STCW ‘78

The International Convention on Standards

of Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping for Seafarers

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 STCW 78

Sets qualification standards for masters, officers

and watch personnel on seagoing merchant ships.

Adopted in 1978;entered into force in 1984.

Significantly amended in 1995 due various

limitations discovered.

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 STCW 78

LIMITATIONS DISCOVERED
Vague requirements that were left to the discretion
of parties to the Convention.
Growing problems with:
 a lack of clear standards of competence
 no IMO oversight of compliance
 limited port state control
 inadequacies that did not address modern shipboard
functions
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 STCW 78

“The time had come for the organization to concentrate on

areas relating to people, training and operational practices
rather than on issues dealing with improving ship
construction and equipment standards”
the need for IMO to take urgent action was highlighted by
the grounding of the M/V BRAER in the Shetland Islands
on January 5, 1993 .(a month after the December 3, 1992
M/V AEGEAN SEA incident.)
Two years earlier, in 1990, 158 people had died as a result
of a fire on board the S/S SCANDINAVIAN STAR.
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 STCW 78>>>>95

1996 deadline for revision of the STCW Convention was

too distant .

In 1993,comprehensive revision of STCW to establish the

highest practicable standards of competence to address the
problem of human error as the major cause of maritime
casualties.

special consultants used to submit amendments and

proposals.
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 STCW 78>>95

SPECIFICALLY...
The most significant amendments concerned:
Enhancement of port state control;
Communication of information to IMO to allow for mutual
oversight and consistency in application of standards,
Quality standards systems (QSS), oversight of training,
assessment, and certification procedures,
Placement of responsibility on parties, including those
issuing licenses, and flag states employing foreign
nationals, to ensure seafarers meet objective standards of
competence, and
Rest period requirements for watchkeeping personnel.
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 STCW 95

HUMAN ELEMENT ISSUES ADDRESSED BY 1995 AMENDMENTS TO

STCW.
the increasing use of multinational crews.
 the responsibility for competency of crews, which once fell
only on flag state administrations, is now spread over all
parties that issue certificates .

 the party issuing the original certificate must comply with

the requirements of the Convention, and the flag state may
issue a separate "recognition" certificate only after
confirming that the original certificate was issued in
accordance with thewww.hanghaikythuat.tk
Convention.
 STCW 95

PORT STATE CONTROL

strengthen the port state control provisions of the STCW

Convention by expanding the grounds on which a foreign ship
may be detained .

allowing port state control officers to look beyond merchant

mariner’s certificates and conduct direct assessments of the
competence of merchant mariners.

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 STCW 95

REST PERIODS
To address the problem of crew fatigue:
every person assigned duty as an officer in charge of
a watch or as a rating forming part of a watch shall
receive a minimum of 10 hours of rest in any 24 hour
period.

These 10 hours of rest may be divided into two parts

as long as one segment is at least 6 hours long, with
strictly limited exceptions.
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 STCW 95

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
seafarers be provided with "familiarization training"
and "basic safety training" which includes:
 basic fire fighting
 elementary first aid
 personal survival techniques
 personal safety and social responsibility

Intended to ensure that seafarers are aware of the

hazards of working on a vessel and can respond
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appropriately in an emergency.
 STCW 95

EXAMINATIONS AND DEMONSTRATION OF SKILLS

minimum standards of competence for the range of certificates to be issued
under STCW are presented in tables with four columns:
 ‘Competence’ or ability to be established
 Area of ‘knowledge, understanding and proficiency’ within each competence.
 ‘Methods of demonstrating competence’
 ‘Criteria for evaluating competence.’

Amendments also promote the use of simulators as one of the recognized

means for demonstrating competence.

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 STCW 95

QUALITY STANDARDS SYSTEM

STCW requires all training and assessment activities to be "continuously
monitored through a quality standards system to ensure achievement of
defined objectives, including those concerning the qualifications and
experience of instructors and assessors."

1995 amendments require those responsible for instruction and

assessment of the competence of seafarers to be qualified for the
type and level of training or assessment involved.

Persons performing these roles are expected to have received

guidance in instructional techniques and assessment methods
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 Relation of ISM Code and STCW

Both contains precise requirements concerning the

education and qualification of masters, officers and crew.
ISM Code- description of structure of a Safety
Management System, demanding its development,
implementation and maintenance.
STCW – supplies a legal basis for the uniform fulfilment of
requirements as found in ISM Elements:
 Element 6 – Resources & Personnel
 Element 7 – Shipboard Operations
 Element 8 – Emergency Preparedness.
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 Relation of ISM Code and STCW
(cont…)

Since the ISM Code clearly demands that with the

implementation of STCW 95 safety system, all
connected laws and regulations have to be
observed, it is therefore mandatory that all
STCW95 requirements are being complied with.
Thus, verification of STCW95 compliance is
conducted during ISM Audits.

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 Certificates

Certificate of Competence
– Issued to masters, officers, radio operators and ratings
forming part of a watch, who meet the standards of
competence relevant to their particular functions and level
of responsibility on board.
Endorsement of Recognition
– This document is issued by an Administration as an official
recognition of the validity of a certificate issued by
another Administration.
– This procedure is necessary as many merchant fleets are
manned by seafarers certificated by other Administrations
Certificates of proficiency and special certificates
– issued to the seafarer to certify that he or she has met
the required standard of competence in a specific duty.
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