Amending regulations on training of inland waterway vessel crew members

Increase the number of crew members trained and certified

According to the Ministry of Transport, after Circular No. 03/2017 took effect, training facilities for crew members and inland waterway vehicle drivers have issued textbooks and teaching content for training crew members and inland waterway vehicle drivers based on regulations on training content and programs.

Over the past 7 years, the number of crew members and inland waterway vehicle drivers trained and granted professional certificates has increased (Photo: Ta Hai).

Accordingly, the training program to upgrade the Certificate of Professional Competency (GCNKNCM) for crew members and inland waterway vehicle drivers includes captains and chief engineers.

In which, the Captain's Certificate of Competency is divided into 4 classes: first class, second class, third class and fourth class.

The Chief Engineer Certificate is divided into 3 classes: first, second and third, corresponding to training programs suitable for each type and class.

The programs are assessed to basically meet the practical work needs of crew members on inland waterway vehicles.

For the training program for professional certificates (CCCM) for crew members and inland waterway vehicle drivers, including professional CCCM and special CCCM, it is divided into 9 types, corresponding to 9 training programs including sailors; mechanics; vehicle drivers; high-speed vehicle drivers; coastal vehicle drivers; safety in working on coastal vehicles; safety in working on petroleum vehicles; safety in working on chemical vehicles; safety in working on liquefied gas vehicles.

As a result, in the period 2017 - 2023, the number of crew members and vehicle drivers trained and newly issued 67,084 GCNKNCM, an increase of 38% compared to before. At the same time, 50,219 new CCCM were issued, an increase of 32% compared to the period before the Circular.

Regarding the number of training facilities, as of the end of December 2023, there are currently 20 facilities nationwide providing training services for crew members and inland waterway vehicle drivers. Of which, the North has 7 facilities (granted by the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration), the Central region has 3 facilities granted by the Department of Transport), and the South has 10 (8 facilities granted by the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration, 2 facilities granted by the Department of Transport).

The problem is that river crew members must also learn about navigation.

The notable point in the draft revised Circular is the proposed changes in training to issue the Certificate of Competency for Captains.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the training content regulations for granting third-class and first-class captain certificates currently include many maritime subjects (geography, nautical chart operations, navigation at sea...).

However, most inland waterway crew members operate in rivers and canals (on vessels with VR-SI, VR-SII certificates). Only when crew members operate on vessels with VR-SB certificates (inland waterway crew members operating on coastal routes) are they required to use knowledge of navigation, nautical chart operations, geographic coordinate systems, longitudes, latitudes, etc.

In reality, there are only about 3,000 VR-SB vehicles out of a total of about 260,000 inland waterway vehicles.

Thus, learning maritime knowledge for crew members who only operate in rivers and canals (on VR-SI and VR-SII vessels) is considered not really necessary.

In addition, according to Circular No. 39/2019, crew members operating on VR-SB level vehicles, in addition to the Certificate of Competency corresponding to the vehicle, must have a special CCCM corresponding to the type of vehicle.

Meanwhile, the content and training program of this certificate includes maritime knowledge (nautical geography, hydrometeorology, rules for preventing collisions at sea, ship maneuvering at sea...).

From here, the draft Circular proposes to amend the training program for first-class and third-class captains in the direction of: Transferring maritime-related content from the captain upgrade training program to the content of the professional certificate for controlling coastal vehicles to avoid duplication.

This amendment will help reduce the amount of time spent on unnecessary knowledge for crew members who only operate in rivers and canals, reducing costs and study time for students. At the same time, it will still ensure the quality of crew members operating in coastal areas.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/sua-quy-dinh-dao-tao-thuyen-vien-phuong-tien-thuy-noi-dia-19224080113114517.htm