Major amendments to the IMO Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for seafarers (STCW) were adopted in Manila in 2010. Included in the “Manila Amendments” are vitally important international standards for seafarers’ training and certification that will greatly advance maritime safety as well as raise the stature of the seafaring profession, provided they are properly implemented.
Some of the new training requirements include standards for leadership, management and teamwork training; maritime security training; ECDIS training; pollution prevention training; and refresher training in basic shipboard safety (such as fire-fighting, first aid, survival and personal safety). Discretion is given to individual flag administrations to interpret the convention’s training requirements and standards for STCW certificates. The amendments came into force in 2012 with a transitional implementation period running through the end of 2016. By Jan. 1, 2017, all seafarers must complete their required training and have a STCW certificate issued by the flag administration.
With the onus on seafarers to complete training and obtain STCW certificates, significant challenges remain for them to meet the Jan. 1, 2017, deadline. Have flag administrations provided guidance to them on their requirements? Will flag administrations accept other flag administrations’ interpretations of training requirements? Are there enough training institutions available to meet seafarers’ need for training? Can seafarers’ afford to pay for the training? Are flag administrations capable of issuing the hundreds of thousands of STCW certificates in a timely manner?
It’s not too late for the entire maritime community to help seafarers obtain the training and certification they need. The IMO should provide additional guidance to flag administrations on interpreting STCW training requirements. Flag administrations should ensure they are prepared to issue STCW certificates and inform seafarers of any deadlines for applications. Shipowners and managers should help seafarers schedule and pay for STCW training.
Rev. David Rider, Executive Director and President, Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey