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Permalink Reply by stuart anderson on September 20, 2009 at 7:13am

contact the MCA.

http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga07-home/workingatsea/mcga-rss/mcga...

This page should get you started. It's not quite as easy as ABC, though. Firstly, you have to get a letter from an employer stating that you'll be working on a UK flagged ship (not many of them around!)

You don't NEED a Seaman's book to work offshore, certainly not in the UK. It is desirable for tax reasons, but not mandatory. If you want to work overseas, eg the Middle East, etc. The company may ask for a seaman's book, to smooth the wh*** entry visa issue. You don't HAVE to have a UK seaman's book. Most guys I know that work overseas have a Panamanian Seaman's book, which is a bit easier to get(!) Basically, I'd phone up one of the bigger ME companies (3 C's, Cal-Dive, Halul etc) state that you are interested in working for them, but don't have the Book, and can they help out? You'll find that usually money talks..

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Permalink Reply by Lee Austin on September 20, 2009 at 8:51am

Stuart,
Thanks for the information.
I will phone around Monday see if I can get hold of one.

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