Record Book for Approved On Board Training - Oil Tankers

This record book covers the practical operation and knowledge covering the safe carriage of oil, with emphasis on hands-on experience. It has been developed to provide a reduction from three months to one month (i.e. 30 days) for the regulatory sea service requirement for endorsement/certification, provided that this period is served in a supernumerary capacity.

The book enables you to record details of the vessel(s) on which you are undertaking your sea service and the trading itinerary during the qualifying period. It lists the training and tasks to be undertaken and there is provision for the Master and supervisor to sign the book to confirm satisfactory completion.

The tasks are grouped under broad areas of activity, as follows:

• Safety
• Cargo, cargo tanks and pipelines
• Trim and stability
• Cargo operations
• Tank washing procedures
• Inert gas system
• Pollution prevention and control
• Gas detection equipment and instruments.

The book also lists a range of publications relevant to oil tanker operations that you are expected to know about in terms of what they cover.

Full details of MCA requirements are provided in Annex A.

This Record Book for Approved On Board Training is published by the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) and approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). It is for use by seafarers requiring an endorsement or certificate of proficiency for advanced training in oil tanker cargo operations. It covers the approved on board training and provides the required evidence of sea service. The full details of MCA requirements are provided in Annex A.

This Record Book covers the practical operation and knowledge covering the safe carriage of oil, with emphasis on ‘hands-on experience’. It has been developed to provide a reduction from three months to one month (i.e. 30 days) for the regulatory sea service requirement for endorsement/certification, provided that you serve this period in a supernumerary capacity. This may include any specific emergency duties that are allocated to you.

For your first endorsement, you will need to receive full instruction and participate in not less than three loading and three discharge operations during the 30 day period, completing all the required tasks. Seafarers seeking a second or subsequent oil tanker endorsement will need to participate in at least one loading and one discharging operation. All the operations must be carried out under the supervision of experienced personnel holding MCA-issued Certificates of Competency or Certificate of Equivalent Competency. The tanker must carry oil during this period, but may be on a ballast passage between cargoes for part of it.

Following completion of the training tasks, duly signed, and participation in the required loading and discharge operations, you will be issued with a certificate by the Master, as shown in Annex B. Where your training was undertaken on more than one vessel, the Master of each vessel will need to complete the certificate at Annex B. This/these will be required when applying for your endorsement or certificate of proficiency.

Section 2 of this Record Book requires you to provide details of the vessel(s) on which you are undertaking your sea service and its/their trading itinerary during the qualifying period. You will also need to obtain the specimen signatures of personnel supervising the training and tasks you will be carrying out, along with the Master’s signature for each of the vessels involved. The MCA needs to be sure that the evidence of signed tasks is authentic and, for this reason, those who will be signing them must provide their details and sample signature in the appropriate table in this section. Only tasks authenticated in this way will be acceptable to the MCA.

Section 3 lists the training and tasks to be undertaken, each of which must be signed and dated on satisfactory completion by the supervising person/personnel. There are also ‘tasks’ covering a range of publications for you to show familiarity with what they are and what they cover, and these must likewise be signed.

The Master is also required to sign each set of tasks, when complete, along with any relevant comments about your performance or knowledge, or, if it may have not been possible to undertake/complete a particular task, the reasons why. Where you serve on more than one vessel, the Master of the first should sign each set of tasks, along with relevant comment, whether complete or not, prior to your disembarkation from the vessel. The Master of the second vessel will therefore need to sign only when a set of tasks has been completed on that vessel.

Prior to completing this Record Book, it is suggested that you consult the latest MSN/MGN/MIN for any changes or MCA update that may have taken place since publication.

Section 1 – Guidance for the Use and Completion of the Record Book for Approved On Board Training

Section 2 – Records of Vessel(s), their Trading Itinerary and Supervising Personnel
2.1 Vessel records
2.2 Vessel trading itinerary
2.3 Record of supervising personnel

Section 3 – Training Requirements
3.1 Training requirements
3.2 Safety
3.3 Cargo, cargo tanks and pipelines
3.4 Trim and stability
3.5 Cargo operations
3.6 Tank washing procedures
3.7 Inert gas system
3.8 Pollution prevention and control
3.9 Gas detection equipment and instruments
3.10 Publications

Annex A MCA Requirements for Oil Tanker Endorsement/Certificate
Annex B Oil Tankers – Vessel 1
Oil Tankers – Vessel 2

The Merchant Navy Training Board is the shipping industry’s central body for promoting and developing sector specific education, training and skills.

https://mntb.org.uk/