Regulations on Examination and Certification of Competence for Seafarers of the People's Republic of China

Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 The Regulations on Examination and Certification of Competence for Seafarers of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations) are formulated in accordance with the Maritime Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Seafarersand other relevant international conventions which China has contractedoracceded to, aiming to improve the quality of the seafarers, to ensure the safety of life and property at sea, and to protect the marine environment.

Article 2 The Regulations shall apply to the examination for acquiring/obtaining Certificate of Competency (hereinafter referred to as “CoC”) for the Seafarers of the People’s Republic of China; to the issuance and management of the CoC, of the Dispensation Certificate and of the Recognition Endorsements for the CoCs issued by other countries.

Article 3 The Ministry of Transport is responsible for the examination and certification for seafarersin China.

The Maritime Safety Administrationof the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as China MSA) under the leadership of the Ministry of Transport is in charge of the examination and certification of the competence for seafarers.

The Maritime Safety Administrations at all levels shall carry out examination and issuance of CoC in accordance with their respective responsibilities.

Article 4 The examination and certification of competence for the seafarers shall follow the principlesof fairness, impartiality, transparency and convenience.

Chapter 2 Certificate of Competency

Section A Basic Information of the Certificate of Competency

Article 5 The CoC shall include:

1. name, gender, date of birth, nationality, signature and photograph of the holder;

2. level and number of the certificate;

3. applicable provisions of relevant international conventions;

4. navigation area, capacity and function for which the holder of the certificate is competent;

5. ship types, main propulsion machineries, and operation of special equipment for which the holders of the certificate is competent;

6. dates of issue and expiry;

7. issuing administration and signature of the duly authorized official;

8. other contents to be contained as required.

Article 6 The navigation areas are divided into unlimited navigation area and coastal navigation area, while the sea areas for which radio operators are competent are divided into A1, A2, A3 and A4.

Article 7 Levels of CoC

1. the levels of CoCs for masters, deck officers, chief engineers and engineer officers:

.1 the levels of CoCs for unlimited navigation areas:

.1.1 level 1: applicable to ships of 3000 gross tonnage and above or powered by main propulsion machinery of 3000 KW and above;

.1.2 level 2: applicable to ships of 500 gross tonnage and up to 3000 gross tonnage or powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 KW and up to 3000 KW;

.2 the levels of CoCs for coastal navigation areas:

.2.1 level 1: applicable to ships of 3000 gross tonnage and above or powered by main propulsion machinery of 3000 KW and above.

.2.2 level 2: applicable to ships of 500 gross tonnage and up to 3000 gross tonnage or powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 KW and up to 3000 KW;

.2.3 level 3: applicable to ship less than 500 gross tonnage or powered by main propulsion machinery of less than 750 KW.

2. CoCs for able seafarer deck and able seafarer engine are applicable to ships of 500 gross tonnage or more or powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 KW or more.

3. the levels of CoCs for ratings forming part of a navigational and engineering watch:

.1 CoCs for unlimited navigation areas are applicable to ships of 500 gross tonnage and above or powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 KW or more;

.2 the levels of CoCs for coastal navigation areas:

.2.1 level 1: applicable to ships of 500 gross tonnage or more or powered by main propulsion machinery of 750 KW or more;

.2.2 level 2: applicable to ships less than 500 gross tonnage or powered by main propulsion machinery of less than 750 KW.

4. CoCs for electro-technical officers and electro-technical ratings are applicable to ships powered by main propulsion of 750 KW or more.

CoCs held by masters and deck officers serving on tug boats shall correspond to the power of the tug boats’ main propulsion machinery.

Article 8 Capacities of seafarers:

1. masters;

2. deck department: chief mate, second officer, third officer, able seafarer deck, rating forming part of a navigational watch; The chief officer, second officer and third officer are called deck officers;

3.engine department: chief engineer officer, second engineer officer, third engineer officer, fourth engineer officer, electro-technical officer, able seafarer engine, rating forming part of an engineering watch, electro-technical rating, of which the second engineer officer, third engineer officer and fourth engineer officer are called engineer officers;

4. GMDSS operators: first-class GMDSS operator, second-class GMDSS operator, GMDSS general operator and GMDSS restricted operator.

Article 9 Functions of seafarers:

1. navigation;

2. cargo handling and stowage;

3. ship operation and care for persons on board;

4. marine engineering;

5. electrical, electronic and control engineering;

6. maintenance and repair;

7. radio communication.

The Functions of seafarers are divided into the following levels according to the technical requirements:

1. management level;

2. operational level;

3. support level.

Article 10 Holders of CoCs shall serve in a capacity to which their CoCs are applicable or in a lower capacity. However, rating forming part of a navigational watch must hold the CoC for rating forming part of a navigational watch or able seafarer deck, and rating forming part of engineering watch must hold the CoC for rating forming part of engineering watch or able seafarer engine.

[page]Section B Issuance of Certificate of Competency

Article 11 To apply a CoC, the candidate shall:

1. hold a valid Seafarer’s Service Book;

2. meet the standards of medical fitness set by China MSA;

3. complete the competency training prescribed in the Annex of the Regulations;

4. have the seagoing service prescribed in the Annex of the Regulations with good performance and safety record; and

5. pass the competency examination.

Seafarers working on oil tankers, chemical tankers, liquefied gas tankers, passenger ships and high-speed crafts shall also satisfy the specific requirements of training, service etc, as prescribed in Section C of this Chapter.

Article 12 Candidates for seafarer’s CoC shall submit the following documents:

1. application form;

2. seafarer’s service book;

3. medical certificate for seafarers;

4. identity document;

5. photographs;

6. evidence of competency training for the capacity or graduation certificate of maritime education;

7. training record book;

8. the present CoC (if any);

9. Certificate of Proficiency for the competence of specialized skills;

10. evidence of passing the competence examinations.

Those holding the CoCs of third deck officers or fourth engineer officers applying for the CoCs of second deck officers or third engineer officers are exempted from submitting the documents referred to in items 6, 7,9,10 of this Article.

Those who are exempted from onboard training as prescribed in the Regulations, are also exempted from submitting the document referred to in item 7 of this Article.

Those applying for CoCs for the first time are exempted from submitting the document referred to in item 8 of this Article.

Those planning to work on special types of ships in accordance with Article 20 shall submit appropriate certificates of proficiency for special types of ships.

Those applying for revalidation of CoC shall submit the evidence for refresher and updating training. However, those applying for revalidation of CoC in accordance with the provisions of Article 15 are exempted from submitting the documents prescribed in items 6, 7, 9 and 10 of this Article; those applying for the revalidation of CoC in accordance with the provisions of Article 16 are exempted from submitting the documents prescribed in items 6 and 9 of this Article.

Article 13 Upon verifying the application for issuing the certificates against the requirements of the Regulations, the maritime safety administrations shall issue the corresponding CoC following the procedures prescribed in the Administrative License Law of the People’s Republic of China andthe Implementing Procedural Rules for the Administrative Permission in the Transport Sector.

Article 14 The period of validity of CoC shall not exceed 5 years. The date of expiry shall not exceed the sixty-fifth birthday of the holder.

Article 15 Masters or officers, having taken the refresher and updating training, may apply to the appropriate maritime safety administrations for revalidation of CoC within 12 months before the date of expiry, if one of the following conditions is met:

1. at least 12 months of approved seagoing service with good performance and safety record during the preceding 5 years immediately prior to the application date;

2. at least 3 months of approved seagoing service with good performance and safety record during the preceding 6 months immediately prior to the application date.

Article 16 Masters and officers who fail to satisfy the provisions of Article 15, when applying for the revalidation of CoC, shall:

1. attend the simulator training, refresher and updating training, and pass the assessment of randomly selected items, in case they fail to satisfy the provisions of Article 15 or the CoC has expired for less than 5 years;

2. attend the simulator training, refresher and updating training, and pass the examination and assessment of randomly selected items, in case the CoC has expired for more than 5 years but less than 10 years.

3. attend the simulator training, refresher and updating training, pass the examination and assessment of selected items, and have at least 3 months onboard training, in case the CoC has expired for more than 10 years...

Article 17 In case a CoC is damaged or lost, the holder shall apply for a new CoC from the issuing administration with documents required in items 1,4 and 5 of Article 12, and with:

1. the damaged original certificate; or

2. the lost announcement on the nationwide published newspaper, or a notary deed by local notary agency where the issuing party is registered. Where a lost announcement is published, an application shall be made only after 30 days of the announcement.

The expiry date of the new CoC shall be identical with that of the original one.

Article 18 Those whose CoCs are revoked for maritime discipline violation may apply for the CoC of a lower capacity 2 years after the revocation to the original issuing administration, provided they pass the corresponding competency examination.

For those who pass the competency examination and with good safety records, the maritime safety administrations shall issue the corresponding certificates.

Article 19 Those who have served on inland river ships, seagoing fishing ships or military ships may apply for the corresponding CoC when meeting the following requirements.

1. The level and capacity applied for shall not be higher than the corresponding level and capacity of their certificates on inland river ships, seagoing fishing ships or military ships. The highest level capacity open to the applicant is chief mate or second engineer officer;

2. Candidates’ services on inland river ships, seagoing fishing ships or military ships shall correspond to seagoing services required by these Regulations. There shall be good performance and safety records as well;

3. Attend the competency training for the corresponding capacity and passing the examination and assessment corresponding to the capacity applied for.

[page]Section C Specific Requirements for Seafarers on Certain Types of Ships

Article 20 Seafarers intending to work on certain types of ships such as oil tankers, chemical tankers, liquefied gas tankers, passenger ships and high-speed crafts, etc., shall complete the special training and obtain the certificates of proficiency.

Article 21 Masters and officers serving on passenger ships with port-to-port voyages of 50 nautical miles and above shall hold the CoCs applicable to ships of 3000 gross tonnage and above or 3000 KW and above in the corresponding navigation areas.

Article 22 Those applying for the CoCs of deck officers and masters on passenger ships with port-to-port voyages of 50 nautical miles and above shall satisfy the following requirements:

1. Those applying for the CoCs for third officers on passenger ships shall

(a) have served as third officers on other types of seagoing ships of 3000 gross tonnage and above for 12 months with good performance and safety records, and have at least 3 months onboard training as third officers on passenger ships; or

(b) have passed the competence examination for third officers and YES the onboard training on passenger ships for at least 18 months with good performance and safety records.

2. Those applying for the CoCs for second officers on passenger ships shall

(a) have served as second officers on other types of seagoing ships of 3000 gross tonnage and above for 12 months with good performance and safety records, and have at least 3 months onboard training as second officers () on passenger ships; or

(b) have CoCs for third officers on passenger ships, and at least 18 months approved seagoing service (including 6 months on passenger ships at least) as third officers with good performance and safety records.

3. Those applying for the CoCs for chief mates on passenger ships shall

(a) have served as second officers on other types of seagoing ships of 3000 gross tonnage and above for 24 months with good performance and safety records, and have at least 3 months onboard training as chief mates on passenger ships; or

(b) have CoCs for second officers on passenger ships, at least 12 months approved seagoing service (including 6 months on passenger ships at least) as second officers, have passed the chief mates examination, and at least 3 months onboard training as chief mates on passenger ships with good performance and safety records.

4. Those applying for the CoCs for masters on passenger ships shall

(a) have served as masters on other types of seagoing ships of 3000 gross tonnage and above for 24 months with good performance and safety records, and have at least 3 months onboard training as masters on passenger ships; or

(b) have CoCs for chief officers on passenger ships, at least 18 months approved seagoing service (including 6 months on passenger ships at least) as chief mates with good performance and safety records, have passed the master examination, and at least 3 months onboard training as masters on passenger ships.

Article 23 Those applying the first time for the CoCs for chief engineers or engineer officers on passenger ships with port-to-port voyages of 50 nautical miles and above, shall have served as chief engineers or engineer officers on other types of seagoing ships of 3000 KW and above for 12 months with good performance and safety records, and have at least 3 months onboard training on passenger ships.

Those who have passed the competence examination for fourth engineers and have at least 18 months onboard training with good performance and safety records, may apply for the CoCs for fourth engineers on passenger ships.

[page]Chapter 3 Competency Examination

Article 24 Competency examination includes examination and assessment.

Examination tests seafarers’ command and comprehension of professional knowledge.

Assessment focuses on the use of professional knowledge, operation and emergency response skills through the test of operation on relevant ships, equipment or simulator, listening and oral test on commonly-used international language.

Article 25 Examination subjects and syllabuses shall be formulated and released by China MSA. Corresponding maritime safety administrations shall develop and release examination schedules, specifying relevant information, such as time, place and application procedure of examination.

Article 26 Applicants for competency examination, shall follow the specified procedures and provide:

1. identity documents;

2. applications for competency examinations of corresponding navigation area, level and capacity;

3. appropriate photographs.

Article 27 The maritime safety administrations shall issue the “Examination Permit” 5 days before the examination and inform the applicants the way to check the scores.

Article 28 Those who fail some subjects or items can apply for the make-up examinations 5 times within 3 years from the date of first issue of the “Examination Permit”. For those who cannot pass the competency examination within the set period, all the scores become invalid.

Article 29 Maritime safety administrations shall release the examination scores within 30 days after the examination. The scores shall be valid within 5 years since all the examinations and assessments are passed.

Chapter 4 Dispensation Certificate

Article 30 Applications for Dispensation Certificate shall be made to the maritime safety administrations, when Chinese-flagged ships abroad having their crew members not able to meet the minimum manning requirement due to the shortage caused by force majeure or other special circumstances and is in need of lower capacity seafarers to take up the higher capacities temporarily.

Article 31 The following requirements shall be satisfied when applying for dispensation certificates for masters, deck officers, chief engineers and engineer officers.

1. Those who apply for dispensation certificates for masters or chief engineers shall hold CoCs of chief officers or second engineers, and have no less than 12 months approved sea services with good performance and safety record within the preceding 5 years immediately prior to the application date, and on the premise of the inability of masters or chief engineers to perform their duties is caused by force majeure.

2. Those who apply for dispensation certificates for chief mates or second engineers shall hold CoCs for second officers or third engineers, and have no less than 12 months approved sea services with good performance and safety record within the preceding 5 years immediately prior to the application date.

3. Those who apply for dispensation certificates for second officers or third engineers shall hold CoCs for third officers or fourth engineers, and have no less than 12 months approved sea services with good performance and safety record within the preceding 5 years immediately prior to the application date.

4. Those who apply for dispensation certificates for third officers or fourth engineers shall hold CoCs for able seafarer deck, rating forming part of a navigational watch or able seafarer engine, rating forming part of an () engineering watch, and have no less than 12 months approved sea services with good performance and safety record within the preceding 5 years immediately () prior to the application date.

Dispensation certificates shall not be issued to seafarers except for those capacities mentioned in Paragraph 1 of this Article.

Article 32 Application for dispensation certificates shall include:

1. reason for application;

2. name of the ship, navigation area, port of call;

3. service record of the applicant;

4. other relevant information.

Article 33 The maritime safety administrations shall verify the relevant information and report to China MSA for approval within 3 days upon receiving the applications. China MSA shall issue the dispensation certificates with validity of no more than 6 months to applicants satisfying the requirements of Article 31. The validity of the dispensation certificates for masters and chief engineers shall not exceed 3 months. The applicants shall be informed of the decision of refusal and reasons for not issuing the dispensation certificates within 3 days upon MSA’s accepting the applications in case they fail to satisfy the requirements of Article 31,

Article 34 The total number of dispensation certificates for master and officers on one ship shall not exceed three.

Article 35 The dispensation certificates shall become invalid upon the concerned ship’s arrival at the first domestic port and shall be returned to the issuing maritime safety administration.

[page]Chapter 5 Recognition Endorsement

Article 36 Seafarers holding CoCs issued by foreign contracting parties to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (hereinafter referred to as STCW Convention) and serving on Chinese-flagged ships shall apply for the Recognition Endorsements issued by China MSA.

Article 37 Those who apply for the Recognition Endorsement shall submit the following documents to China MSA:

1. the original CoCs issued by the contracting Parties;

2. the evidence documents indicating that the applicant satisfies the relevant requirements of STCW Convention and the relevant regulations of the contracting party;

3. the applicant’s seafarer identity document.

Article 38 China MSA shall evaluate the relevant regulations on seafarers of the contracting party issuing the CoC according to STCW Convention and the standards and requirements prescribed in the Regulations from the following perspectives:

1. Whether the regulations on seafarers’ training, examination and certification of competence of the contracting party satisfy the requirements of STCW Convention;

2. Whether an effective seafarer quality management system is established.

3. Whether the requirements on competence are lower than those prescribed in the Regulations.

The result of evaluation shall be used as the basis for issuing a Recognition Endorsement. When the evaluation result indicates that regulations on seafarers of the contracting party satisfy the requirements of STCW Convention and the Regulations, and the applicants submit true and complete documents according to Article 37, China MSA shall issue the Recognition Endorsements. Masters, chief officers, chief engineer officers and second engineer officers shall attend appropriate training on maritime traffic safety, environment protection etc, and pass the appraisal by maritime safety administrations before they apply for the Recognition Endorsements.

Article 39 The period of validity for Recognition Endorsement shall not exceed that of the recognized CoC and shall be no longer than 5 years. When the recognized CoC becomes invalid, the Recognition Endorsement shall become invalid automatically.

Chapter 6 Responsibilities of the Shipping Companies and Relevant Institutions

Article 40 Shipping companies and relevant institutions shall ensure that the assigned seafarers meet the following requirements：

1. holding appropriate and valid CoCs, and familiar with the responsibilities of their capacities;

2. familiar with ship arrangements, installations, equipments, working procedures, characteristics and limitations etc.

3. having good working language and communication capability to fulfill the duty effectively in emergency cases and carry out safety, environment protection and security responsibilities.

Article 41 Shipping companies and relevant institutions shall establish seafarers’ training system and train their seafarers according to the following requirements:

1. Developing and carrying out training and apprentice plans according to the regulations issued by China MSA and keeping the training record.

2. Adopting measures to ensure effective trainings.

Article 42 Shipping companies and relevant institutions shall have in place the complete and latest laws, regulations and rules and the relevant international conventions.

Shipping companies and relevant institutions shall keep the files of continuous records for seafarers including information on their employment, training, experience, health conditions, examination and certification and make them available for reference.

Chapter 7 Supervision

Article 43 The maritime safety administrations shall supervise the seafarers’ performance of duty and inspect the safety record etc.

Article 44 The maritime safety administrations may assess the seafarers’ competence under any of the following circumstances:

1. The ship involved in collision, grounding or stranding incidents;

2. There has been illegal discharge from the ship when under way, at anchor or at berth;

3. The ship has been maneuvered in violation of navigational rules;

4. The ship is otherwise being operated in such a manner as to pose a danger to the safety of human life and properties at sea, or to the marine environment.

The assessment for seafarer’s competency shall be conducted through the examination of a selected subject or on-the-spot appraisal in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations. If the assessment indicates that a seafarer is unqualified, the maritime safety administrations shall annul the CoC or the Recognition Endorsement of the concerned seafarer. .

Article 45 Seafarers whose CoCs are annulled according to Article 44 may take assessment of competency for a lower level, capacity or navigation area according to the requirements of the maritime safety administrations. The maritime safety administrations shall issue the corresponding CoCs based on their assessment result.

Article 46 The maritime safety administrations in charge of examination and certification for seafarers shall have appropriate personnel, facilities and documents proportionate to their authorization. Relevant quality management system shall be established and audited by China MSA.

Article 47 The maritime safety administrations shall train and evaluate the personnel engaged in examination and certification. Only qualified personnel can conduct the work of examination and certification.

Article 48 The maritime safety administrations shall set up electronic database of seafarer’s information which provides online inquiry as required by China MSA.

Article 49 The maritime safety administrations shall release information of seafarers competence examination and certification including working procedures and telephone numbers for complaints, etc.

Article 50 Any institution or individual, except the maritime safety administrations, shall not confiscate or revoke a seafarer’s CoC for any reason.

[page]Chapter 8 Legal Liability

Article 51 In case an applicant conceals () relevant information or provides () false documents to apply for CoC, Dispensation Certificate and Recognition Endorsement, the maritime safety administrations shall reject the application and give a warning notice. The applicant is not allowed to apply the same for the next year.

Article 52 For those who acquire the CoC, Dispensation Certificate and Recognition Endorsement through illegal means such as cheating, bribery etc., the issuing maritime safety administration or its superior authority shall revoke their certificates and impose a fine from RMB2, 000 to RMB20, 000.

Article 53 For those who forge, alter, buy and sell CoC, Dispensation Certificate and Recognition Endorsement, the maritime safety administrations shall confiscate their relevant certificates and impose a fine from RMB20, 000 to RMB100, and 000. Any unlawful gaining concerned shall be confiscated as well.

Article 54 For seafarers who make false entries in the Onboard Training Record Book or apprentice records，the maritime safety administrations shall impose a fine from RMB1,000 to RMB10,000. In serious cases, the maritime safety administrations shall impose the punishment of detaining the seafarer’s service books and the CoC for a period from 6 to 24 months and further to revocation.

Article 55 For masters who make false entries in seafarers’ service book for their service record and performances, the maritime safety administrations shall impose a fine from RMB2, 000 to RMB20, 000. In serious cases, the maritime safety administrations shall impose the punishment of detaining the master’s CoC for a period from 6 to 24 months and further to revocation.

Article 56 Those with their CoCs revoked for violating the Regulations or other maritime traffic safety laws and regulations shall not apply for new CoCs for the next two years.

Article 57 Under any of the following circumstances, China MSA shall request the concerned maritime safety administrations to make corrections; In serious cases, their authorization for examination and certification of competence shall be limited or called off:

1. Carrying out examination and certification of competence without following the procedures prescribed in the administrative license law ;

2. Carrying out examination and certification of competence beyond their authority;

3. Issuing CoCs to unqualified applicants.

Chapter 9 Supplementary Provisions

Article 58 The CoCs，Dispensation Certificates and Recognition Endorsements shall be printed by China MSA.

The formats and contents of Onboard Training/Apprentice Record Book shall be determined by China MSA.

Article 59 Definitionsfor the terms inthe Regulations:

1.Seagoing shipmeans any type of power-driven ships, sailing at sea or from river to sea, but not including military vessels, fishing vessels, sports vessels,and pleasure yachts not engaged in trade；

2. Unlimited navigation area means any navigable watersat sea, including all other countries’ ports,canalsand rivers open for international trade;

3. Coastalnavigationareameans the ports, inlandwaters, territorial seaand any other navigable waters along China coastallinesunder national jurisdiction.

4. Sea area A1 means the sea area within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one VHF coast stations in which continuous DSC alerting is available;

5. SeaareaA2means the sea area, excluding sea area A1, within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one MF coast stations in which continuous DSC alerting is available;

6. SeaareaA3means the sea area, excluding sea areas A1 and A2, within the coverage of an INMARSAT geostationary satellite in which continuous alerting is available;

7. SeaareaA4means the sea area outside sea areas A1, A2 and A3;

8. Non-transportationshipmeans a power-driven ship not engaged in the transportation of cargos(or passengers), such as engineering ships and tug boats, etc;

9. Goodsafetyrecordmeans no main responsibility for serious or very serious accidents in the preceding5 years beforethe date of application;

10. Practiceeducationmeans experiment education, factory apprenticeship and onboard trainingconductedby the maritime colleges and training institutions;

11. Shipping company means the owner, the operator, the manager or the bareboat charterer of a ship;

12. Relevant institutions mean seafarer recruitment and placement agencies.

Article 60 The Regulations shall not apply to competence examination and certification for the following seafarers. Rules applicable to them shall be developed separately by China MSA.

1. Masters and officers on passenger or ro-ro passenger ships with port-to-port voyage less than 50 nautical miles;

2. Masters and deck crew serving on ships of less than 100 gross tonnage;

3. Engine crew members serving on ships with propulsion power less than 220 KW;

4. Seafarers serving on ships sailing and/or operating only within waters of their ports of registry or adjacent thereto;

5. Seafarers serving on government ships, seaplanes, wing-in-ground crafts, pleasure yachts not engaged in trade, motorboats, and non-self-propelled vessels.

Article 61 Masters and deck officers onseagoing ships sailing in inland riversshallobtainthe Seafarer’s Qualification Certificate for Inland River Navigationin accordance with the relevant provisions ofChinaMSA, excludingthe ships’ being piloted cases.

Article 62The international conventions contractedor acceded to by China shall prevail regarding the validity of CoCs for ratings.

Article 63 Forthosehavehaving been grantedCoCsand those who are in the midst ofseafarer education and trainingbefore the Regulations come into force, China MSA shall take the transitional measures to phase in the requirements within the timeframesetby relevant international conventions.

Article 64 The Regulations shall enter into forceand obsoletingthe Regulations on the Examination, Assessment and Certification of Competence for Seafarers of the People's Republic of China(MOC Minister Decree No.6, 2004)from1stMarch, 2012.