STCW

Convention: International convention on standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for seafarers

Adoption: 1978

Entry into force: 1984

Major revisions: 1995 and 2010

Code: Standard of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping for seafarer code

Manila Amendment to the STCW convention and code is a major revision that came in 2010 and came into force in 2012.

It promotes the safety of life, the safety of property, and the protection of the marine environment by establishing basic requirements on training, certification, and watch-keeping for seafarers on an International Level.

Chapter I: General Provisions

Chapter II: Master & Deck Department

Chapter III: Engine department

Chapter IV: Radio communication and radio personnel

Chapter V: Special training requirement for personnel on certain types of ship

Chapter VI: Emergency, occupational safety, medical care & survival function

Chapter VII: Alternative Certification

Chapter VIII: Watchkeeping

The convention contains basic requirements which are then enlarged & explained in code.

The regulation contained in the convention is supported by sections in the STCW code.

• Blacklisted countries as per STCW are the STCW-95 non-compliant member states
• Ships flagged by black listed country can be denied entry to a port & inspected intensely

STCW Chapter A-VIII/1(Fitness for duty) defines the work and rest hour requirement.

Those are:-

(I) a minimum of 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period

(II) a minimum of 77 hours of rest in any 7-day period

(III) Rest should not be divided into more than 2 periods. One of these periods should be at least 6 hours. (For example, We require 10 hours of rest in any 24 hours, so the required 10 hours rest can be in combination of 6+4, 8+2, etc. but cannot be like 6+2+2 or 5+5)

(IV) Interval between consecutive periods of rest shall not exceed 14 hours

(V) Exemption to 77 hours of rest in any 7-day period  (If exemptions are used for one week, the next exemptions can only be after two weeks / If exemptions are used for two consecutive weeks, the next exemptions can only be after four weeks)

(VI) Exemptions to 10 hours of rest divided into no more than 2 periods

• This exemption allows: 6+2+2, 7+2+1, 8+1+1 etc
• But these exemptions can only be used for maximum of two times 

NOTE: In the above points, the word ‘any’ means from any point of time to any point of time, not from midnight.

i) Revalidation of COC of management-level officer

ii) New & improved training guidance for crew and officers on-board

iii) New requirement for MARPOL awareness

iv) Strict measures for preventing fraudulent COC

v) Rest hours increased from 70 hours to 77 hours

vi) Introduction of ETO with approved training & COC

vii) More facilities and better training for J. Eng. & cadets

viii) Updated drug and alcohol policy

ix) New method of training for ECDIS

x) New & improved requirement for ISPS training & to tackle the situation of Piracy attack

xi) New training regulation for ship staff in Polar water