Under 16.5m Skippers Ticket
Experienced fishermen may wish to progress their qualifications and gain their Skippers Ticket course. There is funding available to pay for these courses for eligible fishermen.
Seafish award the ticket to qualified fishermen (with their 5 Basic Safety Certificates) who have 18 months’ seagoing experience AND have completed the following certificates:
- Navigation and Bridge Watchkeeping (two or five-day course)
- Engine Room Courses
- Stability Awareness for Experienced Fishermen (one-day course)
- Advanced Stability Awareness (one-day course)
- VHF Short Range Certificate GMDSS (one-day course)
There are two grades of Skippers Ticket available.
- Silver – for those who complete the two-day Navigation and two-day Engineering courses. This covers Skippers fishing within 20 nautical miles of a safe haven.
- Gold – for those who complete the five-day Navigation and five-day Engineering courses. This covers Skippers fishing beyond 20 nautical miles. It also enables holders to undertake “non-fishing” commercial activities and to take a watch on vessels of any size.
Due to the enhanced content and broader benefits of the five-day courses, we tend to offer them more frequently.
The U16.5m Skippers Ticket is recognised by the MCA for certain roles on Small Commercial Vessels and in approved Sea Areas. Speak to your local MCA Marine Office to check their requirements.
Please note that the qualifications gained apply to the person and not the vessel, i.e. the vessel will have to meet other legal requirements.
Thanks to support from the Department for Transport and the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme, Seafish is currently able to fund the tuition fees for these courses for experienced fishermen, providing they hold certificates in Sea Survival, First Aid, Fire Fighting and Safety Awareness.
To qualify for funding, you will need to complete a Fishermen’s Grant Funding Application Form and email it to us.
Acceptance of Under 16.5m Skippers Tickets for small commercial vessel operations
The Under 16.5m Skippers Ticket is recognised by the MCA for use on Small Commercial Vessels as follows:
- Under 16.5m Skippers Ticket (beyond 20 nautical miles) may be used on Small Commercial Vessels operating up to Area Category 3 (up to 20nm from a safe haven);
- Under 16.5m Skippers Ticket (up to 20nm) may be used on Small Commercial Vessels operating up to Area Category 6 (up to 3nm from a nominated departure point named in the certificate and never more than 3nm from land, in favourable weather and daylight).
Full details on the ‘Training and Certification Requirements for the Crew of Fishing Vessels and their Applicability to Small Commercial Vessels and Large Yachts’ can be found in Marine Guidance Note 411
