AMO negotiating for LNG observation program

AMO negotiating for LNG observation program

Program would ease way to endorsement, enhance LNG opportunities for AMO

American Maritime Officers is now in negotiations with an international owner/operator of liquefied natural gas carriers on a unique agreement to establish an LNG observation program that would allow AMO officers to earn the necessary sea time and endorsement to work in the LNG trades without prior experience.

Currently under negotiation, the exclusive agreement is expected to establish observation billets for AMO officers on Q-class LNG vessels, aboard which the officers would be able to observe the liquefied gas loadings and discharges required to earn the STCW liquefied gas endorsement. Sailing as LNG observers, AMO officers would also earn the necessary sea time to take seagoing jobs with international owner/operators in the LNG trades.

"The opportunity to negotiate this agreement is available to AMO thanks to the professionalism and outstanding performance of the AMO members who are working and have worked aboard LNG carriers, as well as our union's growing reputation in the industry," said the AMO national president.

"We expect to finalize an agreement in the near future and establish a program that will give AMO the unique ability to expand our base of LNG officers with recency and remain at the front of the line to meet the growing demand for qualified officers in the LNG trades," he said.

Over the next three years, 45 Q-class vessels are scheduled for delivery, including 31 215,000 cubic-meter Q-flex ships and 14 265,000 cubic-meter Q-max ships. Q-class vessels are the largest and most technologically advanced LNG carriers. They incorporate GTT membrane containment systems with the advantage of reduced wind resistance and lower fees for transiting the Suez Canal. Q-class ships are each fitted with a pair of diesel engines, twin propellers, twin rudders and an onboard reliquifaction plant. The size of the ships and their ability to maximize cargo out-turns can equate to a cost savings to the charterer of about 30 percent per unit of cargo delivered.

AMO officers who have completed Tankerman PIC-LNG training at RTM STAR Center must also meet the following two requirements to earn the STCW tankerman liquefied gas endorsement in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations:

Hold a Tankerman PIC-DL endorsement and complete sufficient observation time onboard an LNG carrier-a minimum of 45 days
Participate in three loadings and discharges encompassing at least two commencements (rate up)/completions (rate down) for both the loading and discharging operations

Under the terms currently being negotiated, AMO officers would have three options for participating in the LNG observation program:

Sponsorship program: Qualified tanker officers could be sponsored by an AMO-contracted owner/operator at the benefit rate
Internship program: Junior officers could be retained by an AMO-contracted international owner/operator on an interim basis, meaning the participant's observation sea time would be augmented with a shoreside assignment
Apprenticeship program: Depending on availability, non-sponsored officers could enter the LNG observation program at per-diem rates

AMO members participating in the LNG observation program would sign on as supernumeraries with the intent of observing LNG operations. Therefore, they would not work as watchstanders. LNG observers would function under the company protocols and policies for the vessel aboard which they are sailing, and work under the direct supervision of the senior officer of the department and the authority of the master of the vessel.

Per STCW Code Part B - V/1 - onboard training and experience for liquefied gas tanker personnel should include supplementary shipboard training covering the ship's cargo handling system, instrumentation system, boil-off disposal and use as fuel, auxiliary systems, and general principles of operating the cargo-handling plant.

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