Confirmation Letters - DP Vessel Maintainer Scheme

In order to further improve the integrity of the application process and to prevent cases of fraud, The Nautical Institute requires additional documentation, in the form of a testimonial letter from shipping companies, to be submitted with every application for all DP sea time.

This letter must match the following criteria:

• Contain information based upon the vessel deck logs, DP logs and internal DP information. The company should only provide letters when they can confirm the actual DP time completed and not only time on board the vessel. The confirmation letter is a secondary check on the time completed and if required, should be able to provide evidence to The Nautical Institute to prove that the time was on DP. Please note that confirmation letters cannot be based upon the DP information in the individual’s logbook only. The Nautical Institute reserves the right to request copies of the information used to verify the DP days and prepare the confirmation letter before a certificate is issued.
• Be written on original company headed paper, which must also include the company contact details; a direct email address for the signatory, should be provided as it enables us to contact them easily if further verification is required.
• Company logos must be of a high resolution and appear clear. Letters received with logos that appear pixelated and/or blurry will not be accepted by The Nautical Institute;
• Signed and stamped by the Operations Manager, Marine Superintendent or other position directly involved with the operations of the vessel, whose full name and job title must also appear on the letter under their signature. (Letters signed by Masters, Agency staff and HR personnel are not acceptable). Signatures and stamps must be ink originals, not digital scans;
• Dated (the letter should be written and therefore dated, only once the DPO has achieved the necessary experience);
• State that the applicant has trained/worked as a DPO on board the vessel(s) listed for the time listed;
• The following information must be included for each sea time entry: Vessel name, GRT, IMO number, DP class, trip dates (from and to), total days on DP (DP Day = minimum of 2 hours on DP per day claimed), DPO’s rank and confirm the individual dates on DP.
• Confirm the total time the applicant has performed as a DP operator on board the vessel(s). This must also include the initial seagoing B period (Phase B);
• Limited DPO certificate holders upgrading to Full certificates only need to provide confirmation of DP sea time gained after their Limited certificates were issued;
• Sea time experience, not covered by a letter will not be considered for the DP application unless the candidate can prove extenuating reasons.

When the requested confirmation letter has been obtained, please include the original with your application documents and send them by courier to The Nautical Institute; (photocopies and emailed scans of letters cannot be accepted).

Applications with confirmation letters not meeting with the above requirements will be subject to delay.

Note: this letter does not replace the entries, signatures and stamps in the logbook, which needs to be sent along with this document to The Nautical Institute.