COMPETENCIES TO QUALIFY FOR THE TITLE OF SECOND-CLASS SKIPPER

Entry Profile: Law on Marinas and Connected Activities (LMAC) Chapter II On the requirements to qualify for Titles and Licenses.	Article 264. Applicants for the title of Second-Class Skipper and Second-Class Motorman must have completed their studies at an Institute of Diversified Secondary and Professional Nautical Education, duly registered with the National Institute of Aquatic Spaces, as well as having completed supervised navigation practice for a period of no less than nine (9) months, be over twenty-one (21) years of age, have at least completed sixth grade, and prove a minimum of twenty-four (24) months of sea service time.
Exit Profile: Law on Marinas and Connected Activities (LMAC) Chapter III On Functions.	Article 280, numeral 3. Second-Class Skipper: to serve as navigation officer on vessels whose gross tonnage is equal to or less than one hundred and fifty gross tonnage units (150 GT) in jurisdictional waters of the Republic. To exercise command of vessels whose gross tonnage is equal to or less than fifty gross tonnage units (50 GT) within an Aquatic Jurisdiction, or a fishing vessel and agricultural products transport vessel under twenty-four meters (24 m) in length overall (LOA), within an aquatic jurisdiction.

Entry Profile: Law on Marinas and Connected Activities (LMAC) Chapter II On the requirements to qualify for Titles and Licenses.

Article 264. Applicants for the title of Second-Class Skipper and Second-Class Motorman must have completed their studies at an Institute of Diversified Secondary and Professional Nautical Education, duly registered with the National Institute of Aquatic Spaces, as well as having completed supervised navigation practice for a period of no less than nine (9) months, be over twenty-one (21) years of age, have at least completed sixth grade, and prove a minimum of twenty-four (24) months of sea service time.

Exit Profile: Law on Marinas and Connected Activities (LMAC) Chapter III On Functions.

Article 280, numeral 3. Second-Class Skipper: to serve as navigation officer on vessels whose gross tonnage is equal to or less than one hundred and fifty gross tonnage units (150 GT) in jurisdictional waters of the Republic. To exercise command of vessels whose gross tonnage is equal to or less than fifty gross tonnage units (50 GT) within an Aquatic Jurisdiction, or a fishing vessel and agricultural products transport vessel under twenty-four meters (24 m) in length overall (LOA), within an aquatic jurisdiction.

Subject	Knowledge, Understanding and Proficiency (approved content)	Competence
Ship Structure and Stability I	Definition of the vessel. Classification of vessels: by construction material, construction system, type of propulsion, intended use.	Know the theoretical fundamentals of the vessel.
	Principal dimensions: length, breadth, and depth.
	Draft. Different types of draft.
	Principal components of ship structure: keel, stem, sternpost, frames, beams, carlings/girders, pillars, keelsons, outer shell plating and inner skin, hatches, bulkheads, masts, bows, quarters, bitts, scuppers.
	Accommodation: general aspects.
	Elements to consider in stability and stowage: parts of the vessel, waterplane and waterline, displacement volume and molded hull, underwater body (obra viva) and topsides (obra muerta), freeboard, hull reference lines, forward perpendicular (FP), aft perpendicular (AP), midship perpendicular and midship section, centerline, baseline or molded line, trim and stability alteration due to internal transfer or relocation of weights. Displacement: types and general concepts. Center of gravity, Varignon’s Theorem, definition.
Coastal Navigation and Dead Reckoning	Elements of dead reckoning and coastal navigation: Terrestrial coordinates. Mercator projection and charts.	Plan and direct a coastal voyage and determine position.
	Chart correction.
	Construction of position plots.
	Compasses: Magnetic compass. Magnetic declination/variation. Obtaining these from nautical charts.
	Courses: Classes of courses. Variation. Deviation and total correction. Conversion from magnetic course to true course and vice versa. Conversion from compass course to true course.
	Dead Reckoning Navigation: Factors to consider in Dead Reckoning Navigation: dead reckoning triangle, simple case in dead reckoning (departure position, True Course – Distance Run, arrival position). True course. Speed and distance.
	Coastal Navigation: Lines of position used in coastal navigation. Bearings and relative bearings. Relationships between relative bearing, course, and bearing. Conversion from one bearing to another (compass bearing, magnetic bearing, and true bearing).
	Alidade.
	Azimuth circle.
	Gyro repeaters.
	Methods for taking bearings and relative bearings.
	Sailing Directions: Definition. Utilization.
	Recording corrections. Alterations and changes.
Coastal Navigation and Dead Reckoning / Maritime Legislation I	Navigational Watchkeeping Service (Watch rosters). Knowledge of the principles to be observed in conducting a navigational watch. Use of routing systems in accordance with general provisions on ships’ routing.	Perform a safe navigational watch. Possess the necessary general knowledge regarding the legal framework governing National Aquatic activity, applicable to small craft.
	Thorough knowledge of the content, application, and purpose of COLREG: These are the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGS), published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which establish, among other things, the “traffic rules” or navigation rules to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea to avoid collisions between two or more vessels. COLREGs can also refer to the specific boundary line dividing inland waterways, which are subject to their own navigation rules, and coastal waterways subject to international navigation rules. The COLREGs are derived from a multilateral treaty named the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. The COLREGs include 38 rules divided into five sections: Part A – General; Part B – Steering and Sailing; Part C – Lights and Shapes; Part D – Sound and Light Signals; and Part E – Exemptions. There are also four Annexes containing technical requirements regarding lights, shapes, and their positioning; sound signaling appliances; additional signals for fishing vessels operating in close proximity, and international distress signals.
	General Notions, as they affect the Skipper, of the following legal instruments: Law on Marinas and Connected Activities, Civil Code, Code of Commerce, Customs Law, Law of Aquatic Spaces, Labor Law, Organic Law on Prevention, Conditions, and Work Environment (LOPCIMAT), International Code of Signals, Regulation Determining the Jurisdiction of Port Captaincies of the Republic, Regulation for the Registration and Identification of Personnel, Powers of titleholders and sanctions according to the Law of Titles, Licenses, and Permits of the Merchant Marine, International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea COLREG, Maritime Sanitation Regulation, MARPOL, SOLAS, ISM, ISPS.
	STCW Section A-VIII/2, Watchkeeping organization and principles to be observed: Part 1 – Certification. Part 2 – Voyage planning. Part 3 – General principles to be observed in keeping watch. Part 4 – Watchkeeping at Sea. Part 5 – Watchkeeping in Port. STCW Regulation II/3 Minimum requirements for certification of officers in charge of a navigational watch and of masters on ships of less than 500 gross tonnage: Ships not engaged on near-coastal voyages. Ships engaged on near-coastal voyages. Exemptions. Preparation of reports and marine protests. Basic Practical Knowledge of relevant IMO Conventions concerning the safety of life at sea, maritime security, and protection of the marine environment.
Hygiene and First Aid	Content of IMO Model Course 1.13 Medical first aid – basic knowledge: Assessment of victims’ needs and threats to personal safety. Knowledge of the structure and functions of the human body. Understanding of immediate measures to be taken in emergencies, including: 1. Placing the victim in an appropriate posture. 2. Applying resuscitation techniques. 3. Controlling hemorrhages. 4. Taking appropriate measures to treat basic cases of shock. 5. Taking appropriate measures in case of burns and scalds, including accidents caused by electrical current. 6. Rescuing and transporting a victim. 7. Improvising bandages and utilizing first aid kit materials.	Know the importance of observing hygiene rules for the preservation of physical and mental health on board and mastering techniques to treat injuries that occur most frequently on a vessel.
Hygiene and First Aid	Medical assistance. Practical application of medical guides and radio medical advice, and ability to act effectively following that information in foreseeable cases of accidents or illnesses on board. Reference to (LOPCIMAT) regarding sanitation and working conditions; said law is discussed in the MARITIME LEGISLATION course.
Seamanship	Mooring equipment: ropes/lines, operation of winches and capstans, hawse pipes, bitts, cleats, lanyards, messenger lines. Precautions during maneuvers.	Acquire skills in making knots, marine hitches, and ropework, knowing their application, as well as knowing mooring equipment and deck maintenance duties.
	Deck maintenance.
	Cleaning techniques: chipping and sandblasting.
	Paint: types and application.
	Knots and marine hitches: square knot, granny knot, fisherman’s knot, sheet bends, bowline, hawser with two bowlines, timber hitch, clove hitch, sheepshank, masthead knot, half knot, figure-eight knot. Ropework/Duties: coiling, splicing, tightening/cinching, whipping, seizing, marrying/joining, throwing turns, clearing/releasing.
Ship Maneuvers and Operations I	Definition of ship maneuvering and operability.	Apply maneuvering standards during navigation and in port to guarantee safety at sea.
	COLREG PART A-B.
	Combined propeller-rudder effect.
	Anchoring maneuvers.
	Berthing and unberthing maneuvers.
	Types of Maneuvers: For small craft, types of Tugs. Type of lines and mooring systems. Fundamentals of maneuvers in case of Contingency (SALVAGE TOWAGE).
Marine Machinery and Equipment I	Two-stroke and four-stroke engines: cycles, diesel and gasoline engines, differences in the operating principles of each, general characteristics of inboard-outboard (stern-drive) and outboard engines.	Know the basic principles of operation of marine machinery and equipment.
	Engine components: fixed parts and moving parts.
	Electricity: concepts, methods of generation, dynamo, alternator.
	Auxiliary machinery: functions, ballast and bilge system, basic steering mechanisms.
Maritime Communications I	Distress Call.	Identify distress, urgency, and safety messages.
	Transmission: Transmission on medium and high frequencies.
	Transmission lines.
	Theory and practice of antennas.
	Reception: Reception techniques.
	Receiving antennas.
	Single sideband transmission: Operation of S.S.B. stations.
	Special communication systems: Introduction to the study of this system.
	Operation: Operation of radio stations.
	Use of marine bands and frequencies. Code.
	Operating rules.
	Interference.
	Frequent faults and their repair. Basic GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) for small craft.
Fishing Methods and Gear	Fishing methods: rod and line, characteristics and application. Fishing tackle: structural characteristics of the most frequently used tackle in fishing: rod and drift nets.	Know the most common fishing methods and gear used on fishing vessels.
	Most common species and their habitat.
	Maneuvers for locating, concentrating, and extracting fish using rod and line gear.
	Description, handling, and preservation of fish on board: gutting, scaling, and salting.
	General aspects of cold preservation: icing and refrigeration.

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