian and European citizens who are graduates of technical nautical institutes and vocational institutes with a maritime orientation may be enrolled in the seafarers’ rolls.

By Decree of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport July DM 251-25 LUGLIO 2016 and Annex A of Presidential Decree DPR 18-aprile 2006 n.231, additional figures, and their requirements, that can be entered in the registers have been regulated

Registration in the I and II category of seafarers is done online by accessing the “online services” of this portal, in the “seafarer registration” section.