The STCW Code is being updated to keep up with the times and the tech.
The USCG is working with the IMO to update the standards for seafarers’ training and certification. These changes are designed to better reflect the current needs, trends and challenges of the maritime industry. The next HTW sub-committee meeting for Human Element, Training, and Watchkeeping is scheduled for this month with a focus on 22 specific areas of the Code. The HTW sub-committee was tasked in 2022 by the Maritime Safety Committee to conduct this review to identify any gaps, and then revise the standards to ensure these gaps are properly addressed. The sub-committee is expected to have the final road map and timeline within one to two years, with new resolutions coming forth by the spring of 2027.
Some of the areas that the sub-committee is focusing on dealing with training for new technologies, cybersecurity, e-training, crew mental health and gender sensitization, psychological safety, seatime requirements and flexibility in alternative methods of compliance with the practical assessments found throughout the STCW Code.
STCW is more than just Basic Safety, that is but one part of a huge document designed to protect the seafarer and keep them safe while at sea. Emerging technologies and changes in our industry create a near-constant challenge to the Convention in ensuring seafarers are properly trained and equipped to utilize the tools found on board. AI and ML are seeing an increasing share of the workload in everyday life, and on board our vessels will be no different. While we learn how to integrate those systems into our daily work life, it is important that we also retain the knowledge, skills and abilities that are core components of what it means to be a seafarer. Those are the intertwined goals of STCW: keeping pace with technology while ensuring a competent and safe seafarer.
So, what do these changes mean to us as seafarers and members of the maritime industry? We can expect to see some changes in the courses that are required, with updates to some to integrate new technologies while perhaps shedding some requirements for older technologies that are no longer in use. GMDSS is a good example; as new communication systems were brought online, we as an industry phased out older systems that were less efficient or harder to operate. These periodic reviews are designed to do just that — keep the mariner relevant to the industry they are serving in. The sub-committee is also looking at sea time and the amount of sea time required for various positions. National flag state administrations, such as the USCG, have already adjusted some of the sea time requirements in recognition of the training and experiential knowledge gained in today’s maritime industry. For example, the requirements for Able Seafarer were cut nearly in half for all ratings as part of a temporary three-year review of the sea time and the effect those changes will have.
The industry is changing, the tools we use are changing and the mariner is changing … therefore, the STCW Code must change as well if it is to remain relevant and continue to be the benchmark of our industry for safety standards. The Code, along with SOLAS and the MLC, all work together to not only make the mariner better but safer as well. In the end, we all want to do our job well and we all want to come home safe to our loved ones.