A—7a

Article 1 No person shall be engaged on any vessel as an able seaman unless lie is a person who by national laws or regulations is deemed to be competent to perform any duty which may be required of a member of the crew serving in the deck department (other than an officer or leading or specialist rating) and unless he holds a certificate of qualification as an able seaman granted in accordance with the provisions of the following Articles. Article 2 1. The competent authority shall make arrangements for the holding of examinations and for the granting of certificates of qualification. 2. No person shall be granted a certificate of qualification unless — (a) He has reached a minimum age to be prescribed by the competent authority; (b) He has served at sea in the deck department for a minimum period to be prescribed by the competent authority ; and (c) He has passed an examination of proficiency to be prescribed by the competent authority. 3. The prescribed minimum age shall not be less than eighteen years. 4. The prescribed minimum period of service at sea shall not be less than thirty-six months : Provided that the competent authority may — (a) Permit persons with a period of actual service at sea of not less than twentyfour months who have successfully passed through a course of training in an approved training school to reckon the time spent in such training, or part thereof, as sea service ; and (b) Permit persons trained in approved seagoing training ships who have served eighteen months in such ships to be certificated as able seamen upon leaving in good standing. 5. The prescribed examination shall provide a practical test of the candidate's knowledge of seamanship and of his ability to carry out effectively all the duties that may be required of an able seaman, including those of a lifeboatman *. it shall be such as to qualify a successful candidate to hold the special lifeboatman's certificate provided for in Article 22 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1929, or in the corresponding provision of any subsequent Convention revising or replacing that Convention for the time being in force for the territory concerned. Article 3 A certificate of qualification may be granted to any person who, at the time of the entry into force of this Convention for the territory concerned, is performing the full duties of an able seaman or leading deck rating or has performed such duties. Article 4 The competent authority may provide for the recognition of certificates of qualification issued in other territories. Article 5 The formal ratifications of this Convention shall be communicated to the Director of the International Labour Office for registration. Article 6 1. This Convention shall be binding only upon those Members of the International Labour Organization whose ratifications have been registered with the Director. 2. It shall come into force twelve months after the date on which the ratifications of two Members have been registered with the Director. 3. Thereafter, this Convention shall come into force for. any Member twelve months after the date on which its ratification has been registered.

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