Who Needs STCW Certification?

What is STCW?

Now that we know who STCW training certifications are for, we need to discuss what STCW is exactly. STCW stands for Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping. It is the national protocol for seafarers and commercial vessels. The full STCW course includes five modules. Each module is broken off into individual courses, and completing them all takes about five days. The five modules for the STCW course are:

1. Personal survival techniques
2. Fire prevention and firefighting
3. Basic first aid
4. Personal safety and social responsibility (PSSR)
5. Proficiency in security awareness

A Little History

The STCW was officially adopted in 1978 and was fully established by 1984. It was then amended in 1995 and again in 2010. The overall goal of the STCW is to help and enforce the safety standards that are specifically made for the protection of shipping environments and to keep the oceans clean.

The 5 STCW Courses

Each of the five modules covers the required topics for that portion of the training course. In this section, we will go into detail about each module and what topics are covered in each.

Personal Survival Techniques Courses

The purpose of this specific course is to teach seafarers and crew members the essential skills and knowledge that will be necessary to survive at sea in the event of an emergency. The topics that must be covered in this module are:

• Preparation for survival
• Investigating causes of distress
• Knowledge and use of equipment
• Launch and recovery of life rafts
• Personal survival skills
• Use of search and rescue organizations

Fire Prevention & Firefighting

This module of the STCW training provides seafarers with resources that enable them to identify and extinguish different types of fires and to have a practical understanding of the uses of firefighting equipment.

It also covers how to minimize the risk of fires aboard the ship, how fires are caused, and how to safely and properly put them out. Other topics you can expect to learn throughout this STCW module are how to:

• Identify hazards
• Store hazardous chemicals
• Properly use equipment
• Respond to an emergency situation
• Prevent future fires
• Control a fire and keep it from spreading

Basic First Aid Safety Training

This portion of the STCW courses will cover topics that will help employees understand how to respond to and care for an injured individual. It will also help them to build essential knowledge on how to respond to the most common hazards and emergencies on board, including:

• Scalds and burns
• Broken or fractured bones
• Bleeding and shock

This course will also discuss important medical techniques for emergency situations. Some of these important learning topics and procedures that will be discussed in this course module are how to:

• Administer CPR
• Use an AEDs
• Use first aid basics
• Treat traumatic injuries
• Deal with poisoning
• Work with pre-existing conditions
• Treat heat and cold stress
• Perform safe evacuations

Personal Safety and Social Responsibility

This course introduces basic training in regard to safety procedures and accident prevention. The purpose of this course is to help new crew members become familiar with the working conditions they may face while working on their vessel. Some of the topics that will be covered in this module include:

• Environmental factors
• Communication
• Safe practices
• Confined spaces
• Fatigue
• Emergency situations
• Relationships and civility
• Sanitation

Proficiency in Security Awareness

This section of the training was added fairly recently, so the standards and requirements are newer. These standards were added specifically for employees who do not have specifically-designated security responsibilities but who still must be aware of safety and security issues.

Some of the security issues that are covered in this module are:

• Threats to the maritime transport industry
• Maritime security definitions
• Security roles and responsibilities
• Company and vessel security requirements
• Security threat levels
• Security measures and procedures

STW Certification

For anyone wanting to work on a commercial ship or yacht, the STCW basic safety training certification is mandatory. The STCW certification shows employers that the employee is able to identify safety hazards at sea and know how to effectively respond in an emergency situation.

It is important to note that STCW certifications require in-person experience. You cannot receive your certification from just completing these modules online. Online STCW courses will offer you a certificate of completion, but in order to meet the proper requirements, you must find a safety class that will teach you all the physical skills you will need to develop.

Does the STCW Training Certificate Expire?

STCW training certifications do expire after five years. As a rule of thumb, an STCW certification should be renewed at the end of the validity period. However, your employer can ultimately decide whether you must take the entire course again or just participate in a refresher course.

STCW Basic Safety & OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has standards and laws for shipyard employment, marine terminals, and longshoring in regard to maritime employees. Employers are also required to provide their employees with a safe and healthful work environment.

However, for anything further than that, OSHA refers to the standards laid out in the STCW. The STCW requires seafarers to meet the standards of competence, age, physical fitness, and approved sea-going service.

The STCW is outlined in eight chapters, each one presenting employee qualifications and standards for a different crew or job. The eight chapters are listed below in order:

• General provisions
• Master and deck departments
• Engine department
• Radiocommunication and radio personnel
• Special training requirements for personnel on certain types of ships
• Emergency, occupational safety, medical care, and survival functions
• Alternative certification
• Watchkeeping

The Center of Our Safety Training

At the end of the day, safety training is important and could potentially save lives. Thus, providing our customers with engaging, efficient, and affordable safety training is our main goal. All of our safety training courses comply with the proper standards as well as cover all the required training topics.

Our course developers spend a lot of time researching and compiling necessary safety information, which gives us the opportunity to provide our customers with the most informative and impactful safety training.

Start Your Courses Today

Our course catalog presents our customers with over 200 complete training topics. Each of these courses are fully-narrated and designed with the students in mind. The STCW courses we offer are:

• Maritime Personal Survival Techniques
• Maritime First Aid Training
• Maritime Personal Safety and Social Responsibility
• Maritime Fire Prevention and Firefighting

We do not offer a Proficiency in Security Awareness course due to the fact that the standards are newer to the work industry.It is important to note that since we do not fulfill all of the requirements set aside by the STCW, our courses are not approved by the Coast Guard.This means that while our courses can provide you with all the knowledge you will need, you will still need to complete an in-person training class before being certified.

Our course options come in three different formats, each one appealing to a slightly different audience. We offer it in an online course, a training kit, and in a train the trainer format.

Online Course

Our online courses benefit both employers and employees in different ways. This learning format helps to make the process of safety training quick, effective, and engaging.

With our courses, employers have access to their employees’ completion rates. This means that they can see how far along in the training they are as well as what they score on their final exam. This feature comes with every online course that we offer.

Our online courses give employees the freedom to work at their own pace and on their own time. This is very beneficial for employees who work lengthy or unusual hours.

The Training Kits

Our training kits provide employers with all of the instructional resources they may need when it comes to the safety training process. All of our kits come with:

• A powerpoint training presentation
• A guidebook that briefly covers all the necessary safety subjects
• Three to five Toolbox Talks that can be used for refresher trainings
• The written test
• Answer keys for the employer
• Practical evaluation forms
• A certificate of completion template
• A printable wallet card template

Train the Trainer

Our train the trainer courses are also online. The target audience for these learning formats is whomever has been assigned the responsibility of conducting or giving the trainings, this could be a training instructor, a supervisor, or even the employer. The kit is included with all of our train the trainer courses.

The History of STCW

The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) was adopted in 1978 and then fully implemented by 1984. It was amended in 1995 and then again in 2010. The STCW applies to seafarers, ship-owners, training establishments, and national maritime administrations. The convention helps make and enforce safety standards specifically to keep shipping environments safe and oceans clean.

Is Anyone Exempt From STCW?

There are a few people that are not required to meet the STCW standards and qualifications. Seafarers and maritime employees are exempt from STCW if they work on:

• Warships
• Naval auxiliaries
• Government owned or operated ships
• Fishing vessels
• Yachts that are not engaged in commercial service

Personal Survival Techniques

The purpose of this course is to provide seafarers with the essential knowledge of personal survival principles and the practical experience with these principles to maximize their chances of survival in the event of an emergency. The topics that must be covered in this module are:

• Classroom and hands-on sessions
• Investigating causes of distress
• Knowledge and use of equipment
• Launch and recovery of life rafts
• Preparation for survival
• Personal survival skills and use of search and rescue organizations

Fire Prevention & Firefighting

This module of the STCW training covers learning topics such as the necessary precautions needed to minimize the risk of fires aboard the ship. It also covers how fires are caused and how to safely and properly put them out.

This section of the training should also include practical training on the use of firefighting equipment, including the use of a breathing apparatus in the case of firefighting and rescue. Other topics you can expect to learn throughout this course are:

1. Hazard Identification
2. Chemical storage
3. Equipment
4. Response
5. Prevention
6. Controls

Basic Firefighting vs Advanced Firefighting

The basic firefighting course is generally taken by new maritime employees as part of the mandatory STCW basic training course. There are no qualifications or prerequisites for this safety course, and the main requirement is that the employee is in generally good physical health.

The advanced firefighting course is a part of the required safety training for an employee who is specifically responsible for managing and controlling firefighting operations on board a vessel. It also is required to be taken by officers that wish to apply for or renew their certificates of competency. Employees who are required to or want to take this course must have obtained the basic firefighting certificate first.

Basic First Aid

This portion of the STCW courses will cover topics that will help employees build essential knowledge on how to respond to the most common injuries and emergencies on board a vessel, including:

• Scalds and burns
• Broken or fractured bones
• Bleeding and shock

This course module will also teach you important medical techniques and procedures for emergency situations. Some of these important learning topics that will be discussed in this course module are:

• CPR
• AEDs
• First aid basics
• Traumatic injuries
• Poisoning
• Pre-existing conditions
• Heat and cold stress
• Evacuations

Personal Safety and Social Responsibility

This portion of the course introduces basic training that covers safety procedures and accident prevention, which helps new crew members become familiar with the working conditions they may face while working on board. Some of the topics that will be covered in this module are:

• Environmental factors
• Communication
• Safe practices
• Confined spaces
• Fatigue
• Emergency response
• Relationships and civility
• Sanitation

Proficiency in Security Awareness

This section of the training was added fairly recently, so the standards are *newer. These standards were added specifically for employees who need to be aware of safety and security issues, but do not have designated security responsibilities. Some of the security issues that are covered in this module are:

• Threats to the maritime transport industry
• Maritime security terms and definitions
• Security roles and responsibilities
• Company and vessel security requirements
• Security threat levels
• Security measures and procedures

*Due to the standard being newer, we do not offer this portion of the training.

Is the STCW Course OSHA Aligned?

OSHA has standards and laws for maritime employers regarding shipyard employment, marine terminals, and longshoring. OSHA also requires employers to provide a safe and healthful work environment for their employees.

Aside from these standards, OSHA refers to the qualifications laid out by the STCW. The STCW requires seafarers to meet the standards of competence, age, mental and physical fitness, and approved sea-going service.

The STCW Convention is outlined in eight chapters, each one presenting employee qualifications and standards for a different crew or job. The basic outline is as follows:

• Chapter I: General provisions
• Chapter II: Master and deck departments
• Chapter III: Engine department
• Chapter IV: Radiocommunication and radio personnel
• Chapter V: Special training requirements for personnel on certain types of ships
• Chapter VI: Emergency, occupational safety, medical care, and survival functions.
• Chapter VII: Alternative certification
• Chapter VIII: Watchkeeping

Does STCW Safety Training Take a Week?

The STCW basic training qualifications entails five modules (each listed above) which, in total, take five days to complete. Therefore, STCW safety training does take about a week to complete. You will not need to worry about the time requirements if you are renewing your certificate, though. Your employer is required to give you time to complete this.

STCW Certification

The STCW basic safety training certification is mandatory for any crew member wanting to work on a commercial ship or yacht. The certification shows employers that the employee is able to identify safety hazards at sea and know how to effectively respond to an emergency situation. It is designed to help new maritime employees gain the knowledge and skills that they will need in order to safely work on board.

It is important to note that STCW certifications require you to have hands-on, in-person experience. You cannot just complete an online course and be certified. Online STCW courses will offer you a certificate of completion, but in order to meet the proper requirements, you must find an in-person safety class that will teach you all the physical skills you will need to develop.

Does the STCW Certificate Expire?

An STCW certification will generally need to be renewed every five years. However, your employer can decide whether you must take the entire course again or just participate in a refresher course.

An Assessment of Competency

An assessment of competency requires that maritime employees receive a certificate of competency. A STCW certificate of competence is similar to an endorsement (which we will discuss below); however, it is specific to a particular function aboard the ship. This means that if you are responsible for fire prevention, you must receive a certificate of competency for fire prevention.

What is a STCW Endorsement?

An STCW endorsement is obtained through taking specific safety courses and onboard assessments that are required in order to meet the relevant safety standards and competency levels. There are different levels of STCW endorsements that you may need in order to qualify for specific maritime jobs. The different endorsement levels are:

• Entry Level Ratings
• Operational Level Officers
• Management Level Officers

Who Needs an Endorsement?

An STCW endorsement is only necessary for maritime employees that work aboard vessels that will operate outside of the U.S Territorial Boundary Line.

For reference, the Territorial Boundary Line is only three miles away from the coasts on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the U.S and barely 12 miles off the Gulf of Mexico. Considering the fact that the line isn’t very far from the U.S coast, you may need an endorsement more often than you think.

Our Safety Training

There are many ways to complete safety training; however, some ways are not easy, convenient, or affordable. At the end of the day though, safety training should be a positive experience and not a hassle. All of our courses comply with the proper safety standards and contain all necessary information that is related to the training you need.

Our learning development and quality assurance teams spend hours researching and compiling safety information, which gives us the opportunity to provide our customers with the most efficient and effective safety training.

Start Your Courses Today

Our course catalog presents companies with over 200 training topics to choose from. Each of our safety courses are fully narrated and designed to keep the students’ mind engaged. Along with other maritime safety courses, our STCW courses are available for you to purchase and take today.

• Maritime Personal Survival Techniques
• Maritime First Aid Training
• Maritime Personal Safety and Social Responsibility
• Maritime Fire Prevention and Firefighting

We offer all of the above courses in three different learning formats. We offer it in an online course, a training kit, and in a train the trainer format.

Online Course

Our online courses offer both employers and employees a variety of learning benefits. These courses help to make the safety training process quick, effective, and engaging.

Employees have the freedom to work at their own pace and in their own time. Our online courses also allow employees to stop and start at their leisure, which is very beneficial for those who work long hours.

Additionally, our online courses allow employers to have the ability to track the completion rates of their employees and to see what they scored on their final exam.

Training Kits

Our training kits include a variety of instructional resources. Our kits come with:

• A powerpoint presentation
• A guidebook that briefly covers all the safety subjects from the powerpoint
• Three to five Toolbox Talks that can be used for refresher trainings
• A written test
• Answer keys for the employer
• Practical evaluation forms
• A certificate of completion template
• A printable wallet card certification template

Train the Trainer

Our train the trainer courses are online and meant to certify any individual who wants to use the training kit to train their employees. The kit is included with the train the trainer course and is available for use after successfully completing the online portion of the course.