Scope and Purpose of the Law
The basis of this page is the Georgian Law on the Education, Training and Certification of Seafarers; the general norms of maritime law sit in separate legislation. Under Article 1 of the law, it defines the unified standards and rules of the education, training and certification of seafarers in Georgia, as well as the systems of monitoring maritime educational institutions, the recognition and monitoring of maritime training institutions, and the selection and monitoring of medical institutions. The profession of seafarer is a regulated profession, and maritime higher educational programs are regulated academic ones; the law aims at a system of seafarers' education and certification meeting modern requirements. The law was developed taking into account the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers and is based on its fundamental principles.
Issuance and Registration of Certificates
Under Article 8, the Agency issues a certificate where the person satisfies the requirements concerning age, education, seagoing service, state of health, training and competence assessment. The applicant submits an identity document; a document on the conformity of the state of health, especially eyesight and hearing, with the standards established by the Convention, issued by a selected medical institution; documents confirming approved seagoing service, completed training and education; and a document of conformity with the competence standards. The Agency keeps a registry of all certificates of captains, officers and ratings — issued, expired, extended, suspended, cancelled, lost or destroyed — makes information on issued certificates available to all interested persons, and answers an official request within 5 working days. A certificate of competence in Georgia is issued or renewed only to a Georgian citizen, on the basis of maritime education received on the territory of Georgia.
Seagoing service does not include, for a deck department seafarer, navigation on a light vessel or a sports vessel, navigation within the aquatorium of a port, on a floating dock or floating crane, repair stay longer than 1 month, and navigation on a ship of less than 500 tons total capacity — for obtaining the certificate of watchkeeping assistant of a ship of 500 tons or more. For a ship's engineer the analogous rule is tied to a threshold of 750 kilowatts of propulsion power, and for an electrician to electrical equipment of less than 50 kilowatts. Two months of work at the Agency counts as one month of approved service; two months of work as a pilot certified by the Agency counts in the same proportion, provided the pilot has carried out 120 pilotage escortings within the last 5 years, including no fewer than 12 within the last 12 months. Service acquired in this way may be used only for the renewal of a certificate, not for obtaining a certificate of a higher level.