What is STCW and why do you need it as a crew member?

As you may or may not know Trilogy has recently gained our accreditation to train the Basic safety STCW modules for seafarers. And if you are looking at joining the yachting industry or already in it you may know that you need have your Basic STCW to work onboard. But do you know what it actually is and why you need it? No? Well read on.

STCW Fast facts:

What is it:

It is an international convention that was adopted in 1978 by the International Conference on Training and Certification for Seafarers and came into force on the 28th of April 1984. It has had regular amendments to keep it updated and ensure better training for safety of seafarers at sea.

What does it stand for?

Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping

How many amendments have there been?

12 in total since 1984 – 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018.

What is the STCW Code?

Generally speaking, the Convention contains basic requirements which are then enlarged upon and explained in the Code. It is separated into two parts.

Part A of the Code is mandatory. The minimum standards of competence required for seagoing personnel.

Part B of the Code contains recommended guidance.  

What are the STCW Convention chapters

Chapter I:  General provisions

Chapter II:  Master and deck department

Chapter III:  Engine department

Chapter IV:  Radiocommunication and radio operators

Chapter V:  Special training requirements for personnel on certain types of ships

Chapter VI:  Emergency, occupational safety, security, medical care and     survival functions

Chapter VII:  Alternative certification

Chapter VIII:  Watchkeeping

Which ones do I need to do?

To work onboard a seagoing vessel in any position everyone needs the following:

PST – Personal Survival techniques

PSSR – Personal safety and social responsibilities

EFA – Elementary first aid

FPFF – Fire prevention and Fire Fighting

But Yachts often require that you also hold your DSD

DSD – Designated security duties

So, we offer it as part of the above as an added bonus and not an extra cost.

What will I learn in each of the modules?

PST – Personal Survival Techniques

You will learn what to do in the event of an emergency at sea and need to abandon ship. Things like, donning a lifejacket, jumping from a height into water, launching and boarding a life raft, how to survive at sea in a life raft and much more.  And then moving on to put it into practise in the live scenario situations.

Interesting Fact: This module follows the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) convention in its successive forms and is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships. The first version was adopted in 1914, in response to the Titanic disaster.

PSSR – Personal safety and social responsibilities

This teaches a broad, if basic, knowledge of and compliance with safe working practices on board a vessel. The course aims to make new crew members familiar with life on board, employment and expectations and essential safety considerations.

EFA – Elementary First aid

Covering CPR, basic first aid and what actions to take in the event of an accident or medical emergency onboard.

FPFF - Fire prevention and Fire Fighting

Educates on precautions for minimising the risk of fire, the causes of fires and how to extinguish them. As well as practical training using firefighting equipment and breathing apparatus in a realistic scenario, entering into enclosed spaces while wearing firefighting gear and putting out live fires with extinguishers and hoses. 

DSD – Designated security duties

This prepares seafarers to implement and uphold the ships security plan to prevent and identify security threats to the vessel, it’s cargo and its crew. Subjects such as stowaways, bomb searches and piracy are covered in this module.

Interesting Fact: This was included in the Manila Amendment (2010) to take measures to fight the increasing piracy and violence against seafarers around the world, and has been mentioned in the Maritime Labor Convention (2006) The importance of ship security training for all crew members has thus become extremely important.

So, there we have it ladies and gentleman, we trust you found this interesting and informative. If you have any further questions or would like to book your spot on one of our world class courses then please get in touch with us info@trilogyluxtraining.co.za ,we would love to hear from you, or visit our website on www.trilogyluxtraining.co.za