What is STCW for Seafarers ?

What is STCW for Seafarers ?

• Overview :

Shipping has been existing from ages but, before 1978 The Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping (STCW) of officers and ratings were established by The Governments to which the seafarers used to belong. And these standards and procedures used to differ from one country to another, that is why International Maritime Organisation (IMO) felt a need to have common standards and procedures for all the seafarers.

The 1978 STCW Convention was the first to establish basic requirements on training, certification and watch keeping for seafarers on an international level. The Convention prescribes minimum standards of training, certification and watch keeping for seafarers which all the countries worldwide are obliged to meet or exceed.

The Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping (STCW) was adopted on 7th July 1978 and it came into force on 28th April 1984. The 1978 STCW Convention has been revised two times since then, first in 1995 and second in 2010.

• STCW 1995 Amendments :

The IMO felt a recognized need to bring the Convention up to date and hence came the 1995 amendments, which represented a major revision of the Convention. The 1995 amendments entered into force on 1 February 1997.

The most significant 1995 amendments were :

1. Enhancement of port state control,

2. Communication of information to IMO to allow for mutual Supervision and consistency in application of standards,

3. Quality standards systems (QSS), supervision of training, assessment, and certification procedures.

The technical annexes were divided into regulations, which further divided into Chapters, and a new STCW Code, to which many technical regulations were transferred. Part A of the Code is mandatory while Part B is recommended.

Dividing the regulations up in this way makes administration easier and it also makes the task of revising and updating them more simple.

The chapters in STCW are,

Chapter I: General provisions.

Chapter II: Master and deck department.

Chapter III: Engine department.

Chapter IV: Radiocommunication and radio personnel.

Chapter V: Special training requirements for personnel on certain types of ships.

Chapter VI: Emergency, occupational safety, medical care and survival functions.

Chapter VII: Alternative certification.

Chapter VIII: Watch keeping.

• The Manila Amendments :

The Manila amendments were adopted on 25th June 2010, by The IMO marking a major revision of the STCW Convention and Code. The 2010 amendments entered into force on 1st January 2012.

These amendments were necessary to keep training standards in line with new technological and operational requirements that require new shipboard competencies.

The most significant amendments are :

1. New rest hours for seafarers.

2. New grades of certificates of competency for able seafarers.

3. New and updated training, refreshing requirements.

4. Mandatory security training.

5. Additional medical standards.

6. Specific Alcohol limits in blood or breath.

7. New requirements relating to training in modern technology such as electronic charts and information systems (ECDIS)

8. New requirements for marine environment awareness training and training in leadership and teamwork.

9. New training and certification requirements for Electro Technical officers.