Towing question for Mr. Cavo

[mate on watch]

With 2 years offshore, a 200 ton Near Coastal license and 500 ton Inland Mate license, is it possible to:

Go to work for an inland towing company, put in the time to learn the job, get the TOAR signed off, get the Towing Mate license, and then move to a tug with an offshore route, put in more than 30 days to get the Near Coastal route, and wind up working as Towing Mate on the 200 ton Near Coastal license?

Put it another way, will a Towing Mate on a Near Coastal route, even on a vessel less than 200 tons,
need to hold a 500 ton NC Mate license and OICNW?

Thanks!

[jdcavo]

Since you have Mate 500 Tons Inland, you can get Mate of Towing Vessels Inland with 30 days on a tug and completion of the inland TOAR. I will have to check what it would take to go from Mate of Towing Vessels Inland to Nedar Coastal when I'm in the office next week. Even though I've never been asked this before, I should know it, but don't. I'll post it early next week.


James D. Cavo
James.D.Cavo@uscg.mil

[Splash]

Mr. Cavo, I also have a question for you, I have called the NMC and got a few different answers. I have a 100 GRT Master Near Coastal, 200 GRT 500ITC Near Coastal and Unlimited Radar, I have held this license only since July. I have also taken the apprentice mate class but it was said by the NMC that I didnt have enough time aboard towing vessels to put it on my license. I have 138.5 days on towing vessels, 240 days on a 93 GRT boat upon inland waters, and 462 days on vessels over 500 GRT with about 185 days of that time upon near coastal waters. Ok heres the questions... Do I qualify for a 500 GRT near coastal license, and what are the prerecs for this license,ie:STCW? If not do I qualify for the 500 ton inland? All of the seatime above are 12 hour days, I'm not sure what counts for a day and a half and what doesnt anymore. The reason that I ask these questions is that I would like to get the 500 ton to spead up the TOAR process. Thanks for any info that you can give me!