STCW for Newcomers

Now, in order to become a crew member on commercial vessels larger than 200 tons, such as cruise ships, yachts, and merchant vessels, a series of short courses known as STCW Basic Safety Training or STCW Basic Courses. must be completed.

Standards of Training, Certification, and Watching is abbreviated as STCW. It is a global convention that mandates that crew members consistently achieve a certain level of training quality.

STCW Courses

The STCW basic week can typically be completed in five days if purchased as a package. The following elements make up the course:

1. Fire Prevention and Firefighting (Basic) - ensures that crew members can confidently do firefighting gear and are well-versed in a variety of firefighting techniques (which they can also demonstrate).
2. Elementary First Aid – Elementary First Aid is a theory-and-practical course that looks at common medical emergencies that can happen on board, such as the need for CPR.
3. Personal Survival Techniques – Crew members learn survival skills, such as how to use life jackets and immersion suits, in this course, which is a mix of theory and swimming pool instruction.Additionally, they learn how to operate and deploy life rafts.
4. Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities - Ensures that all future crew members are well-versed in the various alarm types, capable of putting accident prevention strategies into practice, and well-versed in the safe working practice code.
5. Proficiency in Security Awareness - Teaches students about the various types of security threats that could be expected and how security functions on board.The STCW basic week typically does not include this course, but some training schools offer it as part of a package.

You will also need to take the EDH course if you want to join as a deckhand. It typically lasts for five days and covers both theoretical and practical aspects of the job, such as: work with ropes, seamanship, pilot ladders, access methods, etc.