Entry & progression
Governing regulations: 46 CFR 11.428 (near coastal), 11.455 (Great Lakes and inland), 11.457 (inland).
The three routes
| Route | CFR | Service required |
|---|---|---|
| Near coastal | 11.428(a) | 2 years in the deck department of a self-propelled vessel on ocean or near-coastal waters. Great Lakes and inland service may substitute for up to 1 year. |
| Great Lakes and inland | 11.455(a) | 1 year total deck service. To get Great Lakes authority, 3 months of it must be on Great Lakes waters — otherwise the endorsement is limited to inland. |
| Inland | 11.457(a) | 1 year of service on any waters. |
As with the OUPV, the hierarchy runs downward. A near-coastal endorsement carries the Great Lakes and inland with it. Apply for the highest route your service supports.
Months, days, and the same conflict again
The CFR says 2 years and 1 year. The NMC checklist counts 720 days and 360 days, converting at 30 days to the month. The inland substitution the CFR caps at "1 year" the checklist counts as 360 days.
Neither is wrong. The CFR sets the requirement; the NMC makes it countable. Your evaluator will count days.
CAUTION — Recency: the same unresolved conflict as the OUPV 46 CFR 11.201(c)(1)(i) requires 3 months of service within the 3 years before application. The NMC checklists, citing Policy Letter 02-25, say 90 days within the past 7 years. The checklists themselves carry a disclaimer that the CFR overrides. Satisfy the 3-year rule if you can; if you cannot, speak to the NMC before you file rather than after.
What counts as deck service
Note the wording of 11.428(a): service in the deck department. This is stricter than the OUPV's "experience in the operation of vessels." You are being credited for time spent doing the job of a deck officer, not merely for time aboard.
- Engine room service may be credited toward up to 90 days of the requirement for any Master or Mate endorsement in this category (46 CFR 11.410(b)). Ninety days, and no more.
- Service on vessels needing no credentialed crew counts only if the Coast Guard is satisfied it is a reasonable equivalent to the duties performed on vessels that do require them (46 CFR 11.422(c)). This is a discretionary judgement, not an entitlement — and it is how private-yacht and recreational time is assessed.
- A day is 8 hours (46 CFR 10.232(h)(1)), with the discretionary 4-hour floor on vessels under 100 GRT that the Coast Guard may allow but does not have to.
The shortcut most people miss
The NMC checklist records a cross-credit worth knowing: a mariner holding an endorsement authorising service as mate on an inspected vessel of 200 GRT or more is qualified to be issued Master 100 for the same route without additional service or examination.
That covers Chief Mate, Second Mate, Third Mate, Mate under 1,600 GRT, Mate under 500 GRT and several others. The evaluation and issuance fees still apply, but the sea time and the exam do not. If you already hold a mate's ticket, do not sit this exam.