Is Getting A Nautical License Too Easy In Malta?
Let’s face it, we love our boat days, but has it become too easy to get a basic boating license in Malta?
The process of getting a Transport Malta Nautical license which is required for both foreign residents living in Malta as well as Maltese citizens goes as follows:
-Apply for the course which can be either physical or online.
-Attend the course which will take a minimum of 24 hours tuition and includes mostly classroom theory and a short practical component.
-The school will then send your application following your successful completion of the course.
-You will then be notified of the examination date and must sit for a 15-minute oral exam.
If you are successful, you will be issued your license.
One must keep in mind that this License allows the holder to operate a vessel which can include a sailing boat, powerboat or jet-ski. The holder is also licensed to operate a maximum 24-metre vessel within Malta’s territorial waters (12 nautical miles). The whole process will cost around €240 which includes the examination.
What are the issues with this system?
Although getting a nautical license should remain accessible to the general public, it is important to guarantee that those licensed are actually qualified to operate nautical vessels, especially considering the responsibility that comes with the license.
Keeping in mind that a 24-metre vessel is huge, more practice is definitely required. During the course, a participant will only be given around 15 minutes of practical training, usually on a small dinghy, which most definitely will not qualify the same operator to drive a 70-foot yacht or sailing boat.
The practical component is also mostly carried out in sheltered harbours, therefore not reflecting the realities of operating a vessel in open seas.
Interestingly tourists who come to Malta and wish to charter a boat require no license at all, which continues to contribute to overcrowding and danger at sea.
Gianluca Sammut, director of Malta-based chartering company 73 Marine, spoke to Lovin Malta with his take on the issue, explaining that his company doesn’t rent boats to tourists without a license due to concerns of safety and damages to the vessels.
He continued to explain that in his opinion a practical exam should be introduced alongside the theory test, similar to the driving examination system.
We must bear in mind the responsibility of operating these vessels, considering both the safety of the driver and the passengers as well as other vessels.
An accident concerning a large nautical vessel could be devastating in Malta and is probable if the new licensee is inexperienced, which unfortunately is often the case.
In order to ensure the safety of swimmers and boaters alike the course should prioritise more of a practical element, teaching license applicants how to deal with specific situations directly. The course should also cater for the future licensee’s specific vessel and give more of a personalised course depending on what type of vessel they wish to operate.
Could you drive a 70 foot yacht with 24 hours of training?