Next up is the first of the seagoing phases. Now, this is of course where those with no maritime knowledge or qualifications will most likely come unstuck. The prerequisite here is naturally a vessel with a classed DP system, and the trainee needs a berth on it. Now for those who have been sent to the DP course by an employer and are guaranteed a place onboard, then this is fine. For others it can be the start of the problems.
For those who have funded themselves, even for experienced mariners, it can be very hard ( read, next to impossible ) to get the necessary 30 days sea-time. There are many seafarers out in the market today, all desperate to qualify as DPO, but they can't get past this hurdle. There is currently no formal system of placing them, they may well have invested their own money to begin their training, but progress thereafter is effectively blocked.
We at the International DP Operators Association ( IDPOA ) are working to bridge the gap between these DP trainees and the owners / operators that may be able to provide the "Phase2" 30 days sea-time. Our "Berthing Pool" project is in its infancy, but in partnership and with the close assistance of the Nautical Institute's DP Training Executive Group ( DP-TEG ), we are pursuing an online database of trainees and available positions. This scheme should ensure that trainees get a place onboard, and that ultimately we are able to provide the future supply of talent that the DP sector needs.
With the current downturn, and the fact that planning is perhaps not shipping's strongest suit, we are regrettably facing some indifference and apathy from shipowners. However, we are currently in talks with stakeholders to make progress and roll out a system capable of mitigating this perceived weakness in the DP certification system. See
www.dpoperatots.org/ for progress on this and other professional DP projects.
So if experienced, qualified, driven, seafarers who have decided to invest in their own career are struggling to get sea-time - what do you think that means for the people off the street who thought it sounded like a good number? Exactly, they are really going to struggle at this point. Most likely, after reams of letters, hundreds of printed resumes and pleading emails they are probably going to return to their old career path and give up on the DP dream.
For those ( mariners or not ), who get the sea-time, then fine - they do 30 days and then head off to college once for more the Simulator ( Advanced ) course - before the need for yet more sea-time ( 6 months this time ), and a signature from the Master stating their suitability for the role as DPO.
For those employed and sponsored by a company through the NI DPO certification scheme, then all is fairly standard and barring any glaring errors in the logbook ( and many people do make errors ), then the certificate will eventually be despatched.
If, however, it is something being pursued by an individual out of a desire to progress or to switch career, then it really is not for the fainthearted. As more mariners emerge from colleges all over the world, then the likelihood of success for non-seafarers is narrowing constantly. To the point where the rumours will abate and those with the knowledge and skill to actually get the job done can progress up the chain.
That would be a very neat end to the story, were it not for the fact that the NI DPO Certificate is not a mandatory requirement. So there are jobs working on DP, which do not actually require the operative to hold a DP certificate.
The Future
Perhaps this is where we will see the IT geeks excel ? The problems with most myths is that there is almost always some distant link to truth - and there are some sectors of the DP world in which those who do not possess deck officer certificates of competency ( CoC ) have indeed been dropped into the hot-seat, and have worked the DP desk, many of them to good effect.
The practice was prevalent in the Gulf of Mexico, more especially on MODU's. These situations have launched a thousand false hopes and fears. In some countries, the grapevine is so strong that the thought of cooks working as DPO's and earning more than traditional master mariners has caused genuine uproar.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the moves to place DP training into The Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping ( STCW ) Convention were prompted by the paranoia that senior seafarers could be "out earned" by those new to the industry. India had initially tried to get DP training and certification into Part A of the convention, which would have made it mandatory. In the end, however, they had to settle for a place in Part B, the recommended guidance to assist parties and those involved in implementing, applying or enforcing STCW Convention.
Slowly we can see that the issue of DP is moving not just into the mainstream consciousness, but will soon be taking centre stage as more ( and more types of ) vessels are equipped with DP. Add to this, the fact that oil majors are demanding ever more of their suppliers, then the requirement to have a qualified ( and by that we mean NI DPO certificate holder ) DPO at the desk is increasingly commonplace. The wriggle room is closing, and while in the past the DPO position was seen as somehow remote and outside the shipboard status quo, slowly the role is being subsumed into the normal onboard roles and responsibilities - and ship owners naturally want their personnel to provide them with the best value for money, or return on investment - as such, qualified Deck officers in possession of both a valid CoC AND the NI DPO certificate are increasingly both the norm and the baseline standard.
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