ICS Chairman calls for training regime revision
(Posted on 09/11/18)
Speaking in Manila, the Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Esben Poulsson, has called for a comprehensive revision of the IMO STCW Convention which governs global standards for the training and certification of around two million merchant seafarers.
STCW was reviewed in 2010 with the adoption of the ‘Manila amendments’ but the previous major overhaul of the STCW regime was last undertaken by IMO Member States over 25 years ago.
Mr Poulsson said “It’s now commonplace for employers to routinely provide additional training and assessments prior to the deployment of many officers holding STCW certification which raises questions as to whether the Convention as currently drafted is still fit for purpose in the 21st Century.”
“A fully revised STCW regime would allow the industry to adapt much more effectively to technological developments including increased automation. It should provide a structure of sufficient flexibility to hit the moving target of a changing world fleet, and may need to develop a more modular approach to competency accumulation and certification. The arrival of new technology is already changing the functions that seafarers perform on board and the skills and training they require.”
Mr Poulsson added “A revised STCW should seek to improve transparency and the robustness of implementation oversight. The so called STCW whitelist of nations that have communicated information to IMO about compliance now serves little real purpose as it includes virtually everyone. ICS would not wish to tear up the whitelist without a suitable replacement but there has to be a more transparent and robust monitoring system of national implementation to ensure that STCW continues to deliver competent and quality seafarers.”
Mr Poulsson explained that ICS increasingly views the STCW 2010 amendments as an interim revision which had added some new training and certification provisions without making the structural changes needed to accommodate new developments in training or the competences that would be required to operate ships in the future.
He recalled that during the early 1990s, IMO had responded positively to industry requests to address serious concerns about training standards in many of the newly emerging seafarer supply countries, many of which now had world class training institutions. He said “With the involvement of all industry stakeholders, we think the time is now right to consider the next comprehensive revision of STCW akin to that completed by IMO Member States back in 1995.”
Latest News
Potential officer shortage looms
(Posted on 29/07/21)Launched this week, the new Seafarer Workforce Report from BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping... Read more
DNV backs crew change programme in SE Asia
(Posted on 29/07/21)DNV, the world’s leading classification society and risk management expert, is embarking on an... Read more
IMI and Columbia sign cooperation agreement
(Posted on 29/07/21)International Maritime Industries (IMI), the largest maritime yard in the Middle East and North Africa... Read more
Ocean Technologies helps seafarers minimise distractions
(Posted on 26/07/21)Distractions are recognised as one of the biggest causes of human error resulting in incidents, accidents... Read more
The BMA recognises first mental health training course
(Posted on 26/07/21)The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) has announced that it has recognised the Seafarer Mental Health... Read more
ClassNK grants innovation endorsement Tsuneishi
(Posted on 20/07/21)Leading Classification Society ClassNK granted its first Innovation Endorsement “Provider Certification... Read more
Jamaica’s successful women can serve as an example
(Posted on 20/07/21)World shipping can learn a lot from Jamaica when it comes to equality in the maritime workplace because... Read more
DNV verifies Survitec’s new firefighting foam tests
(Posted on 15/07/21)Classification society DNV has issued a verification statement allowing global survival technology specialist... Read more
METIS contributes digital expertise to EU sustainability project
(Posted on 15/07/21)METIS Cyberspace Technology is contributing to an EU-backed project that will test clean energy solutions... Read more
Wärtsilä launches major carbon-free solutions test programme
(Posted on 15/07/21)The technology group Wärtsilä continues to lead the ongoing transformation of the energy and... Read more
