STCW

1
STCW 78

• The International Convention on Standards of
  Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for
  Seafarers

2
STCW 78

• Sets qualification standards for masters,
  officers and watch personnel on seagoing merchant
  ships.
• Adopted in 1978entered into force in 1984.
• Significantly amended in 1995 due various
  limitations discovered.

3
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.

5
STCW 78gtgtgtgt95

• 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 78gtgt95

• 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.

7
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 the Convention.

8
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 mariners 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.

10
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
• appropriately in an emergency.

11
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

13
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.

15
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.