ICC (International Certificate of Competence) and CEVNI

Southern Cross Yachting is one of the first training centres in Australia to be accredited to test for the ICC.

Most European countries are now requiring skippers of charter and private boats to hold an ICC to operate these vessels in their open and inland waterways. This Certificate is issued by the RYA and it is important to check with your charter company or the maritime authorities of the countries you are intending to visit to find out if the ICC is required.
An ICC can only be issued to persons holding passports or residents of: Australia, the United Kingdom and its territories, the USA, Canada and New Zealand.

The ICC can be issued directly to persons holding the RYA/YA Day Skipper practical certificate or higher. For more information about this contact the YA via their website. See the application form for more information. You can download the ICC application form at the Yachting Australia website.

For people not holding these qualifications a direct test is available.
The ICC can be issued for power and/or sailing vessels and for up to either 10 meters or 24 meters in length. Specify whether you require an ICC for power or sail when booking

The test is both a practical and theoretical assessment and takes approximately 4 hours. It can be undertaken on your own suitable vessel or aboard one of our fleet.

For those wishing to skipper a vessel in the French inland water ways there is an additional short theory exam called the CEVNI rules. This covers rules specific to the French canals and includes signs, buoyage, light and sound signals and general steering rules. This test can be taken on-line or as a written test as part of the ICC assessment.

There is a specific book available to help students prepare for the test.

We can arrange a direct test for the ICC for those with suitable prior experience. If the test is taken aboard a sailing vessel over 12 meters the certificate can be valid for sailing vessels to 24 meters and power vessels to 10 meters. For those requiring an ICC valid for power vessels to 24 meters the test must take place on a power boat over 12 meters. This can be either on your own boat or one of ours. We can also arrange for a one or two day course during which the test will be completed.

Contact Southern Cross Yachting to discuss the assessment that is right for you.

Please note:
Foreign nationals of UNECE countries must be resident in the UK - not resident in countries where there may be RYA schools. This all stems from the fact that the RYA’s authority to issue ICC comes from the MCA.

Therefore any National from a UNECE country (regardless of the visa they hold in Australia) should contact their home maritime authority as they are not eligible to apply through the RYA here in Australia.