How to apply for Dangerous Cargo Certificate?: Both Basic & Advanced

A dangerous cargo endorsement is a certificate of authority for a seafarer that permits a person to work on any vessel that handles cargo classified as marine dangerous goods. Shipping of goods such as gasoline, petroleum, chemicals, and so on need specialized authorization from a nation’s government for a vessel to handle them. Every seafarer would require a DC endorsement to be qualified to work on such vessels.

Obtaining a Dangerous cargo certificate can lead to some major benefits as a seafarer. It qualifies you to work on every type of ship and rewards you with better and higher salaries.

Why is Dangerous Cargo Certificate required?

A dangerous cargo certificate certifies a seafarer’s ability to handle marine dangerous products in international seas in accordance with IMO guidelines.
The certificate endorsement guarantees that a seafarer is well-versed in dangerous goods standards. It makes no difference what position you work for, having this credential is required.
The DC endorsement certificate is granted once the seafarer has passed an examination and received training in accordance with the regulations of the authority concerned. Training in dangerous cargo handling guarantees that sailors are prepared to manage any incident onboard a ship.

How to apply for Dangerous cargo certificate?

There are two types of DC endorsement certificates – Basic and Advanced.

Documents required:

Scanned copy of signed online application
Passport size photograph with clear white background face covering 70%
Scanned signature
Scanned modular course certificate in one PDF file
Certificate from the company should mention the name of Oil, Chemical, Gas, Cargo, carried along with their grade
Scan copy of existing basic DC endorsement certificate (when you’re applying for advanced certificate)
Self attested scanned copy of CDC, booklet pages showing relevant sea services

Application procedure for Basic Dangerous Cargo Endorsement certificate:

In order to obtain a basic Dangerous Cargo Endorsement certificate, follow the below steps:

Go to D.G. Shipping’s website
Log into your Seafarer’s profile and click on the ‘Update seafarer profile’ link in the ‘Seafarer’ column
Click on the ‘COP’ tab and select ‘Check eligibility’
Click on the drop-down menu beside ‘Select to Check Eligibility’ option
Then click on either ‘DC basic oil and chemical’ or ‘DC basic liquified gas’ according to your requirements and click on ‘Continue’

In the next screen, you will see your eligibility status for DC
If you have not uploaded any documents, they will be marked as red
To upload those documents, go to the ‘Documents’ tab in the ‘Update seafarer profile’ section. Scroll down to the bottom and upload all the relevant documents
When all the documents have been uploaded, come back to the DC eligibility section. You’ll see a button saying ‘Apply now’
Hit that button and your application for the Dangerous Cargo Certificate will be completed

Application procedure for Advanced Dangerous Cargo Endorsement certificate:

Go to D.G. Shipping’s website
Log into your Seafarer’s profile and click on “DC Endorsement GMDSS Radio Operator” link in the ‘Seafarer’ column

Here, you will find links to both basic and advanced DC endorsement certificates
Click on “Application for DC endorsement for advanced (Level II)”

The DC certificate form will appear.

Check the data reflected from the Profile for correctness, proceed to fill in the other information if correct
Choose the MMD you wish to apply to, nearest would be better for faster delivery
Select the application type New/Renewal
Select the Grade as applicable and enter the CoC Details (Application cannot proceed further without the information of CoC
Fill in the existing DCE details of DCE Basic for new DCE Advanced, else fill in the details of DCE Advanced for Renewal DCE Advanced
On the next page, enter the address details to which you wish to get the DCE delivered
Enter the details of the required Advanced Modular courses for the particular type of tanker
Continue till the final step and generate the Application number

Now go back to the “DC Endorsement, GMDSS Radio Operator” link page and click on the “Pay CoC & CoP Fees, Upload Documents and View Status” link. Click the Pay Now link and complete the payment process.

Upon payment, the “Upload Now” link for documents will appear on the Application Status page. Click on the link and upload the documents as required. The online application will be available for printing which you need to sign and upload the scanned copy, all pages in a single PDF file.

Once all are uploaded, the application will be submitted at the MMD to which it is applied to which can be checked on the Application Status page.

Note:

To get the certificate from your Company that mentions the name of Oil, Chemical, Gas cargo carried along with their grade, you need to procure the cargo-carrying certificate from your ship and submit it to the company, where they will upload it on their letterhead and further upload on the DG shipping website. It will then automatically appear in your attached documents section.

Application review for basic Dangerous Cargo endorsement certificate:

The application is normally reviewed and approved within 10-15 days. To check the status and download it, follow the below steps:

Visit the STCW checker on DG shipping using this link
Click on the drop-down menu and select ‘COP – DC basic’
Enter your INDOS number and date of birth and hit the search button
If the certificate has been issued, you will be able to see the ‘View certificate’ button which you can click and download your Dangerous cargo endorsement certificate

Application review for advanced Dangerous Cargo endorsement certificate:

The application is normally reviewed and approved within 10-15 days. Upon approval, the Certificate is mailed by Speed Post to the address specified during the application procedure. If the documents or information supplied do not satisfy the specifications, the application will be queried back, and a response will be sent to the email address you provided.

In case you have to re-upload the documents, check all the criteria and make sure to upload them correctly. It will then be received by the MMD and processed. After approval, the granting authority enters the DCE information into the Master Checker of the Seafarer’s Profile.

The Approval status and Certificate dispatch status, as well as the tracking number, may be viewed under the Application status.

Important points to consider while applying for a Dangerous Cargo endorsement certificate

While applying for the Dangerous cargo endorsement certificate, you should keep in mind the following points:

According to the dangerous goods regulations, you must have completed the necessary course and completed the necessary training in the required field.
The endorsement certificate/training needed differs depending on the type of vessel you want to operate on, such as petroleum, chemicals, or liquid gas.
The certifications and qualifications required for a dangerous cargo endorsement certificate differ depending on the role of the seafarer. For instance, according to India’s hazardous goods laws, crew personnel seeking dc endorsement would need certification in the main tanker course, in addition to mandatory documentation such as a CDC, PP, and INDOS number.

A management level officer, on the other hand, would require extra courses and training such as management level LCHS, AFF, as well as previous experience working on similar vessels.

According to IMO requirements, a dc endorsement certificate is only valid as long as you hold a valid Certificate of Competency. Thus, before applying for DC endorsement certificate, you need to check the validity of your Certificate of Competency.
Different countries have different requirements for DC endorsements. Before applying for Dangerous Cargo endorsement certificate, you must assure that you meet those standards.
At the time of collecting the Dangerous cargo endorsement certificate, you would be needed to present original copies of all the relevant documents.
You must constantly double-check the information on the endorsement form. Failure to do so may result in your ineligibility for endorsement.

When and how should you get your Dangerous Cargo Certificate revalidated?

The Dangerous Cargo Certificate remains valid only for a period of 5 years after the date of issue. Upon completion of the period of 5 years, the seafarer can apply for the revalidation of the certificate. It is necessary to revalidate the certificate according to the IMO guidelines.

At the time of revalidation, the candidate must:

Meet the medical fitness criteria mentioned in the rules
Must have completed the updated course or training period
Should have completed 90 days of working experience in preceding 5 years on a dangerous goods vessel
Must be competent enough to serve on the same or similar kind of vessels

In order to obtain revalidation, you can follow the below steps:

Procure the revalidation form
Attach the required documents in the form which might include:
– Certificate of Competence
– Medical fitness certificate
– Original DC endorsement certificate
– Report or proof of your work experience in the preceding five years of service
– Report from the Master of the vessel you worked on indicating your competence to continue providing satisfactory services
Submit all the documents to the central authority along with 2 passport-sized photographs
You might have to pay an additional fee of approximately INR 2000 to obtain the revalidation certificate

If you wish to join the Merchant Navy (course or onboard training) or need any help in obtaining any official document, contact us at +91 8160370087 and we’ll help you out!

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