I.  Foreign Ship’s Officers at management level on ships under German flag
1. These include:

• First Nautical Officer,
• Chief Engineer,
• Second Technical Duty Officer

According to The German Regulations foreign ship’s officers that are going to be employed on board of a German flag ship have to meet the following requirements:

• Recognition of the foreign certificate of competence
• Evidence of participation at a training course on "German Shipping Law"

2. The authority for the recognition of foreign certificates of competence is:

  Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie
  Dienstsitz Hamburg
  Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 78
  20359 Hamburg
  Fon:        +49 (0)40 3190 - 0
  Fax:        +49 (0)40 3190 - 5000
  E-mail:    zeugnisse@bsh.de

3. Temporary regulation

If a foreign ship’s officer on board is employed without the relevant evidence of the participation at the training course "German Shipping Law", a notation of recognition valid for 3 months may be issued in case he is able to evidence that he has signed up for a correspondence course on "German Shipping Law for foreign ship’s officers".

The human-resources department of the ship-owning company is assigned to inscribe the ship’s officer at the training centre that offers this course (Shipping Institute – seerecht@email.de) and issues an evidence of inscription.

After attending the training course (at the latest 3 months after the inscription) the participant receives an unlimited notation of recognition from the BSH.

II. How to pass the course "German Shipping Law for foreign ship officers"

The course is offered as correspondence course via Internet and self-study. The successful completion of the course is certified by a document that is being recognized by the BSH.

The entire communication between the tutor and the students is conducted via the ashore institutes of the applying companies.

The human resource manager in charge applies for the respective course and transmits the documents needed.

Inscription is possible via:

  E-Mail:            seerecht@email.de
  Fon:                +49 381 120 2596
  Fax:                +49 381 118 5859
  Kursinformationen:    http://www.seerechtsinstitut-rostock.de (EU-Kapitän-Info)

After inscription the ship-owning company receives the manuals for self-study. The notice of participants is possible every day.

III. How the correspondence course is conducted

1. Inscription

The company signs the participant up for the course. The tutor confirms participation.

The evidence of participation is necessary for the issue of the limited (3 months) notation of recognition from the BSH.

2. Manuals

The company receives the current manuals as a file from the tutor. Until cancelled the company may transmit the manual to all potential participants. Additionally all information will published under "Kursinformationen".

3. Evaluation of knowledge

The participant thoroughly works through the manual (for 3 months at most). When the participant has finished self-study, the company applies for the questionnaire for the test of knowledge in German Shipping Law. The tutor prepares an individual questionnaire for every participant. The questionnaire is sent as a file to the company. The company sends the file to the ship of the participant. The participant fills in the questionnaire on board under survey of the ship’s captain. The filled in questionnaire is sent to the tutor.

The tutor evaluates the participant’s knowledge and issues and, if the candidate was successful, issues a certificate. The certificate is sent to the ship-owning company. The BSH requires this certificate to issue an unlimited notation of recognition.

4. Costs

300,- € per participant (including basic study material)