Maritime News

• 13211 NE Thompson Court
• Portland, OR 97230
• (503) 841-6066

Columbia Pacific Maritime is a small private school that focuses on short duration, intense training courses that satisfy the Coast Guard examination requirements for the professional mariner credentials required to operate commercial vessels. Fifteen different US Coast Guard approved courses are maintained and offered on a regular schedule to satisfy the examination requirements for the following professional credentials.

OUPV: Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel is the most popular license held by fishing guides operating on inland and near coastal ocean waters. This license allows the operator to carry six or fewer passengers, not counting the captain and crew.

Master: The next higher level of commercial license is called a Master. A license as Master will be issued with size limitations expressed in tons. Common limitations for original licenses include 25, 50 or 100 tons depending on the qualifications of the applicant. A Master’s license is required to operate small passenger vessels carrying more than six passengers and is required for charter boat operators, supply boat captains or the captain of any inspected vessel operated on inland or ocean waters.

Able Seaman: Able Seaman and ordinary seaman are ratings for deckhands on commercial vessels. The ordinary seaman rating is an entry level rating that does not required any experience or training.

In addition to providing USCG approved training courses for the original issue of a license, Columbia Pacific Maritime also has many courses designed to upgrade or add endorsements to an existing license.

Upgrade courses

• OUPV to Master 100
• Master 100 to Master 200
• Master 200 to Apprentice Mate (steersman) of Towing Vessels
• Master 200 to Master or Mate of Fishing Vessels

Endorsement courses

• Radar Observer
• Rules of the Road
• Celestial Navigation
• Auxiliary Sail
• Assistance Towing

A license as Master issues the authority to be the captain on any uninspected passenger vessel of less than 100 gross tons and any inspected vessel within the tonnage limitations of the license. Another important point for many mariners is that an Auxiliary Sail endorsement cannot be placed on an OUPV license, it can only be placed on a license as Master or Mate.

A license as Master will be endorsed for one of the following routes:

• Inland, meaning all inland waters of the United States.
• Near coastal, meaning all inland waters of the United States and all near coastal ocean waters within 200 miles of shore.
• Oceans, meaning all inland waters of the United States and all oceans waters worldwide.
• A license as Master may also be endorsed for very restricted routes known as a ”limited scope route”, which is restricted to a very specific area as described on the license. The USCG has become resident to issuing new limited scope licenses in the past year.
• A license Master may also be issued as Limited Master, meaning that the license is limited to a very specific route for a single company or employer on one sepcific vessel.

The sea service requirements for a license as Master of vessels not more than 100 gross tons depends on the route endorsement.

• An inland route requires 360 days of sea service experience on any waters, including lakes, bays, rivers, sounds, oceans, or the Great Lakes.
• A near coastal route requires 720 days of sea service experience on ocean waters, sea service on inland waters or the Great Lakes may be substituted for up to 360 days of the required service.
• An ocean route requires 1080 days of sea service experience on ocean waters, sea service on inland waters or the Great Lakes may be substituted for up to 540 days of the required service. At least 720 days of the required service must have been as Master or Mate while holding a USCG license as Master, Mate or OUPV.

Licenses as Master of vessels of less than 200 tons are issued in 50 ton increments, rounding up, using the following formula:

• If all your qualifying experience was on vessels of less than 5 tons your license will be limited to vessels of not more than 25 tons.
• If any of your qualifying experience was on vessels of more than 5 tons you license will be limited to vessels of not more than 50 tons.
• The maximum tonnage that 25% of the qualifying experience was on.
• 150% of the maximum tonnage that 50% of the qualifying experience was on.