What is STCW Basic Training & Why do I need it?

At Seven Seas Preparatory Academy we are often asked, what is STCW Basic Training and how does that relate to STCW 95 and STCW 2010. We decided to answer these questions to help you better understand.

How STCW evolved

STCW is the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and watchkeeping for seafarers produced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The STCW Convention from 1978 entered into force in April 1984 and since then has gone through several amendments, most noticeably the 1995 and 2010 amendments.

The latest amendment of 2010 (known as the Manila amendments) were mainly due to the introduction of security awareness and in light of new technologies.

Any crew member working on a commercial ship or Yacht are required to have the STCW Basic Training certificate which forms one section of STCW.

Mutual Recognition between countries

Another popular question is, will my STCW Basic Training certificate be recognized by other countries? The IMO produced a list of countries known as the ‘White List’ which distinguishes the nations that have displayed and established a plan of full compliance with the STCW Convention and Code and have mutual recognition. For example if you have a STCW Basic training certificate from a Maritime School approved by the US Coastguard, this is accepted by the United Kingdom and vice versa.

What is STCW Basic Training?

Basic Training covers the following modules and prepares crew to safely perform their duties on board:

STCW Basic Training Covers 4 Modules

  • Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (Basic Fire Fighting A-VI/1-1)

  • Personal Survival Techniques (PST A-VI/1-2)

  • Elementary First Aid (Basic First Aid A-VI/1-3)

  • Personal Safety & Social Responsibilities (PSSR A-VI/1-4)

The course is a combination of theory and practicals. The theory portion can also be taken online under an approved structure, sometimes referred to as ‘Blended Training’.

Seven Seas Preparatory provides the blended basic training and confirms to the latest requirements, accepted by companies and yacht registries, this can be found here STCW Basic Training Course

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