Alabama does not issue this credential. The license is federal, evaluated by the USCG National Maritime Center, and examined through a Regional Examination Center or approved course.
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Use this page to check 50 ton captain license requirements in Alabama: Master-level sea time, tonnage evidence, exam modules, TWIC, medical, and REC New Orleans, LA planning. In Alabama, candidates commonly operate around Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Mobile Bay. The nearest REC is New Orleans, LA.
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Use the Alabama overview to choose between OUPV, Master 25, Master 50, and Master 100 before narrowing this credential checklist. Because the credential is federal, the national Master 50 ton guide carries the full requirement detail — Alabama only changes your nearest REC and local operating context.
Document Master-level sea service, commonly 720 days with tonnage and route details supporting the requested authority.
Complete the CG-719K physical, drug test, TWIC, CPR, and First Aid requirements.
Study Rules of the Road, Deck General, Deck Safety, and Navigation General. Master candidates also need Plotting and the broader General module.
Schedule the exam at REC New Orleans, LA, or use an approved school that administers the USCG exam.
Alabama Master 50 GT candidates usually pursue inspected-vessel authority without needing the full 100 GT ceiling. The practical check is whether your sea-service letters show both the required Master-level days and vessel tonnage that supports a 50 GT limitation for work around Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Mobile Bay.
A Alabama Master 50 GT application uses the same Master less-than-100 framework as Master 100, but the vessel-size history lands in the 50 GRT band. The route drives the sea-time baseline; the tonnage evidence decides the limit printed on the credential.
Most Alabama candidates run inshore charters out of Orange Beach or Mobile Bay and pursue OUPV Inland. Offshore Gulf operators routinely upgrade to Near-Coastal or Master 50/100. For exam prep, the federal question set does not change by state, but your likely route matters: inland candidates lean harder on Inland Rules and aids to navigation, while near-coastal candidates need COLREGs, navigation, weather, and chart-work discipline.
A Master 50 GT in Alabama is a federal Merchant Mariner Credential endorsement, so the steps after your sea time are the same in every state. First comes the written test — the USCG exam format and module breakdown shows exactly which subjects your route is tested on and the 90% Rules-of-the-Road and Chart-Plot pass marks before you book a Regional Examination Center seat.
Once issued, the credential runs on a five-year cycle under 46 CFR 10.227. When it comes due, the USCG license renewal process — forms, cost, and the medical certificate is identical in Alabama as it is nationwide. For the full original-application checklist, start with how to get a captain’s license.
The credential is federal. A Master 50 GT applicant documents the Master less-than-100 route service, passes the required Master exam modules, clears medical/drug/TWIC screening, and shows vessel-tonnage evidence that supports the 50 GRT limit rather than a 25 GT limit.
Near-Coastal Master less than 100 GRT uses 720 deck-department days, with limited inland-water substitution. Great Lakes/Inland uses a 360-day baseline. The route and the vessel tonnage evidence are evaluated separately.
The NMC checklists show a 50 GRT limit from qualifying service on 26+ GRT or 17+ GRT vessels, with the exact day threshold depending on whether the requested route is Near-Coastal or Great Lakes/Inland.
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The written test is the same federal exam nationwide. One citation-backed question — no sign-up.
Lessons and drills cite 33/46 CFR, COLREGs, and Bowditch so your prep matches what the USCG tests. Answer 5 real, cited questions free.