The reform of recreational professional qualifications  for rental boat personnel has definitively entered into force in recent days  . This is decree number 227 of 13 December 2023,  published in the Official Journal of 5 February , which modifies the previous legislation dating back to 2005. The reform of recreational professional qualifications resolves the problem of the many companies that operate with pleasure boats , and who had given up the crewed charter service to take refuge in unmanned leasing, due to the absence of legislation governing the professional figures calibrated to the specific needs of smaller vessels.

The new rules of the reform of recreational professional qualifications concern all workers on board pleasure boats and ships used in rental activities, including those for tourist purposes, registered in the appropriate international register. Specifically, the reform of professional recreational qualifications modifies the rules of the so-called ” STCW Qualifications “, i.e. those compliant with the “International Convention on training, certification and watchkeeping standards for seafarers”, with regards to the limits of qualification in relation to the tonnage of the units; and also regulates the new simplified national title of second class recreational navigation officer  (non-STCW).

The reform of STCW recreational professional qualifications

The reform of the STCW recreational professional qualifications does not change the training process of the recreational navigation officer, which remains the same, strictly compliant with international standards. The new rules concern only  training navigation , which from now on can be carried out on pleasure ships or on boats over 15 meters in length, used for rental or private use, as well as on ships intended exclusively for  boat rental  for tourism purposes. After achievement, you can be on board as a deck officer below first grade on ships up to 3,000 GT (Gross Ton), or as a master on ships up to 500 GT.

Again on the basis of the new rules of the reform of professional qualifications in pleasure craft, starting from this year the pleasure boat captain will be able to embark as commander on pleasure vessels used for charter or private use and on vessels intended exclusively for charter for tourist purposes. tonnage smaller than 3,000 GT, or as first mate without any tonnage limit. Furthermore, following the evolution of the global market towards large constructions,  the new rules remove the 3,000 GT ceiling for the pleasure boat captain , who can now be on board in command without any tonnage limit, exactly as already happens with merchant titles. Those who already have the qualification will be able to renew their certificate even before the expiry date, in order to obtain the upgrade.

Finally, the training of the pleasure engineering officer can also be achieved by embarking on ships intended exclusively for rental for tourist purposes and on ships and pleasure boats for private use. The navigation period to obtain the title of pleasure craft captain is now set at  twelve months , on pleasure vessels used for rental or private use. For the periodic renewal of the certificates of the recreational navigation officer and the recreational captain, some other occupations are considered equivalent to the navigation service (including port pilot, mooring man, classification society inspector, shipyard employee for carrying out technical navigation tests and transfers of pleasure craft) if carried out for  at least twenty-four months  in the five years of validity of the certificate.

The new simplified national title of second class recreational navigation officer

The reform of professional recreational qualifications, as mentioned, also regulates the long-awaited title of second class recreational navigation officer (non-STCW). This new figure, according to the new rules, can embark as commander of units flying the Italian flag and sailing in the Mediterranean or inland waters, of a  tonnage not exceeding 200 GT . This is a national qualification which is valid for ten years and which does not require registration with the Gente di mare.

To obtain the title of second class recreational navigation officer, which involves the reform of professional recreational qualifications, the following requirements are necessary:

• be at least 18 years of age;
• possess the psychophysical requirements necessary for the B nautical license;
• be in possession of a secondary school diploma;
• obtain the Short Range operator certificate (SRC), the basic firefighting course and the “First Aid” basic first aid course;
• attend a personal safety course for offshore navigation;
• take a theoretical and practical exam.

The ministerial decree with the course program will soon be issued by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

Confindustria Nautica’s satisfaction

Confindustria Nautica has expressed its satisfaction with the entry into force of the reform of professional qualifications in the recreational sector. These are the words of the president of the association  Saverio Cecchi : «I thank the deputy minister Edoardo Rixi, the head of cabinet of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport Alfredo Storto and the deputy head of cabinet Teresa Di Matteo for the work of listening to the national trade association of pleasure craft and for the completion of the regulatory reorganization of the charter sector. With the reform of recreational professional qualifications, Italian professionals in the sector are finally made more competitive, and as regards the simplified qualification, up to 3,000 new jobs will be created. Many companies that operate with pleasure boats, in fact, had given up on the crewed rental service, to take refuge in unmanned rental, precisely due to the absence of professional figures calibrated to the specific needs of smaller vessels”.