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  1. The Sea-going Training Incentive Scheme aims to encourage Hong Kong youngsters to take on and complete sea-going training with a view to developing their future careers in the port and maritime support industries.
  2. The incentive will be awarded to successful applicants on a first-come-first-served basis, subject to the availability of fund.
  3. When the Scheme is over-subscribed, the date on which the application is received by Marine Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("Marine Department") will be used to determine eligibility.
  4. The effective date of Phase 1 subsidy is 1st April, 2004.
  5. The effective date of Phase 2 & Phase 3 subsidy is 1st April, 2018.
  6. If the Return Date (the date returned to Hong Kong after the last employment agreement of the sea-going training) of applicant is before the effective date of Phase 2 & Phase 3 but who can fulfil the following criteria may also apply for the Phase 2 and Phase 3 incentive:
    1. Any portion of the 12 months from the Return Date of applicant falls on/after the effective date and all the eligible criteria of Phase 2 have been fulfilled, applicant may obtain no more than 6 months of the Phase 2 incentive from the effective date to the passing date of examination, or to the last attempt of examination, within the above-mentioned 12-month period.
    2. If applicant has worked on board as cadet after obtaining of Class 3 Certificate of Competency ("CoC") that fulfilled the criteria of paragraph 16 below, and any portion of the working period of his/her cadetship working period that falls on/after the effective date, applicant may obtain the Phase 3 incentive for such period after the effective date.
  7. The effective date of Phase 4 subsidy is 1st December, 2023.

Application

  1. The application form must be completed in BLOCK LETTERS.
  2. Application for Phase 1 may be submitted in person, by post or email to the Seagoing Examination and Mercantile Marine Office, Marine Department (Office address: Room 302, 3/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong; email address: mmo_mdd@mardep.gov.hk) 10 working days in advance for approval before the commencement of his/her sea-going training. The application can also be made by post, email or fax (fax no.: 2545 4469) together with copies of all supporting documents if the applicant is at sea. The sea-going training which started after the date of receipt of the application by Marine Department will be considered valid. Originals of documents should not be sent by post, but should be produced to the Seagoing Examination and Mercantile Marine Office, Marine Department within 14 working days from the date of application. Applicants who are serving cadets at sea at the time of application are allowed to submit the originals of documents within 14 working days from the date of completion of the employment agreement.
  3. Application for Phase 2 and Phase 3 shall be submitted in person, by post or email to the Seagoing Examination and Mercantile Marine Office, Marine Department upon applicant's completion of required cadet sea-going training for examination, and before first attempt of the Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 3 Examination.
  4. Application for Phase 4 shall be submitted in person, by post or email to the Seagoing Examination and Mercantile Marine Office, Marine Department upon applicant's receipt of Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer CoC Class 2 or Class 1 where applicable.

Eligibility Criteria

Phase 1

  1. The applicant must be a Hong Kong permanent resident.
  2. The applicant must be a graduate from a maritime training institute and his/her qualification acquired should be of a level qualified him/her to sit for the Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 3 Examination held by Marine Department.
  3. Final year student of a recognised maritime training programme may also apply if he/she has already obtained an offer of employment for sea-going training by the time of submitting the application.
  4. The applicant must be registered as a seafarer with Marine Department.
  5. The applicant must not have been granted double benefits i.e. other kind of financial assistance granted for the purpose of encouraging graduates from recognised maritime training institutes to take on sea-going cadetship training for the same sea-going training period.

Phase 2 & Phase 3

  1. The applicant has been successfully enrolled for Phase 1.
  2. The applicant has successfully enrolled for a Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 3 Examination held by Marine Department and the examination will be held within 12 months from the Return Date of the applicant.

Phase 4

  1. The applicant has been successfully enrolled for Phase 1.
  2. The applicant has successfully passed examination and obtained Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer CoC Class 2 or Class 1 where applicable recognised by Marine Department and acquired 12 months' post-qualification sea service.

Sea-going Training (for Phase 1)

  1. Under the Scheme, a cadet will receive HK$10,000 (effective from 1st December, 2023, previously HK$6,000) per month from the Government during the individual stipulated training period which will qualify him/her to sit for the Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 3 Examination. The incentive will be paid in arrears directly to the successful applicant by Marine Department as a lump sum on completion of each employment agreement up to the maximum training period of 18 months for Deck Cadet and 12 months for Engineer Cadet. Completion of each employment agreement has to be certified by the employer. The cadet may also apply for the reimbursement of first examination fee after passing the examination.
  2. Applicant who is serving cadet at the time of application may have already completed part of the stipulated training period, then, only those actual sea-going training which started after the date of receipt of the application by Marine Department will be considered valid for incentive.

Preparation for Examination (for Phase 2)

  1. After the cadet sea-going training period, applicant successfully enrolled for Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 3 Examination that to be held by Marine Department within 12 months from the Return Date may apply for Phase 2 incentive. Successful applicant will receive a monthly subsidy of HK$3,000 from the Government while he/she is preparing for the examination on shore for a maximum of 9 months (effective from 1st December, 2023, previously 6 months). Any claim to incentive will start to accrue from the Return Date to the passing date of examination, or the last attempt of examination, within the above-mentioned 12-month period.
  2. Subject to the principles set out in paragraph 23 above and depending on the timing when the applicant takes or passes the examination, incentive payment from the Return Date will be made by five (5) installments at most. The first four (4) installments will be paid in the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th month and the fifth installment will be paid in the 10th month or after the first attempt of the examination, whichever is later. Depends on the continuous eligibility of applicant, each installment of incentive will be equivalent to 2 months of incentive or less on a pro rata basis for any incomplete month of shorter period.
  3. If an applicant sits for the examination but fails in the Phase 2 incentive period, the incentive will be accrued up to the examination date. If the applicant has successfully applied to resit the same examination within the above-mentioned 12-month period, the incentive will be accrued up to the date of his/her last attempt of examination within the 12-month period, but will not exceed 9 months in total.
  4. Applicants are required to sit for the Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 3 Examination within 12 months from the Return Date. The time limit for applicants who can produce reasonable proof that failure to attend was unavoidable and the reasons have been accepted by Marine Department for deferral of examination may be extended until the last examination date of the next round of examination. If an applicant fails to attend the examination within the above 12-month period without such reasonable proof, he/she will be required to pay back the Government all incentives already disbursed to him/her in this phase.

Working On Board as Cadet after Obtaining CoC (for Phase 3)

  1. After the applicant has successfully passed the Deck Officers Class 3 / Marine Engineer Officers Class 3 Examination and obtained a Class 3 Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 3 Certificate of Competency from Hong Kong Marine Department, the applicant will receive an incentive payment of HK$6,000 per month from the Government in arrears as a lump sum on completion of each employment agreement up to a maximum of 6 months if he/she works in a sea-going ship as a Deck Cadet or Engineer Cadet of the same discipline of his/her Certificate of Competency.

Working On Board after Obtaining Class 2 or Class 1 CoC (for Phase 4)

  1. After the applicant has successfully passed the Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 2 Examination and obtained a Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 2 CoC recognised by Marine Department, the applicant will receive a one-off HK$12,000 out of the total of HK$40,000 incentive, the remaining HK$28,000 is payable after he/she has acquired 12 months of post-qualification sea service.
  2. After the applicant has successfully passed the Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 1 Examination and obtained a Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 1 CoC recognised by Marine Department, the applicant will receive a one-off HK$24,000 out of the total of HK$80,000 incentive, the remaining HK$56,000 is payable after he/she has acquired 12 months of post-qualification sea service.

Qualifying Sea Service

  1. Qualifying sea service of Phase 1 must be performed as cadet in either deck or engine department in accordance with applicant's discipline.
  2. Qualifying sea service of Phase 3 must be performed as cadet in either deck or engine department of the same discipline of applicant's CoC in a sea-going ship after the applicant has obtained a valid Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer Class 3 CoC from Marine Department. The applicant must have never been employed as an officer of sea-going ships.
  3. Qualifying sea service of Phase 4 must be performed as officer in either deck or engine department of the same discipline of applicant's CoC in a sea-going ship after the applicant has obtained a valid Deck Officer/Marine Engineer Officer CoC Class 2 or Class 1 where applicable.
  4. Applicant must prove his/her sea service by providing the Seafarer's Employment Registration Book and written confirmation from his/her employer for verification. In the case of service performed in ships that are foreign ships where Seafarer's Employment Registration Book records cannot be provided, it is acceptable for the applicant to provide a written confirmation by the Master of the ships concerned, or by the Consul or some other recognised official of the country of registry.
  5. Completion of each employment agreement has to be certified by the employer. No payment of the incentive or any part thereof will be made to sea service of an uncompleted employment agreement. Marine Department will accept applicants with uncompleted agreement for the award of incentive if the agreement is terminated by mutual agreement between the company and the applicant and the reasons for the termination are not due to the dissatisfaction of performance of the applicant.
  6. Applicant must submit a written notification of joining a sea-going ship with the term of contract to Marine Department (fax: 2545 4669 or email: mmo_mdd@mardep.gov.hk) before joining the ship. Only sea-service commencing after the date of receipt of the notification by Marine Department can be considered eligible for Phase 3 and Phase 4 incentive.

Calculation of Qualifying Sea Service

  1. If the eligible sea-service was not drawn up in terms of complete months, the incentive will be paid on a pro-rata basis. Pro-rated incentive calculation is not applicable to the 12-month sea-service requirement of Phase 4.
  2. Sea service as entered in Seafarer's Employment Registration Book will be reckoned by the calendar months, that is, the time included between any given day in any month and the preceding day of the following month, both inclusive. The number of complete months from the commencement of the period, ascertained in this way, should be computed, after which the number of odd days should be counted. The day of which the employment agreement commences, as well as that on which it terminates, should both be included, all leave of absence excluded and all odd days added together and reckoned at thirty days to the month. The followings are examples:
    Calculation of Qualifying Sea Service
    28 June to 4 August = 1 month 8 days
    15 August to 18 October = 2 months 4 days

Enquiry

Seagoing Examination and Mercantile Marine Office
Address: Room 302, 3/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong.
Tel.: 2852 3056
Fax: 2545 4669
E-mail: mmo_mdd@mardep.gov.hk

Application Form

Information