Please note that these requirements are only valid for DPO's whose certificate's expire before the 1st January 2024.
Requirements
An Unclassed, Limited or Unlimited Dynamic Positioning certificate can be revalidated providing you 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)
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, in which the DPO must send in an application into 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 or THRUSTER-ASSISTED MOORING (TAM): The time on board a vessel with the classification of POSITION MOORING or THRUSTER-ASSISTED MOORING (TAM) and DP Class notation can be counted as DP sea time for initial DP training. The NI requires the candidate to present evidence that the anchor was not deployed for the DP sea time claimed during DP operations when applying for a DP certificate.
Confirmation Letters
For revalidation 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 will change 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 revalidation of the Unclassed/Limited/Unlimited Dynamic Positioning Certificate. As you are revalidating, an account will already be held on The Nautical Institute database from when your original certificate was issued (even if you did not apply online) and this account must be used. If you do not know your login details please first try the ‘Forgot password’ option on the login page. If the system confirms that no email address is linked to the account please use the ‘Validate DPO’ option to set up your login details for the account already held on our system. Please do not open a new account.
Once logged in on the NI website, you should update any personal details which may have changed and you will need to complete all the details necessary on the online application form. When 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 revalidation requirements.
Please make sure that you have scanned and attached the following to your account:
- DP and IMCA logbook if held (all completed pages, including personal details page)
- Passport personal details page
- Current NI DP Certificate
- Full CoC/MMC
- Revalidation Course Certificate if applicable
- Confirmation letters for all DP sea time/activities claimed in your application
Please note that you no longer need to send your documents into The Nautical Institute offices for processing, unless specifically requested to do so.
When the application has been submitted 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 on board of DP vessels while your application is being processed. This letter shall be accepted by the charterers on board as temporary DP certificate license, and will confirm that your application is being verified by the NI team.
Please note that all applications are subject to verification once they are submitted to The Nautical Institute.
Jenny Daintree