Intl maritime industry leaders push for STCW reform

Intl maritime industry leaders push for STCW reform
Yashika F. Torib November 20, 2024 https://www.manilatimes.net/2024/11/20/business/maritime/intl-maritime-i...

LEADERS from various international maritime administrations agree that Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW)-related training should be reduced with a focus on skills applicable only to actual seafaring tasks.

Discussions during the Seatrade Maritime Crew Connect Global last Nov. 12 disclosed the sentiments of maritime leaders on STCW training. These leaders included representatives from the European Commission, International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko), International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Danish Maritime Authority (DMA), and Philippines' Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

Crew Connect Global is the world's biggest manning conference with hundreds of local and international crewing experts and professionals discussing key trends impacting the global manning industry. This is the 25th year that Crew Connect Global was held in the Philippines in recognition of the country's status as the world's leading provider of seafarers.

Arvind Natrajan, senior manager of ICS, observed that seafaring entails excessive training that makes the profession unattractive to the younger generation.

"The cumulative effect of all these training requirements on seafaring is incredible. It makes recruitment and retention difficult. We need to modernize and slim down the training under the STCW," he said.

Capt. Mahyar Jokhi, gas manager of Intertanko, concurred with Natrajan, stating that too much training puts a lot of pressure on seafarers.

"We should modernize the skills and competencies under the STCW training. Obsolete competencies that are no longer used onboard should be removed such as celestial navigation and flag signals. We are responsible [for their training] and should impart to them the right kind of skills to succeed in this profession. These should be skill-based and more applicable to the real-world situation on ships," he said.

"We need to lift the burden on seafarers. For every new equipment, there is a new competency training. We need to work on what makes sense [and] relieve them of the paper burden. I don't hear complaints from seafarers who are undergoing training related to the decarbonization of ships because it makes sense to them. What they are complaining about are the upgrading courses that take too much of their time while they are on vacation," observed Andreas Nordseth, director general of the DMA.

Sonia Malaluan, administrator of Marina, agreed with these observations and commented that the gap between the existing training competencies and the actual skills needed onboard has to be bridged.

"If we listen to seafarers with regards to refresher and upgrading courses, we will learn that there is a real need to bridge the gap between training and the reality onboard ships. But there has to be a global standard, we need subject matter experts for this and plan how it can be implemented," Malaluan said, adding that seafarers should also be part of the dialogue.

"The revised version of the STCW Convention should be adaptable and inclusive," Malaluan said.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee started its comprehensive review of the STCW Convention and Code in February this year in efforts to keep seafarer training, certification, and watchkeeping aspects in line with the developments in the shipping industry such as decarbonization and digitalization.

The convention, originally adopted in 1978, was first amended in 1995 and then in 2010 when the Manila amendments were introduced.

The recent review will go through several phases and is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2027.