To convert a NMD DP Certificate to a Nautical Institute DP Certificate you should follow the standard requirements for Offshore Revalidation:
DP Sea Time Days
You must meet one of the following criteria:
a) Complete a minimum of 150 DP sea time days done within a period of 5 years or
b) If the DPO has less than 150 DP sea time days within the preceding 5 years, complete a DP Simulator Course followed by a minimum of 30 DP sea time days on a DP classed vessel or
c) If no DP sea time days were obtained within the preceding 5 years, complete a DP Simulator Course followed by a minimum of 60 DP sea time days on a DP classed vessel or
d) If no DP sea time days were obtained within the preceding 5 years, complete a DP Revalidation Course (see note) or
e) If the DP professional has been engaged in an occupation The Nautical Institute considers as being equivalent to the sea service (i.e. DP lecturer/instructor, DP surveyor, DP consultant, DP auditor, DP superintendent, DP supervisor), revalidation of his/her DP certificate will require a minimum of 150 days in the activity claimed in the preceding 5 years.
NOTE: The Revalidation Course may be completed up to six months before the revalidation date set by the NI. The course will be valid for a period of 12 months only, during which the DPO must send in an application to the NI. If the participant is completing the course for the first time, there is no minimum DP sea time requirement. If the participant is completing the course for a second or subsequent time, a minimum of 28 DP sea time days will be required to revalidate. This DP time may be completed prior to or after the Revalidation Course. Where a participant subsequently revalidates using 150 DP sea time days only, after having taken the Revalidation Course for their first renewal, that participant can then take the Revalidation Course again without a DP sea time requirement.
The entries to prove the DP occupation (e) shall be made in an NI or IMCA logbook and signed by the accredited training centre (in the case of a DP lecturer), the vessel’s Operations Manager (in the case of a DP superintendent, DP consultant, or DP supervisor) where the you have performed the work/activity or by The Nautical Institute’s authorised person (in the case of a DP auditor).
All DP sea time to be used for revalidation must be logged in your NI logbook or IMCA logbook and the time signed off by the master.
If you decide to apply with a mix of experience that involves criterion (a) and criterion (e), then the sea time obtained during the last 5 years shall be counted towards the required cumulative 150 days. Example: 15 days as a DP lecturer and 15 days DP sea service, totalling (the minimum) 30 days.
If you are a Master holding a DP certificate, you can claim for DP sea time due to your direct responsibility for and supervision of the DP operations. In this case, the DP sea time shall be recorded in the NI or IMCA logbook, signed and stamped as the DP Master.
NOTE
a) Passive DP sea time will not be accepted for revalidation purposes as it can only be counted for initial training in the task section of the logbook.
b) POSITION MOORING (POSMOOR) or THRUSTER-ASSISTED MOORING (TAM): The time onboard a vessel with the classification POSITION MOORING or THRUSTER-ASSISTED MOORING (TAM) and DP class notation can be counted towards the DP sea time obtained for revalidation purposes.
Confirmation Letters
For conversion to NMD applications, company letters confirming the DP sea time days must be provided for any time completed after 1st January 2014.
The definition of a DP sea time day for revalidation applications changed on 1st January 2015. Any time completed before this time is classed as a minimum of one hour per day on DP watch. After 1st January 2015, the minimum time will be two hours on DP watch in order for the day to be counted. The required DP sea time days must follow the definitions above.
Application for Revalidation
Once the above requirements have been completed, you will need to apply online for the conversion of the NMD DP Certificate. As you are converting, you may not already have an account on The Nautical Institute database so a new account should be opened.
Once logged in on the NI website, you should click on the application option:
"NMD Conversion Application (Do not use for Revalidation)"
Depending on which of the a–e requirements were met (shown above), you will need to complete all the details necessary on the online application in the correct logbook. Once the information has been entered, the application should be submitted online to check if you are eligible. The payment option will only be available if you meet the requirements and the once the payment has been completed, the application should be sent into The Nautical Institute offices for processing.
Documents to be sent to the Nautical Institute offices are:
- Copy of passport personal details page
- Copy of STCW certificate held
- Original NMD Certificate
- Original NMD logbook
- Original IMCA/NI Revalidation logbook (if applicable)
- Confirmation letters for all DP sea time and/or DP activity time
- Additional documents where necessary
Once documents are received and logged in by The Nautical Institute, an automatic email will be generated and sent to your registered email address with an indemnity letter containing a QR code which can be used onboard of DP vessels during the period of 3 months. This letter shall be accepted by the charterers onboard as a temporary DP certificate license, and will confirm that your logbooks and documents are being verified by the NI team.
Please note that all applications are subject to verification once they are received by The Nautical Institute.
Jenny Daintree