STCW 78

The International Convention on Standards

of Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping for Seafarers

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.