NK100

The NK100 (Kapitän nationale Fahrt BRZ 100) is a German certificate of competency for masters on certain small seagoing vessels under the German flag. It is intended for service on vessels of less than 100 gross tonnage operating in nationale Fahrt (national service) under defined operational limits.

Legal basis

The legal basis for the NK100 is the German Seeleute-Befähigungsverordnung (See-BV). In the list of abbreviations to the regulation, NK 100 is defined as Kapitän nationale Fahrt BRZ 100.

Scope

According to § 29 of the See-BV, the certificate is issued for service:

• on ships with a gross tonnage of less than 100
• with propulsion power of up to 300 kilowatts
• employed in national service up to six nautical miles from the German coast
• carrying not more than 12 passengers

It also applies to Börteboote.

The certificate is therefore intended for masters on small commercial seagoing vessels operating under restricted national conditions, rather than for unrestricted merchant shipping service.

Requirements

Under § 30(6) of the See-BV, an applicant for the NK100 must demonstrate:

• at least six months of seagoing service in deck duty
• completion of training in accordance with Rule II/3(7) in conjunction with Sections A-II/3 and A-IV/2 of the STCW Code at a training institution established under state law, generally lasting at least three months.

Official guidance published by Deutsche Flagge states that admission to the NK100 course requires either completed training as a ship mechanic or six months of seagoing service on merchant or fishing vessels, usually including proof of the required basic safety training.

Training and competencies

The competencies required for the certificate are specified in Annex 3 to the See-BV. These include communication, ship operation, seamanship, navigation, safety management, and legal knowledge relevant to small vessels in national service.

Administration

The certificate is issued upon application by the Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH).

NK100 courses are offered at German maritime training schools, including Flensburg, Cuxhaven and Rostock-Warnemünde.

Relation to other German maritime certificates

Within the German maritime certification system, the NK100 is below the broader certificates NK 500 (Kapitän küstennahe Fahrt BRZ 500) and NK (master without the same small-vessel restriction). Under the See-BV, certificates for the nautical service covered by § 29(1) and (2) include the authority to act as NK100 as well.

The certificate replaced earlier practice under which certain small vessels in national service could temporarily still be operated with older qualifications such as the former NSF certificate or, during a transitional period, a Sportküstenschifferschein (SKS).

See also

• NK500
• Nautical certificates of competency in Germany for commercial inland and seagoing navigation