The Merchant Shipping (Inland Waterway and Limited Coastal Operations) (Boatmasters’ Qualifications and Hours of Work) Regulations 2006

Boatmasters’ licences

1.  In this Schedule—

“cargo” means all the things which are transported on a vessel, except fuel for the vessel, solid or liquid ballast, consumables to be used on board, the permanent outfit and equipment of the vessel, stores and spare gear for the vessel, the personal baggage and belongings of the crew and any passengers and the equipment necessary for or related to the activities being undertaken by the vessel;

“dangerous goods” means the following materials (other than those which would be oil and chemical cargo): explosives, gases, flammable solids, oxidising substances, organic peroxides, toxic and infectious substances, radioactive material, corrosive substances and substances and articles having similar dangerous characteristics;

“fast craft” means a vessel capable of a maximum speed when fully laden of at least 20 knots (where “maximum speed” means the speed achieved at the maximum continuous rating of the vessel’s propulsion machinery);

“general cargo” means any cargo other than oil and chemical cargo but includes packaged dangerous goods;

“oil and chemical cargo” means oil, liquid chemicals and liquefied gases;

“qualifying service”, in relation to a Tier 2 boatmaster’s licence, has the meaning given in regulation 11(10);

“relevant local knowledge” means knowledge of local regulations and other navigation requirements and of the hazards and other features specific to an area of water which affect safe navigation in that area;

“relevant local knowledge endorsement” means an endorsement authorising operations in specified waters (or in a specified part of the waters) for which relevant local knowledge is required ;

“specialist towing or pushing operations” means operations involving the towing or pushing of vessels, including ship towage with tugs (other than emergency towing assistance and rigid pushing operations on waters of category A or B or waters of category C if not linked to other waters).

2.—(1) Subject to the following provisions of this paragraph, a class of boatmaster’s licence or endorsement specified in column (1) of the table in Part 1 of this Schedule authorises a person to serve as master of a vessel of a description mentioned in column (2) for the purposes of operations of a description mentioned in that column and in the waters specified in that column.

(2) A cargo endorsement held by a person under the age of 21 does not authorise its holder to serve as master on a vessel if its overall length exceeds 40 metres (“overall length” being the maximum length of the vessel including all fixed installations such as parts of the steering system or power plant and mechanical or similar devices).

(3) In waters for which relevant local knowledge is required a boatmaster’s licence does not authorise its holder to undertake any operations (other than operations necessary to deal with an emergency) unless he also holds an endorsement appropriate to those waters.

3.—(1) Subject to the following provisions of this paragraph, a class of UK certificate specified in column (1) of the table in Part 2 of this Schedule confers on its holder authority to serve as master of a vessel which is equivalent to that conferred by the class of boatmaster’s licence specified in column (2) of that table.

(2) In waters for which relevant local knowledge is required, a UK certificate does not authorise its holder to undertake any operations (other than operations necessary to deal with an emergency) unless it is a certificate attesting to his knowledge of local navigation requirements in those waters.

4.—(1) Subject to the limitation specified in paragraph (2), a class of boatmaster’s certificate issued in an EEA State other than the United Kingdom corresponding to a class of UK certificate confers on its holder authority to serve as master of a vessel equivalent to the authority conferred by that class of UK certificate.

(2) The limitation is that no certificate authorises its holder to serve as master of a vessel at sea.

5.  A fast craft endorsement may be limited—

(a) to a specified description of vessel,

(b) to navigation on voyages following a specified route, or

(c) both to a specified description of vessel and to navigation on voyages following a specified route.

6.  Relevant local knowledge is required for operations in the waters specified in the table below.

Table: relevant local knowledge requirements

(1) Port or harbour area	(2) Extent of waters where a relevant local knowledge endorsement is required
Bristol Port	The River Avon from Ashton Swing Bridge to the mouth of the Avon and King Road from Portishead Point to the port limits to the North and West
Caernafon and Menai Strait	From the Southern Limit specified in the Menai Strait Pilotage District Pilotage Directions, that is an imaginary line joining positions 53˚09.6’N 004˚25.7’W (Malltraeth Bay); 53˚05.0’N 004˚32.15’W (Caernafon Bay) and 53˚00.55’N 004˚23.58’W (afon Hen, Clynnog) to a line drawn between Bangor Pier and Garth-y-Don
Dee Conservancy	From an imaginary straight line connecting Point of Ayr (National Grid reference point SJ 12268519) and Hilbre Point (National Grid reference point SJ 20298843) to the Airbus Load-out Facility at Broughton
Dover Harbour	The harbour and the sea within a distance of one mile from the seaward limits of the harbour
Fowey Harbour	The upper estuary, north of Upper Carne Point
Gloucester Harbour	The Severn estuary from the harbour limits at Goldcliff to the weirs at Maisemore, Lanthony (Gloucester) on the tidal River Severn, and to Bigsweir Bridge on the tidal River Wye.
Port of Liverpool	The River Mersey from a straight line drawn between the Perch Rock Lighthouse and Gladstone River Entrance West Bullnose, south to a straight line drawn between the East Bullnose of Eastham 50’ Lock and the West Bullnose of Stalbridge (Garston) Lock
Port of London	The River Thames from Putney Bridge to the eastern limit of the Thames Barrier Control Zone (currently Margaretness)
Padstow Harbour	The waters within a line joining Stepper Point, Gulland Rock and Pentire Point
Portsmouth Harbour	The waters between No. 4 Bar Buoy and a line drawn from No. 98 Pile to Whale Island.
Isles of Scilly	The waters within a line drawn from Bishop Rock Lighthouse to Scilly Rock, Round Island, White Island, Hanjague and around the South East of St Mary’s.
Teignmouth	The waters from Ness Point to 100 yards East of Den Lighthouse