The Merchant Shipping (Radio Installations) Regulations 1992

Radio officers

42.—(1) Every radiotelegraph ship which is provided with a radiotelegraph auto-alarm shall, upon proceeding to sea, be provided with radio officers as follows—

(a) two radio officers on each passenger ship carrying or certificated to carry more than 250 passengers and engaged on a voyage exceeding 16 hours' duration;

(b) one radio officer on all other radiotelegraph ships.

(2) Every United Kingdom radiotelegraph ship which is not provided with a radiotelegraph auto-alarm shall, upon proceeding to sea, be provided with radio officers as follows—

(a) three radio officers if at sea for more than 48 hours between consecutive ports;

(b) two radio officers if at sea for more than 12 hours but not more than 48 hours between consecutive ports;

(c) one radio officer if at sea for not more than 12 hours between consecutive ports.

(3) The chief radio officer on board a United Kingdom radio telegraphship shall be a person who has had experience at sea as a radio officer for a total of not less than—

(a) two years in the case of a United Kingdom passenger ship in respect of which there is in force a certificate to the effect that it is fit to carry more than 250 passengers;

(b) one year in the case of any other passenger ship; and

(c) six months in the case of a cargo ship.

(4) For the purpose of this Part no person shall be qualified to be a radio officer on board a United Kingdom ship unless he is the holder of—

(a) a valid certificate of competency issued by the Secretary of State in the form of—

(i) a Maritime Radiocommunication General Certificate, or

(ii) a First or Second Class Certificate of Competency in Radiotelegraphy; or

(iii) a valid Certificate of Competency granted by an authority empowered in that behalf by the laws of a Commonwealth country or a member State and recognised by the Secretary of State as the equivalent of a certificate specified in subparagraph (i) or (ii) above:

Provided that in the case of the chief radio officer on board a United Kingdom passenger ship the Certificate required undersub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph shall be either a Maritime Radiocommunication General Certificate, or a First Class Certificate of Competency in Radiotelegraphy or certificate equivalent thereto granted in accordance with subparagraph (a)(iii); and

(b) an authority granted by the Secretary of State under section 7 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949(1) to operate a wireless telegraphy station established on a United Kingdom ship under a licence issued by the Secretary of State.

Provided that the holder of a certificate specified in subparagraph (a) issued on or after 28th April 1984 shall not be so qualified unles she is in addition the holder of a valid certificate issued by the Secretary of State or a person authorised by him stating that the holder has satisfied the additional knowledge and training requirements set out in Schedule 7 to these Regulations or a document recognised by the Secretary of State as the equivalent of such a certificate and issued by an authority empowered in that behalf by the laws of some part of the Commonwealth or a member State.

(5) For the purposes of paragraph (4) above no certificate of competency shall be deemed to be valid on any date if granted more than 2 years before that date and either—

(a) the holder’s period, or aggregate of periods, of experience on that date is less than three months, or

(b) the holder last had experience at a time earlier than 2 years before that date, unless he can satisfy the Secretary of State by re-examination or otherwise that he still possesses all the qualifications described in his certificate and that his experience with modern equipment is adequate.

For the purpose of this paragraph the expression “experience” means experience as the operator of radiotelegraph apparatus—

(i) at sea, as a radio officer or a radiotelegraph operator, or

(ii) on land, as an operator at a radiotelegraph station maintained on land by the Post Office or British Telecommunications for communication with ships.

(6) For the purposes of this Part no person shall be deemed to be a radio officer on board a ship registered outside the United Kingdom unless he holds a valid Certificate of Competency in radiotelegraphy granted by an authority empowered or recognised in that behalf by the laws of the country in which the ship is registered and issued in accordance with the Radio Regulations.

(1)

1949 c. 54.