The government is allowing mariners with legacy certification from previous maritime authorities to have their tickets ring-fenced to save them the cost of moving to a new qualification.
From September 30, 2016, more than 30 types of ticket can be ring-fenced, including the master small home trade ship and third class steam engineer.
Many of these tickets are legacies from previous New Zealand maritime authorities, with some dating back to the middle of last century.
“Seafarers with most older domestic certificates will be able to continue using them without the cost of moving to a new modern ticket,” says associate transport minister Craig Foss.
Maritime NZ’s new seafarer certification system, SeaCert, was introduced in 2014, creating a single cohesive framework with clear career pathways and internationally recognised certificates.
“Many seafarers with old tickets have said they only want to carry on doing what they’ve been doing, without facing additional training and costs,” says Foss.
“We’ve listened to that feedback and created a ‘ring-fencing’ option, so some old tickets can continue to be used as long as the seafarer maintains a current medical certificate.”
“SeaCert is working well, but the holders of these old tickets are quite rightly proud of them and don’t want them to disappear,” says Foss.
Seafarers wishing to ring-fence tickets must register with Maritime NZ by 1 September 2017. Registration is free.
For more information: maritimenz.govt.nz/legacy
