I very much agree with the letter written by member number 179359 regarding the high costs of attaining and revalidating dynamic positioning (DP) certification.
When I qualified for my DP certificate in 1992, after almost five years working as a dynamic positioning operator (DPO), it was valid for life, with no requirement to keep revalidating. In fact, it wasn't a requirement to have a DP certificate at all, and many DPOs of the time did not have one.
The Nautical Institute scheme and the training programme was very good and worked well for around 20 years until revalidation was introduced.
Since then, the goal posts have indeed been moved, several times, with qualified DPOs now having to jump through hoops just to keep their certificates and their jobs.
Are DPOs now any better than they were in the 1990s? I think not. It's all part of the great revalidation rip-off!
Chris Ryan
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Calling all Ancient Mariners who began their careers c.1970-75 in Plymouth at the then School of Navigation.