ravman

Here it is: info@mofa.gov.lr

Hi Doonite, I too have sailed mostly on Liberia registered ships. Though I still have to take AMSA oral and am in pretty early stage of the application process, I tried to be proactive and get information about overseas police clearance from Liberia. The authority to issue the police check is the "Ministry of Justice, Liberia". I tried to find their contact information but there is none available on the internet. I then emailed two agencies which I could find the contact information of - Liberian Consulate in India, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Liberia. I will quote for you the replies I received. Consulate: "Dear Sir, We have forwarded your request- however it may not be possible to give police clearance certification remotely. Regards, Honorary Consulate for Republic of Liberia" Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Dear Sir, Compliments, I am the webmaster of the Bureau of Public Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we could arrange the process of obtaining the Certificate, it will need your general information and the processing fees and it can dont. 231-777046535" I didn't call the Ministry as I didn't need the certificate right away. You can try calling the number given at the end of the email. I am quite skeptical though about the response, in the midst of all the Ebola cases they are having to deal with. If you do get a positive reply, please post the procedure and cost here on the forum. It will be helpful.

Thanks a ton CaptainC. You are a big help

CaptainC, I have a query. I have done refresher courses in "Proficiency in Survival Craft and RB" and "Advanced Fire fighting". Do I need to do refreshers in "Personal Survival Techniques" and "Fire Fighting and Fire Prevention" too? I thought since I had upgraded the former which are advanced versions, I wouldn't need to do the other two. Thanks!

I emailed AMSA regarding the same a few weeks back. Though not very informative about the course, here's the reply that I received: "For the issue of Certificates of Recognition from AMSA, you will need to complete your courses from a flag state (country) we have an agreement with/ or recognise. We can only recognise endorsements that are on your primary qualification."

Hi Sevenseas, I am in India as well and got the same requirement to fulfil. Which institute are you planning to do the course from? And what is the name of the similar course in India that AMSA recognises? Thanks in advance!

Thank you for your reply CaptainC. I may be wrong, but can't one claim separate points for work experience (which is usually assessed by AMSA for us and reported in the final skills assessment) and educational qualifications (they specifically list different points for diplomas, degrees etc.). That's how I was calculating the possible points I could get if I get my degree assessed too. I believe the highest AMSA equates your professional qualifications (i.e. taking into account our written functions and oral exams) is to AQF Advanced Diploma. But my Bachelor's degree will fetch me 5 extra points than that. Please point it out if I am wrong.

CaptainR, if possible can you PM me the assessment letter that AMSA sent you after the initial assessment (i.e. before the orals), and the skills assessment letter that you got after the orals. I just want to compare the two, and see what format the final skills letter assessment is in. I mean does one have to specify what all he wants in the final report (skill level, experience etc.) or do they follow a set format for everyone. And also I read on another forum that they assess your skills (not education) equivalent to an appropriate AQF Diploma/degree level. Is that how it goes for everybody? I was under the impression that AMSA assessment is just to prove for eligibility for this particular ANZSCO code. And then I also wanted to get my degree (B.Sc. Nautical Science) from an appropriate authority (AMSA has refused to do it, so it will have to be Vetassess now) to claim 15 points for education.

Thank you CaptainR for clarifying my doubt. And yes CaptainC, I received you emails. Thank you so much for the study material. My original CoC is Indian, but I got my ticket just last year. So it might be that this is a prerequisite for certificates issued from my country. I have sent an email to AMSA but haven't received any reply yet. I'll try calling them as you suggest. I had also requested them to assess my educational qualifications, as per Australia's AQF, to claim points for my Bachelor's degree. I have a B.Sc. Nautical Science degree, and had confirmed with AMSA before sending the documents if they are the best authority to assess it. They said yes at the time. But nothing about it is mentioned in the letter that I received. Has anyone got their academic qualifications assessed by AMSA? If yes, at what stage should I expect an assessment from them regarding this - after the orals, or before that?

Hello everyone. Hope all are doing good! Thank you CaptainC for your reply. I sent a PM to you with my email address. So I got my AMSA initial assessment yesterday. Here's how it goes: AMSA has confirmed the authenticity and validity of your Indian certificate with the issuing authority, and that there is an agreement in place regarding recognition of seafarer qualifications between India and Australia. AMSA has assessed your present qualifications and skills for the occupation of 'Ship's Officer' as not currently meeting the requirements for issue of an Australian Certificate of Recognition as Chief Mate. However, under the current procedures, AMSA may recognise your Indian Certificate for issue of an Australian Certificate of Recognition in the capacity of Chief Mate when you have met all of the following conditions: - Australian seagoing medical fitness standards (medical examination); - Passed an oral examination conducted by an AMSA examiner in Australia; - Complete a continued competence (Deck/Engineer Officers and Chief Integrated Ratings) course; - Hold an Australian GMDSS Certificate of Competency or Certificate of Recognition for your Indian GMDSS certificate; - Payment of all required fees for examination and certificate issue; - Meet citizenship, residency or employment criteria detailed in MO70 29(2) Can any of you people with experience tell me if the assessment letters you got were similar? Also does anyone have information about the "Continued competence" course. And what about GMDSS? Will I have to do it again in Australia, or just my Indian GMDSS certificate be recognised? Thanks in advance!

Hi all, glad to have found this forum and thanks to all you guys out here helping others in need of information. This post is for CaptainC, CaptainR, Doonite and others who have taken the AMSA oral exam. I hold a Chief Mate COC and I've sent my documents for assessment to AMSA. I need material for the orals preparation and will be thankful if you can forward me all that you have.