On Closer Examination

I think back to when I was on a product tanker a few years ago, and the Second Mate had both of the deck cadets on his watch. This is traditional because the Second Mate is the ship’s navigator, and the cadets were placed on his watch so they could practice their navigational skills. Anyway, one day after a fire and boat drill we were talking about the cadets’ progress, and I asked the Second Mate if they knew how to make a “Williamson Turn.” (A “Williamson Turn” is one of the shiphandling techniques used when someone falls overboard, and when done correctly will bring the vessel close to where the emergency occurred). The Second Mate looked at me and said, “I don’t know, I’ve never asked them. I’m not even sure I can remember it exactly myself.”

I have to admit, when I heard that I was incredulous. Knowledge of the “Williamson turn” is an emergency maneuver every ship’s deck officer should know, and is therefore a test subject for nearly every deck license the Coast Guard issues (46 CFR 10.910-1). Under STCW ‘95, it’s also included in one of the 78 assessments, which must be completed by a mariner wishing to upgrade to Third Mate/Officer In Charge of a Navigational Watch (OICNW).

In addition to the equivalent of 1,080 days of sea service (with 6 months of bridge navigational watch time), USCG exams, and 13 weeks of formal classroom training, 78 assessments are required for upgrade to Third Mate/OICNW. Listed in Enclosure 4 of USCG Policy Letter 01-02, the 78 assessments include such practices as adjusting a sextant, use of an echo sounder, navigating in restricted visibility, and keeping a safe anchor watch. The intention behind the assessments is a good one: have a sailor demonstrate that he or she can competently perform the everyday work and emergency responses expected of a deck officer on the bridge. An example of how important an assessment subject can be is the one for standing a safe anchor watch - dragging anchor was the cause of two ships in the Columbia River slamming into Weyerhaeuser’s Longview dock during a storm causing considerable damage to both the vessels and the dock.

The assessments are not set up like a multiple-choice exam. Instead, each has a “Control Sheet” which identifies the task and gives a complete description of what is considered acceptable performance to pass it. When a sailor seeking a Third Mate/OICNW license completes one of the 78 assessments onboard ship, it must be done in front of a “Designated Examiner” - in this case a deck officer holding a Second Mate/OICNW license or better. The only examiner “training” required for the officer grading these assessments at sea is taking a few minutes to read a 13-page booklet titled “Conducting Mariner Assessments” and then signing a statement he or she has read the booklet and followed its guidance. No third party verification that the “Designated Examiner” has read the material is required, and the examiner never has to demonstrate to anyone else that he or she has an understanding of what assessment evaluation entails.

On the other hand, a different standard applies for a sailor on a tugboat who wishes to complete anyone of the 77 assessments in the “Towing Officer Assessment Record” (TOAR), listed in the Coast Guard’s Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular 04-01. For example, the person who grades a mariner seeking to upgrade to a Mate of Towing Vessels (Oceans) must also be a “Designated Examiner,” but becoming an examiner for the towing vessel assessments requires much more than just reading a 13-page booklet. Completion of approved examiner training and instruction is necessary. The potential examiner must then list all relevant towing vessel experience and send it to the Coast Guard. Only upon written approval from the USCG National Maritime Center (NMC) is a person considered to be competent enough to evaluate towing officer assessment performance. The approval from the NMC is revocable, and good for only two years. Renewal is contingent upon submitting evidence of continued ability to competently assess towing vessel personnel.

It is common knowledge in the industry that the requirements to be a “Designated Examiner” for the Third Mate/OICNW assessments are significantly different from those for a “Designated Examiner” of the Towing Officer assessments. This disparity evolved to some extent because the regulations were developed at different times, and because two different industry groups made recommendations to the Coast Guard for the rules governing the evaluation of practical assessments. The Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC) advised the Coast Guard on the examiner requirements for the Third Mate/OICNW assessments, and the Towing Safety Advisory Committee (TSAC) made recommendations for examiners of the Towing Officer assessments.

I hold both an Unlimited Master’s License (Oceans) and a Master of Towing Vessels (Oceans), and in my opinion this “double standard” of examiner qualifications needs to be eliminated. As an actively sailing mariner, I personally like the way “Designated Examiners” for towing officer assessments are formally approved by the USCG National Maritime Center. Being a “Designated Examiner” is a serious responsibility, because these assessments are more than professional hurdles placed in front of prospective vessel officers. They are everyday tasks, and emergency actions that are required of a deck officer on watch - and knowing the proper execution of them could mean the difference between life and death at sea.

Till next time...smooth sailin’.

More of Kelly Sweeney's articles in his new book available at www.pacmar.com/fromthebridge

Reprinted from Pacific Maritime Magazine May 2005 with permission