If you’re a professional mariner or aspiring to work in the maritime industry, you’ve probably heard of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW). This internationally recognized set of rules and standards determines the skills and knowledge mariners need to perform their jobs safely at sea. STCW Basic Training is the foundational step in acquiring your STCW endorsement.
Adopted by international convention in 1978, STCW established a set of standards for mariners across the world where before this task was left up to individual governments, which posed problems as mariners crossed international boundaries. As the maritime and shipping industry is international by nature, the creation of STCW laid the foundations for standardized basic safety and watchkeeping rules to, above all, reduce confusion.
After the initial STCW Convention of 1978, the IMO formed a more comprehensive code in 1995. This new amendment to the original STCW outlined more specific requirements for individual mariner positions, as well as enhanced and detailed safety training. These amendments took effect in 1997, with new mariners entering the marine industry after August 1998 being required to meet the new standards of the 1995 revision.
Some of the more notable amendments included:
in 2010, the IMO further developed STCW into what’s commonly known as the Manila Amendments due to the rapid advancement of technology and better shipping safety practices.
From January 2012, the IMO and United States Coast Guard requires ocean-going seafarers to adhere to the new STCW 2010 standards. However, to give maritime companies time to update ship equipment while training crews to the new standards, the implementation requirements were introduced annually through until 2017.
The most notable Manila amendments include:
