Licenses of less than 200 gross registered tons and Offshore Supply Vessels in Domestic Service.
Vessels of 200 gross registered tons on domestic voyages (not more than 200 miles off of the US coast and not in any other country's waters).
The US Coast Guard has made an administrative decision that all mariners operating on vessels of less than 200 gross registered tons on a route of no more than 200 miles off of a US coast line (domestic route) have already met the requirements of STCW 95 based on what they had to do to get their license. This so called equivalency does not extend to vessels or people making foreign voyages (from the US to a foreign port, ie. The Bahamas).
If, you intend to use your 200 grt license on a foreign voyage, you must have an STCW 95 Certificate. You can accomplish this by asking for one from the US Coast Guard Regional Examination Center. They will require you to demonstrate that you have completed a Basic Safety Training Course, and other practical demonstrations, as yet "under consideration" by the USCG. These courses have to be "approved" by the USCG. You can find a list of them at: http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/marpers/examques/stcw-bst.pdf. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view the list. Once you have completed the BST Course, you will be issued a certificate of completion. This certificate is what you send into the USCG to get the STCW certificate. Additionally, the "under consideration" training will be documented in a Training Record Book (TRB). This TRB will also have to be furnished to the USCG before the STCW certificate can be issued.
Offshore Supply Vessels (OSV).
OSVs are a different animal under STCW. Actually, STCW doesn’t even mention OSVs. However, the US regulations that implemented STCW have a special section for OSVs. The Offshore Supply Vessel Industry, represented by an industry association, put pressure on the US Coast Guard and for lack of a better term, made a deal regarding STCW 95. The deal was that the industry would not pose a political roadblock to STCW if special provisions were made for OSVs.
As a result, special licenses were created for OSVs. And the requirements for a mariner to get an STCW 95 Certificate for an OSV restricted license were significantly streamlined. The downside is that the license and accompanying STCW Certificate cannot be used outside of the United States or the OSV industry.
As with non-OSV STCW Certificates, you must complete a USCG approved program. The OSV program is a demonstration only program with no mandatory training. However, the seagoing service requirements remain the same!
Towing
Vessels.
The US now has a separate towing vessel license. The STCW Convention, however, does not make mention of towing vessels in the special training listed in Chapter V of the Convention. Therefore, an applicant for a US towing license with an STCW 95 Certificate that allows foreign voyages will have to meet the STCW Convention for requirements for a master or mate of the same size gross tonnage as their towing license, in addition to the requirements for the towing license, itself.
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