Course Description

Replaces Sea Term III. Qualified deck-cadets are afforded an opportunity to train aboard commercially operated vessels in the deck-cadet rating in lieu of sailing aboard the Academy’s training ship. Candidates must attain junior status during the previous academic term. A comprehensive sea project is due upon completion of commercial sea term

This course consists of an approximately 60-day long shipboard experence on a commerical vessel requiring the completion of a comprehensive written project.

STCW Objectives

Topics

  • Vessel Familiarization
    • Vessel Vital Statistics
    • Ship’s Maneuvering Characteristics
    • Ship’s Activity Log
    • Ship & Cadet Photo
    • Daily Journal
  • Navigation
    • Voyage Plan
      • Piloting Project On Navigation Chart - Arrival, Departure, Landfall, or Piloting
      • Voyage Plan Spreadsheet
      • Tides and Current Calculations
    • Celestial Navigation
      • Sunrise, Sunset
      • Twilight
      • Azimuths - Sun, Star, Polaris
      • Amplitude of Sun
      • LAN
      • Transit of any Celestial Body other than Sun
      • Geographic Range
      • Daily Position Reports
  • Vessel Operations
    • Ship’s Business
      • COD
      • Official and Ship’s Logbooks
      • Official and IMO Number
      • Vessel Security Officer
      • Vessel Security Procedures
      • Shipboard Unions
      • Shipboard Familiarization
      • Ship Documents - Official Crew List, Cargo Manifest, Note of Protest, etc.
      • STCW Rest hours
      • COI
      • Pollution Response Plan
      • Waste Management Plan
      • Standing Orders
    • Ship Familiarization - General
      • Anchor Windlass
      • Mooring Winches
      • Mooring Fittings
      • Steering Gear
      • Load Lines
      • Emergency Escape Routes
      • Propeller
      • Thrusters
      • Main and Auxiliary Power Plant
      • Ballast Water Exchange
      • Emergency Towing
      • Engineroom Maneuvering
      • Ship’s Piping Systems
    • Ship Familiarization - Bridge Equipment
      • Maneuvering Characteristics Diagram
      • RADARs
      • ECDIS
      • Gyro Compass
      • Magnetic Compass
      • Weather Fax / Reports
      • Rate of Turn Indicator
      • Fathometer
      • AIS
      • Bridge Watch Alarm
      • Reduced Visibility Listening Devices
      • Speed Log
      • Mooring Diagrams
      • Bridge Layout
    • Bridge Operations
      • Position Fixing Methods
      • Sextants
      • Tug Operations
      • Anchor Watches
      • VTS Interaction
      • Shipboard Watch Conditions
      • Piloting Routine
      • Pilot Ladders
      • Under Keel Clearance (UKC)
      • Helicopter Ops
      • Voyage Data Recorder
      • Arrival and Departure Checklists
    • Cargo Operations - Choose Applicable Vessel
      • Tankers
      • LNG Vessels
      • Container Vessels
      • Bulk Carriers
      • General Cargo Vessels
      • Ro/Ro Vessels
      • Passenger Vessels
      • Offshore Supply Vessels
      • Tugs / Tug and Barges
      • Tugs / Tug and Barges - Inland Operations
    • Firefighting & Lifesaving
      • Lifeboat, Liferaft, Lifering Requirements
      • Monthly Safety Equipment Inspections
      • Free-Fall Lifeboats
      • Liferafts
      • Fire & Emergency Drills
      • Vessel Safety Officer
      • Safety Meetings
      • Work Permits
      • Emergency gear Lockers
      • PPE
      • GMDSS Equipment
      • Security/Piracy Arrangements
      • fast Rescue Boat
    • Rules of the Road
      • Five Traffic Situations
        • RADAR Plot
        • Applicable Rule Explanation
      • Navigation Lights
      • Sound Signaling Appliances
      • Day Shapes

Other objectives

  • Gain practical experience while living and working on a commercial ship, under the supervision of the ship’s officers.

  • Complete a comprehensive sea project, describing all aspects of the ship and its operation.

  • Proficiency ADB-4J11A Trace out and describe a piping system may be completed on this sea term, but must be completed by the end of Sea Term IV .

For more information, see