The Central Tirreno Maritime Association criticizes the reform of professional qualifications in pleasure boating.
President Patrizio Caringi analyses some critical issues that emerge from the text of the law and also reports some important risks to the Port Authorities.
Contribution by Patrizio Caringi *
* President of the Central Tyrrhenian Seafarers' Association (Amtc)
The process for the amendments to the decree of 10 May 2005 n° 121 has finally come to a conclusion. It was a long negotiation, the result of meetings between the competent institutions and the Central Tirreno Maritime Association with its President Patrizio Caringi, which led to important changes, some positive and some that leave doubts about their effectiveness and applicability. After publication in the Official Journal, the new regulation comes into force by modifying the rules on professional qualifications in pleasure boating.
Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi speaks of alignment with the regulations in force in other EU countries and of more competitive Italian professionals, but the regulation does not ensure that the new 2nd Class Officer qualification is valid for other countries. On the contrary, the British qualification is recognized as valid for the majority of countries, including Italy. This means that Italians who earn this qualification will only be able to sail on pleasure boats flying the Italian flag, while those who earn the British qualification can sail almost anywhere, including Italy. Therefore, this new qualification already comes with a significant handicap.
The amendments to the regulation also affect the training process for pleasure craft Navigation Officers and their evolution in terms of the possibility of embarking as Deck Officers. The tonnage limit is set at 3.000 GT for officers below the first rank or as commanders on vessels up to 500 GT, provided that the training was conducted on pleasure vessels or on vessels over 15 meters in length used for charter or private charter, or on vessels intended exclusively for charter for tourism purposes.
Changes have also been made to the role of Master of the Pleasure Craft, who will be able to command pleasure vessels, including charter vessels, or vessels exclusively for charter for tourism, without any tonnage limit. This is certainly a major step forward in aligning this qualification with the English ones, but here, the legislator fails to take into account the reality of our fleet. Indeed, to obtain this qualification, in addition to holding a Master of the Pleasure Craft certificate, one must have completed at least 24 months of navigation as chief mate on pleasure vessels, including charter vessels, or vessels exclusively for charter for tourism, with a tonnage greater than 500 GT. Setting a minimum tonnage of 500 GT or greater penalizes those who have obtained a qualification in Italy, as our vessels exceeding 500 GT are few in number and therefore insufficient to allow a large number of Master of the Pleasure Craft to complete 24 months of navigation.
And here we come to one of the most striking changes, one that cannot be accepted as it overturns what has always been a cornerstone of the entire set of regulations governing seafarers. Article 3 of Decree No. 121 of May 10, 2005, has been amended with regard to second-class pleasure craft navigation officers, who are no longer required, or are now permitted, to be registered as a Seafarer. How can one expect to acquire a professional qualification without having even one day of proven or redeemed seafarer's record? Ever since the profession of seafarer existed, there has always been a seafarer's record and a record which, in addition to proving that a person can swim and row, documents the entire life and work experience of that seafarer. Without this record, anyone could be considered a seafarer.
We would also like to pose a question to the General Command of the Port Authorities, which has always campaigned for safety at sea: how do they intend to accept a qualification that allows anyone without any experience? Anyone aged 18 and over can operate a 35-meter pleasure vessel, simply by taking an exam and undergoing various training courses that can easily be passed by studying from books. The sea and navigation are not just studied from books, but are learned through experience. Furthermore, there are many other technical and legislative aspects that raise considerable concerns regarding the implementation of this new qualification.
It seems more logical to discuss this with those who have always represented seafarers and can make the right changes to regulations, decrees, and laws that can sometimes, if applied without proper discussion, undermine a category that needs to keep pace with the navies of other nations without, however, overlooking the Italian situation.
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