STCW Chapter VI: Emergency, Safety, Security + Survival

Background: STCW 1978 + 1995 + Manila 2010 evolution

The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 as adopted in London on 7 July 1978 included a Chapter VI titled “Proficiency in Survival Craft” with a single Regulation VI/1 requiring every seafarer assigned to lifeboat or liferaft duty to demonstrate proficiency in launching, recovery, on-board management and use of survival equipment. The 1978 chapter was minimal because the broader survival, fire and medical training requirements at the time were addressed at flag-State level, in SOLAS Chapter III (life-saving appliances) for equipment standards, and in IMO Assembly Resolutions for recommended training content. The 1978 framework proved inadequate against the casualty record of the late 1970s and 1980s: the Burmah Agate fire of 1979; the Ocean Ranger sinking of 15 February 1982 (84 fatalities, with deficient survival-suit training cited as a contributing factor in the Marine Board of Investigation report); the Doña Paz collision-fire of 20 December 1987 (more than 4,000 fatalities, the deadliest peacetime maritime casualty on record); and the Scandinavian Star fire of 7 April 1990 (159 fatalities, with passenger-evacuation and crew-firefighting deficiencies dominating the Norwegian and Swedish casualty reports).

The 1995 STCW Amendments, adopted at the IMO Conference of Parties in London 26 June to 7 July 1995 and entered into force on 1 February 1997, restructured the Convention into the present “thin Convention plus Code” architecture and expanded Chapter VI substantially. The 1995 package introduced four Regulations:

• Regulation VI/1 Familiarization, basic safety training and instruction for all seafarers, codifying the minimum entry-level package now widely known as Basic Safety Training (BST): personal survival techniques, fire prevention and firefighting, elementary first aid, and personal safety and social responsibilities.
• Regulation VI/2 Issue of certificates of proficiency in survival craft, rescue boats and fast rescue boats.
• Regulation VI/3 Mandatory minimum training in advanced firefighting, addressed at officers and ratings designated to control firefighting operations beyond the entry-level FPFF response.
• Regulation VI/4 Mandatory minimum requirements for medical first aid and medical care, with sub-paragraphs for the designated person in charge of medical first aid and for the officer responsible for medical care.

The 1995 framework introduced the principle that every seafarer, regardless of department or rank, must hold a baseline in survival, fire, first aid and personal safety. It also formalised the lifetime-validity-with-refresher model that the Manila 2010 package later tightened.

The 2010 Manila Amendments, adopted at a Conference of Parties held in Manila, Philippines, from 21 to 25 June 2010, and entered into force on 1 January 2012 with full effect from 1 January 2017, restructured Chapter VI into its present form. The Manila package made three principal changes: it added Regulation VI/5 Ship Security Officer (SSO) and Regulation VI/6 Security Awareness and Designated Security Duties (DSD), completing the integration between STCW competence and the ISPS Code that had been adopted in 2002 in response to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks; it formalised the 5-year refresher cycle for the survival, fire and medical certificates (Reg VI/1.2.1 PST, Reg VI/1.2.2 FPFF, Reg VI/1.2.3 EFA, Reg VI/2.1 PSCRB, Reg VI/2.2 FRB, Reg VI/3 advanced firefighting, Reg VI/4.1 MFA, and Reg VI/4.2 MC), recognising that practical skills in those domains decay measurably over multi-year intervals away from training; and it tightened the competence-based assessment standard for all Chapter VI courses, requiring practical demonstration in addition to written or oral examination. The Manila package also introduced the cross-reference to STCW Chapter V for ship-type-specific safety training (oil, chemical, gas, passenger, IGF, polar) which builds on Chapter VI rather than replacing it.

MSC.560(108): 2026 amendment to STCW Code Table A-VI/1-4

IMO Resolution MSC.560(108), adopted at the 108th session of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 108) in May 2024, amends the STCW Code by revising Table A-VI/1-4: Specification of minimum standard of competence in personal safety and social responsibilities (PSSR). The amendment entered into force on 1 January 2026 and applies to PSSR training delivered on or after that date.

What the amendment adds

Table A-VI/1-4 previously specified six competence areas covering emergency procedures, pollution prevention, safe working practices, communications, interpersonal relationships, and fatigue management. MSC.560(108) adds a seventh mandatory competence: prevention of, and response to, violence and harassment, including sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) and bullying on board.

This is the first time the STCW Code has mandated violence-and-harassment training within the basic safety instruction that every seafarer must complete before serving at sea. The new competence requires seafarers to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Recognition of violence and harassment, including SASH and bullying, as distinct occupational safety hazards in the shipboard environment.
• The right of every seafarer to a workplace free from violence and harassment, the relevant provisions of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) (Title 3, decent working conditions at sea, and Standard A3.1 on accommodation and recreational facilities), and flag-State implementing legislation.
• Reporting channels for violence and harassment incidents, including direct reporting to the master, Company grievance procedures under MLC 2006 Standard A5.1.5, and flag-State seafarer complaints mechanisms.
• Immediate support actions for a colleague who has experienced violence or harassment: confidential listening, documentation, preservation of evidence, and facilitation of access to medical care under Reg VI/4.

The methods of demonstrating competence are examination and approved in-service experience or approved training, consistent with the assessment approach for the other PSSR competences in Table A-VI/1-4.

Regulatory context

The amendment responds to sustained evidence that violence and harassment, including SASH, are significant occupational hazards for seafarers. The ITF and ILO have documented multiple cases of underreporting attributable in part to seafarers’ uncertainty about their rights and reporting channels. The IMO, working jointly with the ILO, developed the amendment through the HTW Sub-Committee to integrate harassment-prevention awareness into the baseline training that every seafarer receives, rather than treating it as an optional or employer-specific topic.

MLC 2006 Regulation 5.1.5, which requires Administrations to have a complaints procedure for seafarers, and MLC Standard A3.1, which requires adequate and separate accommodation, are the principal labour-law instruments that operate alongside this STCW competence addition. The STCW amendment ensures the competence to recognise and report is in place; MLC provides the procedural framework for the response.

Transition and training delivery

PSSR training delivered on or after 1 January 2026 must incorporate the new competence. Training centres approved for PSSR courses must update their syllabi and assessment instruments to include Table A-VI/1-4 as amended by MSC.560(108). Seafarers who completed PSSR before 1 January 2026 are not required to retake the module: PSSR retains its lifetime validity under the Manila 2010 framework. The amendment affects new entrants to the industry and any seafarer who takes a PSSR course for the first time from 1 January 2026 onward.

Flag State Administrations are responsible for ensuring that approved training centres delivering PSSR after 1 January 2026 cover the new competence. Port State Control can, in principle, examine the currency of a PSSR certificate against the standard in force at the date of issue; a certificate issued after 1 January 2026 from an approved centre should cover the MSC.560(108) content.

HTW review: cyber-security and alternative-fuel proposals (not yet adopted)

The IMO Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW) is conducting an ongoing review of the STCW Convention and Code. Items under active development include:

Cyber-security awareness for integration into Reg VI/6 Security Awareness Training for all seafarers, which would codify into mandatory STCW competence the cyber risk-management obligation that IMO Resolution MSC.428(98) placed on ship operators under the ISM Code from 1 January 2021. The proposed module scope covers identification of phishing and social-engineering attacks, recognition of unauthorised network access attempts, credential hygiene, and incident reporting. The Designated Security Duties syllabus under Reg VI/6.2 could additionally cover the cyber-physical interface for cargo control systems and SSO interface to shore-based cyber incident response teams.

Alternative-fuel emergency response for integration into Reg VI/1.2.2 FPFF and Reg VI/3 Advanced Firefighting, addressing the emergency hazards of methanol, ammonia and hydrogen as marine fuels in addition to existing LNG scope. Proposed additions cover fuel-specific extinguishing-medium selection, personnel protective equipment, and emergency-shutdown coordination with IGF Code gas-supply systems.

Medical-care updates under consideration for Reg VI/4 include telemedicine integration with shore-based maritime medical advice services (CIRM, RMAS, TMAS), an updated drug formulary aligned to the WHO essential-medicines list, and mental-health first aid as a distinct competence element.

None of these items has been adopted as of the date this article was last updated. No entry-into-force date has been confirmed for any of them. Seafarers and training centres should monitor HTW session reports and MSC circulars via the IMO website for adoption decisions.

Reg VI/1: BST familiarization and the four mandatory modules

Regulation VI/1 sets out the mandatory minimum familiarization plus basic safety training that every seafarer must complete before being assigned to shipboard duties. The Regulation distinguishes between two tiers:

Familiarization (Reg VI/1.1): instruction in basic safety familiarization that the master or designated competent officer must provide to every newly joining seafarer before commencement of shipboard duties, covering vessel layout, muster station, lifeboat assignment, fire alarm response and emergency communication. Familiarization is delivered onboard by the ship’s officers against the standard of Section A-VI/1.1, and is documented in the seafarer’s record book and the ship’s training log. There is no shore-based training certificate requirement for familiarization, but flag-State and PSC verification routinely confirms that the master is delivering and recording familiarization in accordance with the ISM Code.

Basic Safety Training (Reg VI/1.2): a four-module shore-based training package that every seafarer must complete before serving in any capacity on a ship subject to STCW, comprising Personal Survival Techniques (PST), Fire Prevention and Firefighting (FPFF), Elementary First Aid (EFA), and Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR). The four modules together are typically delivered as a 5-day classroom-plus-practical course at an approved maritime training institute, against the competence standards of Sections A-VI/1.2.1, A-VI/1.2.2, A-VI/1.2.3 and A-VI/1.2.4 of the STCW Code.

The four BST modules map to the four Code subsections as follows: PST to A-VI/1.2.1, FPFF to A-VI/1.2.2, EFA to A-VI/1.2.3, and PSSR to A-VI/1.2.4. PST, FPFF and EFA carry a 5-year refresher cycle under the Manila 2010 amendments. PSSR has lifetime validity on the principle that personal-safety culture and social-responsibility competence, once internalised, do not deteriorate to the point of requiring re-training. The relationship to Chapter V special training is hierarchical: BST is the universal floor, and a seafarer joining a tanker, gas carrier, IGF-fuelled vessel, passenger ship or polar-trading ship must hold BST plus the relevant Chapter V endorsement.

Reg VI/1.1: Personal Survival Techniques (PST)

Personal Survival Techniques (PST) under STCW Code Section A-VI/1.2.1 is the entry-level survival-at-sea module covering the actions that every seafarer must take to survive a vessel-abandonment scenario. The course runs typically 1.5 to 2 days including substantial pool-based practical exercises, and equates to IMO Model Course 1.19 Proficiency in Personal Survival Techniques.

The Section A-VI/1.2.1 competence statement requires the seafarer to demonstrate ability to:

• Don a lifejacket correctly on land and in water, including the reverse-procedure for assistance to an injured person.
• Don an immersion suit correctly within 2 minutes, including the procedure for use with a lifejacket.
• Make a controlled safe jump from a height into water (typical training-pool height 4 to 5 metres simulating a freeboard scenario).
• Right an inverted inflatable liferaft while wearing a lifejacket (a physically demanding evolution and the principal practical-assessment element of most PST courses).
• Swim in survival posture while wearing a lifejacket and immersion suit, including the HELP (Heat Escape Lessening Posture) and HUDDLE techniques to minimise heat loss.
• Board a survival craft from the water, with and without assistance, and assist others to board.
• Take initial actions to enhance survival prospects in a survival craft: hypothermia prevention, seasickness management, water and food rationing, signal-flare and pyrotechnic operation, and emergency-radio operation.
• Operate survival-craft equipment: the painter, the rescue quoit, the throwing line, the sea anchor, the bailer, the radar reflector and the SART (Search and Rescue Transponder).

The PST certificate has 5-year validity under the Manila 2010 framework, with revalidation through the PST Refresher course (IMO Model Course 1.27, typically a 1-day course covering the principal practical evolutions). Revalidation by sea service alone is permitted in some jurisdictions but increasingly disallowed by flag States that require positive demonstration of practical competence at refresher.

Reg VI/1.2: Fire Prevention and Firefighting (FPFF)

Fire Prevention and Firefighting (FPFF) under Section A-VI/1.2.2 is the entry-level shipboard fire-response module covering the actions that every seafarer must take in response to a developing fire on board. The course runs typically 1.5 to 2 days including substantial live-fire practical exercises at a fire-training simulator, and equates to IMO Model Course 1.20 Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting.

The Section A-VI/1.2.2 competence statement requires the seafarer to demonstrate ability to:

• Identify the fire triangle (fuel, heat, oxygen) and the fire tetrahedron (with the fourth element of chain reaction), and the implications for fire prevention and extinguishment.
• Identify the classes of fire (Class A solid combustibles, Class B flammable liquids, Class C flammable gases, Class D combustible metals, Class F cooking oils and fats) and the appropriate extinguishing media for each.
• Operate portable fire extinguishers (water, foam, dry chemical, CO2) including the PASS technique (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep).
• Operate the fixed firefighting installations under SOLAS Chapter II-2: the fire-main system with hydrants and hoses, the fixed CO2 system for engine-room and cargo-space protection, the fixed foam system on tankers, the water-spray system on ro-ro decks, and the high-expansion foam system on passenger vessels.
• Wear and use firefighting outfits including the structural firefighter’s outfit (boots, trousers, jacket, helmet, hood, gloves), the firefighter’s lifeline, and the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) with cylinder-pressure verification, donning, breathing-rate management and emergency egress procedures.
• Participate in firefighting team operations including the boundary-cooling team, the search-and-rescue team, and the attack team, under the command of the fire-team leader.
• Apply fire-prevention measures: hot-work permit procedures, smoking-area discipline, galley-fire prevention, electrical-fire prevention through cable inspection and load management, and engine-room fire prevention through fuel-line inspection and oil-leak management.

The FPFF certificate has 5-year validity, with revalidation through the FPFF Refresher (typically 1-day) covering the principal practical evolutions including SCBA operation, hose-team work and live-fire response. The HTW Sub-Committee review under way as of 2026 proposes extending the FPFF syllabus to cover alternative-fuel emergency response for methanol, ammonia and hydrogen; that proposal has not yet been adopted into the STCW Code.

Reg VI/1.3: Elementary First Aid (EFA)

Elementary First Aid (EFA) under Section A-VI/1.2.3 is the entry-level first-aid module covering the actions that every seafarer must take in response to an injury or illness on board before the arrival of the designated person in charge of medical first aid (Reg VI/4.1) or the officer in charge of medical care (Reg VI/4.2). The course runs typically 1 day including practical exercises with manikins, and equates to IMO Model Course 1.13 Elementary First Aid.

The Section A-VI/1.2.3 competence statement requires the seafarer to demonstrate ability to:

• Take immediate action at an accident scene: scene-safety assessment, calling for help via the ship’s emergency channel, and the primary survey using the DRABC (Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation) sequence.
• Maintain a casualty’s airway and recovery position.
• Perform basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the rate and ratio recommended by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR): currently 30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths at a compression rate of 100 to 120 per minute and a depth of 5 to 6 centimetres for adults, with adjustments for paediatric and infant casualties.
• Manage bleeding with direct pressure, elevation, indirect pressure on arterial points and tourniquet as last resort.
• Manage burns including thermal, chemical and electrical burns with the appropriate cooling, irrigation and dressing techniques.
• Manage fractures, sprains and dislocations with immobilisation and splinting.
• Manage shock including hypovolemic, cardiogenic, anaphylactic and septic presentations.
• Recognise and manage specific shipboard hazards: hypothermia, drowning recovery, electric-shock recovery, hydrogen-sulphide exposure on sour-crude tankers, ammonia-vapour exposure on refrigerated cargo or future ammonia-fuelled vessels, and engine-room burns.
• Operate the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) if fitted.

The EFA certificate has 5-year validity, with revalidation through the EFA Refresher (typically 0.5 to 1 day).

Reg VI/1.4: Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR)

Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR) under Section A-VI/1.2.4 is the human-element module covering the seafarer’s individual responsibilities for personal safety, occupational health, communication, fatigue management and shipboard-community living. The course runs typically 1 day, and equates to IMO Model Course 1.21 Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities.

The Section A-VI/1.2.4 competence statement requires the seafarer to demonstrate ability to:

• Comply with emergency procedures: the muster list, lifeboat assignment, fire alarm response, abandon-ship signal, man-overboard response, and the general-emergency signal.
• Take precautions to prevent pollution of the marine environment, including correct disposal of garbage and waste under MARPOL Annex V, and pollution-prevention awareness across all MARPOL annexes.
• Observe safe working practices: hot-work permits, enclosed-space entry permits, working-at-height precautions, electrical-isolation procedures, machinery lock-out and tag-out, and personal protective equipment selection.
• Contribute to effective communications on board including English-language proficiency for safety communication (Standard Marine Communication Phrases), inter-departmental communication, communication with multilingual crews, and communication during emergencies.
• Contribute to effective human relationships on board: respect for cultural differences in the multinational crew, harassment and bullying prevention, conflict resolution, and the seafarer’s role in supporting a positive shipboard community.
• Understand and take necessary actions to control fatigue, including work-and-rest hour management under STCW Section A-VIII/1 and MLC 2006 Standard A2.3 (minimum 10 hours rest in any 24 hours, minimum 77 hours rest in any 7 days), recognition of fatigue symptoms in self and others, sleep hygiene, and reporting of inadequate rest opportunities.

The PSSR certificate has lifetime validity under the Manila 2010 framework. It is the only BST module without a 5-year refresher cycle. The Manila 2010 Conference confirmed lifetime validity on the basis that personal-safety culture, social-responsibility competence and human-relations skill, once internalised through training and shipboard experience, do not deteriorate in the way that practical fire, survival and medical skills do.

Reg VI/2: Survival Craft and Rescue Boats

Regulation VI/2 sets out the mandatory minimum training and qualification requirements for any seafarer assigned to the operation of survival craft and rescue boats in an emergency. Where the entry-level Reg VI/1.2.1 PST module trains every seafarer to survive in a survival craft as a passenger or self-helper, Reg VI/2 trains designated seafarers to command and operate survival craft as the lifeboat coxswain or rescue-boat coxswain.

The Regulation is sub-divided into two paragraphs corresponding to two separate certificates:

• VI/2.1 Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats other than Fast Rescue Boats (PSCRB): the standard lifeboat-and-rescue-boat coxswain qualification.
• VI/2.2 Proficiency in Fast Rescue Boats (FRB): the additional qualification required for command of high-speed rescue boats fitted to passenger ships, ro-ro vessels, offshore supply vessels and other ships under SOLAS Chapter III Regulation 21 that specifically requires an FRB capability.

Both certificates carry 5-year validity under the Manila 2010 framework, with revalidation through approved refresher training, approved sea service in the certificate role, or approved combined training-plus-service.

Reg VI/2.1: Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats other than FRB

Reg VI/2.1 sets the standard for Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats (PSCRB) required of any seafarer designated as a lifeboat coxswain or rescue-boat coxswain on a non-FRB-fitted vessel, and required of every officer of the deck and engine watch as a baseline competence on most flag States. The candidate must:

1. Be not less than 18 years of age.
2. Have completed approved seagoing service of not less than 12 months or have completed an approved training course plus approved seagoing service of not less than 6 months.
3. Hold the basic-level Reg VI/1.2.1 PST certificate as a prerequisite.
4. Demonstrate the competence specified in STCW Code Section A-VI/2.1, covering: command of survival craft and rescue boats during and after launch; operate a survival craft engine; manage survivors and survival craft after abandoning ship; use locating devices including communication and signalling apparatus and pyrotechnics; apply first aid to survivors.

The training duration is typically 3 to 4 days including substantial in-water practical exercises, and equates to IMO Model Course 1.23 Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats other than Fast Rescue Boats. The course covers boat construction and equipment under SOLAS Chapter III and the LSA Code, the launching arrangements (gravity davits, fall-preventer device or FPD requirements after the 2010 amendments to LSA Code Reg 4.4.7.6, free-fall launch systems for cargo-ship and tanker free-fall lifeboats, hydrostatic-release mechanisms), boat-handling under power, on-scene coordinator role, search patterns including expanding-square and parallel-track, recovery of casualties from the water using rescue quoit and recovery cradle, and the SAR interface to MRCC and on-scene RCC operations.

The PSCRB certificate has 5-year validity, with revalidation through approved refresher training (typically 1 day), approved sea service in roles requiring the certificate, or approved combined training-plus-service.

Reg VI/2.2: Fast Rescue Boats (FRB)

Reg VI/2.2 sets the standard for Proficiency in Fast Rescue Boats (FRB) required of any seafarer designated as an FRB coxswain on vessels carrying fast rescue boats under SOLAS Chapter III Regulation 21 (passenger ships, ro-ro passenger ships, special-purpose ships, certain offshore-support and tug operations). The candidate must:

1. Hold the Reg VI/2.1 PSCRB certificate as a prerequisite.
2. Have completed approved seagoing service of not less than the same prerequisite as VI/2.1, or alternatively a longer approved training programme at an approved training centre.
3. Demonstrate the competence specified in Section A-VI/2.2, covering: take charge of a fast rescue boat during and after launch; handle a fast rescue boat in the prevailing weather and sea conditions; use radio equipment fitted in a fast rescue boat; navigate a fast rescue boat using locating devices including search patterns; carry out repairs and minor maintenance of a fast rescue boat and its equipment.

The training duration is typically 3 days including substantial in-water practical exercises in challenging weather conditions, and equates to IMO Model Course 1.24 Proficiency in Fast Rescue Boats. The course emphasises the dynamic handling characteristics of FRBs (rigid-inflatable hulls, jet or outboard propulsion, planing-speed manoeuvring, recovery in heavy weather), the high-physical-stress recovery operations from a casualty in the water at speed, the boat-to-rotor-aircraft transfer procedure for medevac, and the FRB launch-and-recovery interaction with the parent vessel under way.

The FRB certificate has 5-year validity, with revalidation through approved refresher training (typically 1 day), approved sea service in roles requiring the certificate, or approved combined training-plus-service. FRB is not a substitute for PSCRB; an officer designated as FRB coxswain on a passenger ship must hold both certificates.

Reg VI/3: Advanced Firefighting (AFF)

Regulation VI/3 sets out the mandatory minimum training and qualification requirements for any seafarer designated to control firefighting operations on board, beyond the entry-level Reg VI/1.2.2 FPFF response. Where Reg VI/1.2.2 trains every seafarer to participate in a fire-team under command, Reg VI/3 trains officers and senior ratings to lead the fire-team and command the on-scene response.

The candidate must:

1. Hold the basic-level Reg VI/1.2.2 FPFF certificate as a prerequisite.
2. Have completed approved seagoing service or approved training that establishes shipboard experience.
3. Demonstrate the competence specified in STCW Code Section A-VI/3, covering: control firefighting operations aboard ships; organise and train fire parties; inspect and service fire-detection and fire-extinguishing systems and equipment; investigate and compile reports on incidents involving fire.

The training duration is typically 4 days including substantial live-fire and engineered-fire practical exercises at a fire-training centre with engine-room mock-up, accommodation mock-up and tanker-deck mock-up scenarios, and equates to IMO Model Course 2.03 Advanced Training in Fire Fighting. The course covers fire-team command and the on-scene commander role, fire-and-search team coordination, ventilation control during a developing fire, fixed-installation activation decisions including the timing and sequence of CO2 release into a sealed engine room, water-mist and high-expansion foam tactical use, fire-boundary management and boundary-cooling, post-fire investigation and reporting under flag-State and class casualty-reporting frameworks, and the maintenance and inspection schedule for fire-detection and fixed-extinguishing systems under SOLAS Chapter II-2.

The Advanced Firefighting certificate has 5-year validity, with revalidation through approved refresher training (typically 2 days), approved sea service in roles requiring the certificate, or approved combined training-plus-service.

Reg VI/4: Medical First Aid (MFA) and Medical Care (MC)

Regulation VI/4 sets out the mandatory minimum training and qualification requirements for the shipboard medical function. Most ships under SOLAS do not carry a qualified medical doctor as a crew member, and the responsibility for casualty care and routine medical treatment falls on designated officers trained under STCW Chapter VI. The Regulation distinguishes between two tiers reflecting the size and trading area of the vessel:

• VI/4.1 Medical First Aid (MFA): the designated person in charge of medical first aid, typically the chief mate on cargo ships and a designated officer on smaller vessels, trained to paramedic-equivalent level but ship-adapted.
• VI/4.2 Medical Care (MC): the officer responsible for medical care on ships not required to carry a doctor (most cargo ships and many passenger ships), trained to primary-care medical officer equivalent level, including authority to administer prescription medicines from the ship’s medicine chest under WHO International Medical Guide for Ships and flag-State pharmaceutical regulation.

Reg VI/4.1: Medical First Aid (designated person in charge)

Reg VI/4.1 sets the standard for the Medical First Aid certificate. The candidate must demonstrate the competence specified in Section A-VI/4.1, covering: provide immediate first aid in the event of accident or illness on board; assess immediate medical needs and provide appropriate first aid; take correct action against common shipboard medical emergencies; participate in coordinated schemes for medical assistance to ships; use radio for medical advice (interface to CIRM, RMAS, TMAS shore-based maritime telemedicine providers); maintain the ship’s medical records.

The training duration is typically 3 to 4 days including substantial practical exercises with manikins and casualty-simulation scenarios, and equates to IMO Model Course 1.14 Medical First Aid. The course expands EFA with: management of fractures with shipboard splinting, advanced wound care including suturing under shore-based medical telephone advice, intravenous-access procedures including normal-saline and Ringer’s-lactate administration, intramuscular and subcutaneous injection technique, oxygen-therapy administration and oxygen-cylinder management, and the diagnosis and initial management of common shipboard medical conditions (pneumonia, urinary-tract infection, gastroenteritis, otitis, dental abscess, appendicitis, kidney stone, eye injury, hand injury, back injury).

The MFA certificate has 5-year validity, with revalidation through approved refresher training (typically 2 days), approved sea service in roles requiring the certificate, or approved combined training-plus-service.

Reg VI/4.2: Medical Care (officers in charge)

Reg VI/4.2 sets the standard for the Medical Care certificate. The candidate must hold MFA Reg VI/4.1 as a prerequisite (or equivalent flag-State qualification) and demonstrate the competence specified in Section A-VI/4.2, covering: provide medical care to the sick and injured while they remain on board; participate in coordinated schemes for medical assistance to ships.

The training duration is typically 5 days including substantial practical exercises and case-based learning, and equates to IMO Model Course 1.15 Medical Care. The course expands MFA with: full primary-care diagnosis and management, advanced trauma management including chest-decompression for tension pneumothorax, advanced burn management and fluid resuscitation, advanced airway management including supraglottic airway insertion, prescription-medicine management from the ship’s medicine chest under WHO International Medical Guide for Ships authority and flag-State pharmaceutical regulation, mental-health first aid and suicide-risk management, and the medical-record-keeping standard required by flag-State and casualty-investigation frameworks.

The MC certificate has 5-year validity, with revalidation through approved refresher training (typically 3 days), approved sea service in roles requiring the certificate, or approved combined training-plus-service. MC builds directly on MFA; a seafarer cannot obtain MC without first holding MFA.

Reg VI/5: Ship Security Officer (SSO)

Regulation VI/5 sets out the mandatory minimum training and qualification requirements for the Ship Security Officer (SSO) function under the ISPS Code Part A Section 12. The SSO is the officer designated by the Company as responsible to the master for the security of the ship, including implementation and maintenance of the Ship Security Plan (SSP), liaison with the Company Security Officer (CSO) ashore, liaison with Port Facility Security Officers (PFSOs), proposal of SSP modifications, conduct of regular security inspections of the ship, conduct of security training and drills, and management of security incidents.

The candidate must:

1. Hold a valid Certificate of Competence under STCW Chapter II or Chapter III at operational or management level (deck or engine officer).
2. Demonstrate the competence specified in Section A-VI/5, covering: maintain and supervise the implementation of an SSP; assess security risk, threat and vulnerability; undertake regular inspections of the ship to ensure that appropriate security measures are implemented and maintained; ensure that security equipment and systems, if any, are properly operated, tested and calibrated; encourage security awareness and vigilance.

The training duration is typically 3 days, and equates to IMO Model Course 3.19 Ship Security Officer. The course covers ISPS Code Parts A and B, the SSP development and approval process, threat assessment under the three Security Levels (1 normal, 2 heightened, 3 incident), the Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR) and Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) under SOLAS Chapter XI-2, the SSO interface to the Declaration of Security (DoS) with port facilities at Security Level 2 or 3, security-incident reporting under flag-State frameworks and the IMO Maritime Security Committee circulars (MSC.1/Circ. series), and the SSO role in security drills and exercises (mandatory drills at least once every three months; exercises at least once each calendar year not exceeding 18 months between exercises).

The SSO certificate has lifetime validity under the Manila 2010 framework, on the principle that security competence is maintained through continuing service rather than 5-year refresher. Several flag States (USCG, MCA, AMSA) operate a discretionary refresher requirement after extended periods away from sea or away from SSO duty.

Reg VI/6: Security awareness and Designated Security Duties (DSD)

Regulation VI/6 sets out the mandatory minimum training requirements for all seafarers in security awareness, and for those with designated security duties in their additional security responsibilities. The Regulation was introduced by the Manila 2010 amendments: it did not exist in the pre-Manila 1995 Chapter VI. Its introduction completed the integration between STCW competence and the ISPS Code framework, extending the security training obligation beyond the SSO (Reg VI/5) to every seafarer on board (VI/6.1) and to those with assigned security functions under the SSP (VI/6.2).

The Regulation has two tiers:

VI/6.1 Security Awareness Training (SAT) for all seafarers, covering: contribution to enhancement of maritime security through heightened awareness; recognition of security threats; understanding of the need for and methods of maintaining security awareness and vigilance. The course is typically delivered as a half-day classroom module and equates to IMO Model Course 3.27 Security Awareness Training for All Seafarers. The certificate has lifetime validity.

VI/6.2 Designated Security Duties (DSD) for seafarers with assigned security duties under the SSP (typically including the master, chief mate, all deck officers, the bosun, gangway watchkeepers, and any other crew member assigned access-control or monitoring duty). The course covers: maintain conditions specified in the SSP; recognition of security risks and threats; conduct of regular security inspections of the ship; proper usage of security equipment and systems if any. The course is typically delivered as a 1-day classroom-plus-practical module and equates to IMO Model Course 3.26 Designated Security Duties of Shipboard Personnel. The certificate has lifetime validity.

The ISPS Code compliance date of 1 July 2004 predated Reg VI/6. In the period 2004-2012, SSO competence was required by ISPS Code Part A but the STCW competence framework for broader security training had not yet been enacted. The Manila 2010 amendments rectified this gap: after the Manila full-effect date of 1 January 2017, flag States require all new-to-sea seafarers to hold SAT certificates, and those assigned security duties to hold DSD certificates, before joining an ISPS-covered vessel.

The HTW Sub-Committee review under way as of 2026 proposes expanding both the SAT and DSD syllabi to include cyber-security awareness as a distinct competence module, addressing the cyber-physical threat to ship operations in the same regulatory framework that covers physical security. That proposal is under development and has not yet been adopted into the STCW Code; no entry-into-force date has been confirmed.

Refresher cycle table by certificate type

The Chapter VI refresher cycle by certificate type is summarised in the table below. Eight certificates require 5-year revalidation; four have lifetime validity.

The 5-year cycle runs from the certificate-issue date of each module to the refresher-completion date, with the refresher certificate carrying a new 5-year validity from its own issue date. A seafarer joining a vessel must hold each applicable certificate within validity at the time of joining; PSC inspection at any subsequent port verifies validity at the inspection date.

Revalidation is permitted by:

• Approved refresher training at an approved training centre, with practical demonstration to the same competence standard as the original course.
• Approved sea service within the validity period in roles requiring the certificate, typically a minimum of 3 months in the 5-year period; this option is available for some certificates but increasingly restricted by flag States that require positive demonstration at refresher.
• Approved combined sea service plus refresher, the most common revalidation route in practice.

5-year refresher requirement: regulatory basis and rationale

The Manila 2010 amendments formalised the 5-year refresher cycle for the eight Chapter VI certificates that involve practical psychomotor or procedural skills: PST, FPFF, EFA, PSCRB, FRB, AFF, MFA and MC. The choice of a 5-year interval reflects the IMO Sub-Committee on Standards of Training and Watchkeeping (STW, now HTW) review of industrial training research showing measurable skill decay in practical safety procedures at 3 to 5 years from initial training for personnel who are not routinely exercising those skills. Shipboard drills under SOLAS Chapter III (lifeboat drill every week, firefighting drill every month) provide partial maintenance of procedural memory, but drills do not replicate the full-scenario immersion of a shore-based training course, and are not individually assessed for competence. The refresher requirement closes that gap.

PSSR stands apart because it does not involve a practical skill set subject to physiological decay. The decision to assign lifetime validity to PSSR was confirmed in the Manila 2010 Conference text and has not been revised by subsequent amendment. SAT and DSD similarly carry lifetime validity on the basis that security awareness, once achieved, is maintained through the routine SSP-governed security environment on any ISPS-covered vessel.

For certificates that carry a 5-year cycle, several flag States, including the UK MCA, the Marshall Islands, and the Bahamas Maritime Authority, accept a certificate in an immediately prior generation as current if the seafarer’s sea-service record shows unbroken active service in the relevant role. The USCG takes a stricter line: every 5-year refresh must be a certified course completion at a USCG-approved training centre, with no sea-service-only revalidation for PST, FPFF and EFA.

IMO Model Courses 1.13 + 1.14 + 1.19 through 1.27

The IMO Model Courses are recommended training-curriculum documents published by the IMO Secretariat to assist Member States in implementing STCW competence standards through approved courses. The Chapter VI Model Courses are:

• Model Course 1.13 Elementary First Aid (Reg VI/1.2.3).
• Model Course 1.14 Medical First Aid (Reg VI/4.1).
• Model Course 1.15 Medical Care (Reg VI/4.2).
• Model Course 1.19 Proficiency in Personal Survival Techniques (Reg VI/1.2.1).
• Model Course 1.20 Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (Reg VI/1.2.2).
• Model Course 1.21 Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (Reg VI/1.2.4).
• Model Course 1.23 Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats other than Fast Rescue Boats (Reg VI/2.1).
• Model Course 1.24 Proficiency in Fast Rescue Boats (Reg VI/2.2).
• Model Course 1.27 Personal Survival Techniques Refresher (Reg VI/1.2.1 refresher).
• Model Course 2.03 Advanced Training in Fire Fighting (Reg VI/3).
• Model Course 3.19 Ship Security Officer (Reg VI/5).
• Model Course 3.26 Designated Security Duties of Shipboard Personnel (Reg VI/6.2).
• Model Course 3.27 Security Awareness Training for All Seafarers (Reg VI/6.1).

Model Courses are recommendatory not mandatory: a flag State may approve a training course delivered against the Section A competence standard without strict adherence to the Model Course structure, provided the assessment evidence demonstrates competence at the Section A level. Most maritime training centres deliver Model-Course-aligned courses to facilitate flag-State recognition and PSC verification. The IMO Model Courses are revised periodically; the MSC.560(108) amendment to PSSR (Table A-VI/1-4) will require an updated edition of Model Course 1.21 to reflect the new violence-and-harassment competence from 1 January 2026.

Section A-VI/1 PST competences: lifejacket, liferaft, abandon ship

Section A-VI/1 of the STCW Code sets out the detailed competence tables for the basic familiarization and the four BST modules. The Section A-VI/1.2.1 table for Personal Survival Techniques specifies the following minimum standards of competence with corresponding methods of demonstrating competence and criteria for evaluation:

• Survive at sea in the event of ship abandonment: methods include approved practical demonstration, with criteria covering correct lifejacket donning within 1 minute, correct immersion-suit donning within 2 minutes, controlled jump from a height of at least 4.5 metres into water, righting an inverted liferaft while wearing lifejacket and PFD, swimming in survival posture for a sustained period, and boarding a survival craft from the water.
• Operate survival-craft equipment: criteria covering operation of all standard survival-craft equipment including signal pyrotechnics, emergency-radio devices including the EPIRB and SART, fishing equipment, water-distillation equipment if fitted, and the bailer and sea anchor.

Assessment is by direct observation of the candidate during practical exercises, with the assessor recording each competence element against the published criteria. The pool-based exercise typically simulates an abandon-ship scenario in low light, with the candidate demonstrating the full sequence from ship-board jump through liferaft entry through equipment-deployment in a single timed evolution.

The Section A-VI/1.2.2 table for FPFF specifies similar observation-based assessment for fire-triangle knowledge, extinguisher selection and operation, SCBA donning and breathing management, fire-team participation, and application of boundary-cooling technique. The Section A-VI/1.2.3 EFA table covers DRABC primary survey, CPR to ILCOR standard, airway management, bleeding and burn control. The Section A-VI/1.2.4 PSSR table covers oral or written examination on emergency procedures, MARPOL obligations, safe-working-practice rules, and fatigue-management provisions.

Section A-VI/2.1 survival craft competences

The Section A-VI/2.1 table for Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats other than Fast Rescue Boats specifies five competence areas:

• Take charge of a survival craft or rescue boat during and after launch: criteria covering pre-launch checks, launching procedure, on-water boat handling under power and sail (where applicable), recovery of the boat, securing the boat after recovery, and command of the boat crew.
• Operate a survival craft engine: criteria covering engine start procedure, normal operation, fuel and oil management, ahead-and-astern manoeuvring, troubleshooting common engine problems including air-lock and fuel-starvation.
• Manage survivors and survival craft after abandoning ship: criteria covering survival-craft daily routine, water and food rationing, sea-anchor deployment in heavy weather, hypothermia management, seasickness management, leadership of survivors, and survival-craft repair using the on-board repair kit.
• Use locating devices including communication and signalling apparatus and pyrotechnics: criteria covering EPIRB activation, SART activation, VHF survival-craft radio operation including DSC distress alert, hand-flare and rocket-flare deployment, smoke-signal deployment, mirror and torch signalling.
• Apply first aid to survivors: criteria covering DRABC primary survey, CPR, hypothermia management including rewarming, immersion-injury management, drowning recovery, and basic wound care.

Section A-VI/3 advanced fire competences: BA, fire teams, salvage

The Section A-VI/3 table for Advanced Firefighting specifies four competence areas:

• Control firefighting operations aboard ships: criteria covering initial assessment of the fire situation, mobilisation of the fire-team, allocation of resources between attack, boundary-cooling, search-and-rescue, salvage and ventilation roles, command of the on-scene response, decision-making on fixed-installation activation including CO2 flooding of a sealed engine room, decision-making on ventilation control, and post-suppression overhaul including hot-spot detection.
• Organise and train fire parties: criteria covering fire-team organisation under the shipboard contingency plan, training-drill design and conduct, drill record-keeping, post-drill debriefing, and continuous improvement of fire-response readiness.
• Inspect and service fire-detection and fire-extinguishing systems and equipment: criteria covering routine inspection of portable extinguishers under MSC.1/Circ.1432 inspection programme, periodic survey of fixed CO2, foam, water-mist and high-expansion foam systems, hose and nozzle inspection, fire-pump performance verification, fire-main isolation-valve operation, and fire-detection system test under SOLAS II-2 Reg 9 maintenance schedule.
• Investigate and compile reports on incidents involving fire: criteria covering preservation of evidence at the fire scene, witness-interview technique, photographic record, root-cause analysis, casualty-report drafting under flag-State framework, and lessons-learned dissemination.

The advanced course emphasises breathing-apparatus (BA) management as a tactical specialty: BA-team composition, cylinder-pressure tracking by the BA-control board, the buddy-pair principle inside a smoke-filled compartment, the lifeline and tagline method for navigation back to the safe area, the rapid-intervention team for downed BA-wearer recovery, and the post-incident BA-cylinder refill and inspection cycle.

Section A-VI/4 medical competences: trauma, CPR, PIC drug authority

The Section A-VI/4.1 table for Medical First Aid specifies six competence areas covering immediate first aid, initial assessment, common medical emergencies, coordinated medical-assistance schemes, radio for medical advice, and ship medical records. The Section A-VI/4.2 table for Medical Care specifies two principal competence areas (medical care to the sick and injured while they remain on board; participation in coordinated schemes for medical assistance) with substantial detail on diagnosis, treatment, prescription-medicine administration and onward-evacuation arrangement.

The MFA and MC syllabi cover trauma management with shipboard resources (no surgical facilities, limited diagnostic equipment, no laboratory), CPR and basic life support to the ILCOR standard, advanced airway management to the supraglottic-airway standard, oxygen therapy from the ship’s medical-oxygen cylinder, intravenous access and fluid resuscitation, intramuscular and subcutaneous injection, prescription-medicine administration from the ship’s medicine chest including controlled drugs (morphine, pethidine, naloxone) under flag-State pharmaceutical regulation, and the Person In Charge (PIC) drug authority that authorises designated officers to administer prescription medicines without a doctor on board, on the basis of shore-based maritime medical telephone advice from CIRM (Centro Internazionale Radio Medico, Rome), TMAS (Telemedical Maritime Assistance Service in various coastal States), and equivalent providers.

The HTW Sub-Committee review under way as of 2026 includes proposals to expand the Reg VI/4.2 MC syllabus to include mental-health first aid as a distinct competence item, and to update the medical-care syllabus to reflect telemedicine integration with shore-based maritime medical advice services (CIRM, RMAS, TMAS). Those proposals reflect IMO and ILO evidence that mental-health crises are a documented contributor to shipboard medical incidents and man-overboard events; they have not yet been adopted. The ILO NORMLEX database records ratification status of MLC 2006 across 102 flag States, all of which are required to implement Regulation 4.1 (medical care on board ship and ashore) and whose seafarers are covered by the Chapter VI competence framework.

Section A-VI/5 SSO competences: SSP, drills, security incidents

The Section A-VI/5 table for Ship Security Officer specifies six competence areas:

• Maintain and supervise the implementation of a ship security plan: criteria covering SSP development with the Company Security Officer, SSP approval by the Administration, SSP onboard implementation, SSP review and amendment, restricted-access portion of the SSP and the security-sensitive information protection.
• Assess security risk, threat and vulnerability: criteria covering Security Assessment Report (SAR) review, threat-information sources, vulnerability identification across the ship’s spaces and operations, and Security-Level-1, 2 and 3 measure-allocation.
• Undertake regular inspections of the ship to ensure appropriate security measures: criteria covering scheduled and random inspection programmes, restricted-area access control, gangway watch, port-side security boundary, deck monitoring, accommodation security, and the inspection-record format under the SSP.
• Ensure security equipment and systems are properly operated, tested and calibrated: criteria covering CCTV system, intrusion-detection system, access-control system, ship security alert system (SSAS) test under SOLAS XI-2 Regulation 6.
• Encourage security awareness and vigilance: criteria covering routine security drill (every 3 months), annual security exercise, security-meeting agenda, and the SSO interface to all departments through the master.
• Manage security incidents: criteria covering incident-reporting under flag-State and IMO frameworks, on-scene response coordination, evidence preservation, and post-incident reporting.

Section A-VI/6 DSD competences: physical access, monitoring

The Section A-VI/6.1 table for Security Awareness Training specifies three competence areas: contribution to enhancement of maritime security; recognition of security threats; understanding of need for security awareness. The criteria cover broad awareness of the ISPS Code framework, identification of suspicious objects and behaviours, and the seafarer’s role in reporting security concerns to the SSO.

The Section A-VI/6.2 table for Designated Security Duties specifies four competence areas:

• Maintain conditions specified in the SSP: criteria covering knowledge of the SSP-relevant portions, implementation of access-control procedures, port-side and gangway watch duties, and restricted-area monitoring.
• Recognition of security risks and threats: criteria covering threat-recognition training including weapons, explosives, suspicious-package indicators, and behavioural indicators of hostile-intent persons.
• Conduct regular inspections of the ship: criteria covering inspection routine in assigned area, reporting standard, and incident-escalation protocol.
• Proper usage of security equipment and systems: criteria covering CCTV operation, intrusion-detection response, access-control device operation, communication device operation including secure radio.

Typical training centres: BMI, Maersk Training, V.Ships, BSM, Anglo-Eastern

STCW Chapter VI training is delivered worldwide by an extensive network of approved training centres operating under flag-State approval and in many cases additional class-society approval. The principal categories of provider are:

• Independent maritime academies and dedicated training centres: examples include Warsash Maritime Academy (UK), STC Group (Netherlands), Norwegian Maritime Centre, Hellenic Maritime Training Centre (Greece), Pacific Maritime Institute (USA), Inchcape Shipping Services Maritime Training (Asia), and a dense network across India (TS Chanakya, MERI, AMET, IMU campuses), the Philippines (PMMA, MAAP, JBLFMU), Eastern Europe (Constanta, Odessa), and Singapore.
• Industry-aligned training centres operated by major shipowner-managers: BMI (Bahri Maritime Institute), Maersk Training, V.Ships Training, BSM Training (Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement), Anglo-Eastern Maritime Training Centre, Wilhelmsen Ship Management training, Synergy Marine training, and similar in-house centres operated by the larger third-party ship managers, providing standardised training to their employed seafarers and (typically) external candidates on a fee basis.
• Class-society training providers: DNV training, Lloyd’s Register Foundation, ABS Academy, Bureau Veritas Solutions, with a focus on management-system and class-survey training as well as Chapter VI delivery.
• Manufacturer and original-equipment training: focused on equipment-specific training (lifeboat-davit OEM training, firefighting-equipment OEM training) that complements the generic Chapter VI competences.

Training-centre approval is operated by the flag State Administration under STCW Reg I/8 (Quality Standards), with most flag States accepting a class-society audit of the training centre as part of the approval evidence. STCW Regulation I/8 requires flag States to carry out an evaluation by qualified persons of all training and assessment activities at intervals not exceeding 5 years. The IMO White List of STCW-compliant flag States, maintained under STCW Reg I/7, is the principal aggregate-level evidence base for flag-State approval quality.

Cost: USD 1,000 to 3,000 per seafarer for full BST

The typical cost of full Basic Safety Training (four BST modules) plus the standard additional certificates (PSCRB, advanced fire, MFA, SAT) at a recognised training centre falls in the range of USD 1,000 to 3,000 per seafarer. The lower end corresponds to training centres in India, the Philippines, Eastern Europe and similar lower-cost jurisdictions; the upper end to centres in Western Europe, Norway, the UK and North America. The cost includes:

• Course fees (the largest component, typically 60 to 70 per cent of the total).
• Materials including textbook, workbook and certificate-printing fee.
• Personal protective equipment loan or purchase (immersion suit, lifejacket, firefighter’s PPE).
• Practical-exercise consumables (water for survival-craft drills, foam concentrate for firefighting, fuel for survival-craft engines, pyrotechnics for signalling drills).
• Examination and assessment fees.
• Certificate issue and registration fee.

Additional costs not included in the BST core but typically borne by the seafarer over a career include:

• Advanced firefighting (Reg VI/3): USD 300 to 800.
• Medical first aid (Reg VI/4.1): USD 200 to 500.
• Medical care (Reg VI/4.2): USD 400 to 800.
• PSCRB (Reg VI/2.1): USD 300 to 700.
• FRB (Reg VI/2.2): USD 400 to 800.
• SSO (Reg VI/5): USD 250 to 600.
• 5-year refresher cycles: typically USD 200 to 600 per refresher per certificate.

Over a 30-year seafarer career, the cumulative training cost (initial certification plus six 5-year refresher cycles for each refreshable certificate) typically exceeds USD 10,000 in real terms, with the burden falling on the seafarer or shared with the employing company under a manning-agreement training-cost clause.

Class society and flag State approval of training centres

Training-centre approval under STCW Regulation I/8 Quality Standards is operated by the flag State Administration. The flag State must:

• Maintain a quality-standards system applied to all training, assessment of competence, certification including medical certification, endorsement and revalidation activities carried out by non-governmental agencies or entities under its authority.
• Ensure that the objectives and related standards of competence are clearly defined and that the levels of knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to the examinations and assessments required under the Convention are identified.
• Carry out an evaluation by qualified persons who are not themselves involved in the activities concerned, of all training, assessment of competence, certification, endorsement and revalidation activities, at intervals not exceeding 5 years.

In practice, most flag States contract training-centre evaluation to classification societies (DNV, Lloyd’s Register, ABS, Bureau Veritas, RINA, ClassNK, KR, IRS) or to specialised auditing bodies. The class-society approval-and-audit cycle typically follows the ISO 9001 quality-management system framework and includes physical inspection of training facilities, instructor-qualification verification, syllabus-and-assessment review, and student-record sampling. The audit report is submitted to the flag State as evidence of compliance and forms the basis of training-centre approval renewal. The IMO White List of compliant flag States, the EU recognition list under Directive 2022/993, and the bilateral STCW recognition agreements (USCG Tier 1 to Tier 3, MCA recognised flag list, AMSA recognised flag list) are the principal aggregate-level outputs of the I/8 quality-standards regime.

Relationship to ISPS Code Part A and Part B

The relationship between STCW Chapter VI (Reg VI/5 SSO and Reg VI/6 DSD plus SAT) and the ISPS Code is the regulatory pivot of maritime security training. The ISPS Code, adopted by IMO Resolution MSC.94(73) in December 2002 in response to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks and entered into force on 1 July 2004, establishes the framework for maritime security at the ship and port-facility level. ISPS Code Part A (mandatory) sets out the obligations of Contracting Governments, port facilities and ships including the requirement for a Ship Security Officer, a Company Security Officer, a Ship Security Plan, a Ship Security Assessment, security training and drills, and security-incident reporting. ISPS Code Part B (recommendatory guidance) provides detailed implementation guidance for each Part A obligation.

STCW Chapter VI Reg VI/5 implements the SSO competence requirement of ISPS Code Part A Section 13.1, requiring the SSO to have knowledge and skills covering: security administration; relevant international conventions, codes and recommendations; relevant Government legislation and regulations; responsibilities and functions of other security organisations; methodology of ship security assessment; methods of ship security surveys and inspections; ship and port operations and conditions; ship and port facility security measures; emergency preparedness and response and contingency planning; instruction techniques for security training and education; handling of sensitive security-related information and security-related communications; knowledge of current security threats and patterns; recognition and detection of weapons, dangerous substances and devices; recognition, on a non-discriminatory basis, of characteristics and behavioural patterns of persons who are likely to threaten security; techniques used to circumvent security measures; security equipment and systems and their operational limitations; methods of conducting audits, inspection, control and monitoring; methods of physical searches and non-intrusive inspections; security drills and exercises, including drills and exercises with port facilities; and assessment of security drills and exercises.

STCW Chapter VI Reg VI/6 implements the security awareness and Designated Security Duties competence requirements of ISPS Code Part A Sections 13.3 and 13.4, providing the universal training floor for all seafarers and the additional training for those with designated security duties under the SSP.

The IMO Maritime Safety Committee adopted MSC.428(98) in June 2017, directing that approved SMS under the ISM Code should address cyber risk management; this obligation became effective from the first annual verification after 1 January 2021. That obligation operates at the company and ship-management level through the ISM framework. The HTW Sub-Committee is developing a proposal to extend the Chapter VI security syllabus to also include cyber-security awareness as a mandatory STCW competence for SSO and DSD-holders, integrating the two frameworks; that proposal has not yet been adopted.

Relationship to STCW Chapter V special training

The relationship between Chapter VI and STCW Chapter V is hierarchical and complementary. Chapter VI is the universal floor: every seafarer must hold BST, every officer must hold the relevant survival-craft and advanced-firefighting and medical and security certificates. Chapter V is the ship-type-specific endorsement layer: seafarers serving on oil tankers, chemical tankers, gas tankers, passenger ships, IGF-fuelled vessels and polar-trading ships must hold the Chapter V endorsement keyed to the ship-type hazard, in addition to the Chapter VI baseline.

The relationship operates in three ways:

• Prerequisite chain: a seafarer cannot enrol in a Chapter V advanced course without first holding the Chapter VI baseline. An officer cannot enrol in advanced gas tanker training (Reg V/1-2.2) without first holding BST plus Reg VI/3 advanced firefighting plus Reg VI/4.1 medical first aid.
• Syllabus integration: several Chapter V courses incorporate Chapter VI content at higher specificity. The advanced gas tanker course incorporates LNG-and-LPG-specific firefighting (Class B fire response with cryogenic-cargo complications), the polar advanced course incorporates polar-survival expansions of the basic PST module, and the passenger-ship crisis-management course incorporates passenger-mustering expansions of the basic FPFF module.
• Refresher cycle alignment: most Chapter V advanced certificates revalidate every 5 years on the same cycle as the related Chapter VI certificates, allowing combined-cycle scheduling for the seafarer.

Relationship to MLC 2006 occupational health

The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) complements STCW Chapter VI on the labour-side, ILO-administered side of seafarer welfare and occupational health. The principal MLC interfaces are:

• Regulation 1.3 Training and qualifications: requires seafarers to be trained or certified as competent or otherwise qualified to perform their duties; explicitly references STCW Chapter VI for the seafarer-side training certificate requirement.
• Regulation 1.1 Minimum age and Regulation 1.2 Medical certificate: aligned with STCW Chapter I requirements but operationalised through the MLC framework on the labour side.
• Regulation 4.3 Health and safety protection and accident prevention: requires the flag State to develop and promulgate national guidelines for the management of occupational safety and health on board, integrating with the Chapter VI PSSR and FPFF and EFA competences, and with ISM Code Element 6 (resources and personnel including OH&S systems).
• Regulation 4.1 Medical care on board ship and ashore: operationalises the medical-care-onboard requirement that Chapter VI Reg VI/4 provides the competence for; specifies the ship’s medicine chest, the medical record, the shore-based maritime medical advice service, and the medical-evacuation procedure.
• Standard A2.3 Hours of work and hours of rest: aligned with STCW Section A-VIII/1 to provide the work-and-rest-hours floor that Chapter VI PSSR fatigue-management training reinforces; minimum 10 hours rest in any 24-hour period and minimum 77 hours rest in any 7-day period.

The combined STCW Chapter VI plus MLC 2006 framework provides the seafarer-welfare baseline that complements the ISM Code safety-management baseline and the SOLAS-side technical safety baseline.

PSC inspection: BST, advanced fire and medical certificates

Port State Control (PSC) inspection of STCW Chapter VI compliance is operated through the Paris MoU, Tokyo MoU, US Coast Guard, AMSA, Indian Ocean MoU, Black Sea MoU, Caribbean MoU, Mediterranean MoU, Riyadh MoU, Vina del Mar Agreement (Latin America) and Abuja MoU (West Africa) frameworks. The principal Chapter VI inspection elements are:

• BST certificates onboard for every crew member: PSC verifies that every seafarer holds a valid BST certificate (PST, FPFF, EFA, PSSR) issued or recognised by an STCW White List flag State, with the certificate physically presentable to the inspector. Missing or expired BST is one of the most common STCW deficiencies recorded by PSC.
• Advanced firefighting certificates for all officers and any senior rating designated to lead a fire team under the muster list. PSC cross-references the muster list against the certificates onboard.
• Medical first aid and medical care certificates for the designated person in charge under the SSP and the master’s deck-officer chain of responsibility for medical care.
• PSCRB and FRB certificates for the lifeboat coxswains designated under the muster list.
• SSO certificate for the designated SSO under the ISPS Code.
• SAT and DSD certificates for crew members with security duty under the SSP.
• Refresher-cycle compliance: PSC verifies that 5-year-refresher certificates are within validity, with attention to the issue date and the revalidation evidence (refresher certificate, sea-service record, combined evidence).

Detentions are routine for missing or expired Chapter VI certificates, particularly missing BST for entire crews on substandard flag-State vessels, and for missing SSO or DSD certificates that compromise the ship’s ISPS-compliance status.

Tokyo MoU and Paris MoU deficiency codes

The Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU operate harmonised deficiency-code lists that include specific Chapter VI items. The principal Chapter VI deficiency codes (per the Paris MoU 2024 inspection-form codification) are:

• Code 01313 STCW certificate (master, deck officer, engine officer including missing or expired Chapter VI items embedded in the underlying STCW endorsement).
• Code 01314 STCW certificate of seafarer (rating including missing or expired BST or supplementary Chapter VI certificate).
• Code 01315 Issued in accordance with STCW (validity and issuing authority verification).
• Code 01316 Records of work and rest hours (PSSR fatigue-management compliance interface).
• Code 09199 Other (security) (SSO, DSD, SAT certificate compliance).
• Code 09111 Ship security alert system (SSAS) (related security-system functionality).
• Code 09115 Ship security plan (SSP) (interface to SSO competence).

The Tokyo MoU operates equivalent codes within its own deficiency-list structure, with substantial alignment to the Paris MoU codes since the 2010s harmonisation initiatives. The annual deficiency reports of both MoUs identify Chapter VI items as a leading deficiency category, particularly for substandard flag-State vessels in the Asia-Pacific and the Mediterranean.

Cyber-security and ISM Code: existing obligation versus proposed STCW expansion

IMO Resolution MSC.428(98), adopted in June 2017, directed that approved safety management systems (SMS) under the ISM Code should address cyber risk management; this obligation became effective from the first annual SMS verification after 1 January 2021. MSC.428(98) operates at the company-management level through the ISM Code, not through STCW seafarer training.

The HTW Sub-Committee is developing a proposal to bring cyber-security awareness into the STCW competence framework, principally through Reg VI/6.1 SAT and Reg VI/6.2 DSD. The scope under discussion includes:

• Threat recognition: identification of phishing emails, social-engineering attempts, suspicious USB-stick device introduction (the principal vector for the NotPetya 2017 incident, which affected multiple shipping operators and demonstrated the operational disruption a successful cyber attack can cause), suspicious network-access attempts on shipboard wifi, and unauthorised use of crew-side personal devices on the ship’s operational-technology network.
• Credential hygiene: password complexity and rotation, unique credentials per system, two-factor authentication where supported, prohibition on shared credentials, and credential-revocation on personnel change.
• OT/IT segregation awareness: recognition of the risk of cross-network access between operational-technology networks (cargo control, propulsion control, navigation) and information-technology networks (crew internet, business email), and reporting of any observed cross-network bridging.
• Incident reporting: recognition of suspected cyber incidents, immediate-reporting procedure to the SSO and CSO, evidence-preservation principles, and the master-and-SSO interface to shore-based incident-response teams.

For DSD holders, the proposed extension also covers the cyber-physical interface for cargo-control systems and the SSO interface to Company cyber incident-response services.

These proposals are under development in the HTW review process. They have not been adopted into the STCW Code, and no entry-into-force date has been confirmed as of the date this article was last updated.

Alternative-fuel emergency response: current scope and HTW proposals

The current STCW firefighting syllabus under Reg VI/1.2.2 FPFF and Reg VI/3 Advanced Firefighting already addresses LNG and LPG as Class B liquefied-gas hazards in the context of STCW Chapter V Reg V/1-2 gas tanker training. The HTW review proposes extending the Chapter VI baseline firefighting syllabus (not only the Chapter V specialist layer) to cover methanol, ammonia and hydrogen as emerging marine fuels. The scope under development includes:

• Methanol: pool-fire response with alcohol-resistant foam (AR-AFFF or AR-FFFP) rather than standard AFFF foam, water-spray for cooling and vapour suppression, methanol-toxicity awareness, and emergency-shutdown coordination for methanol fuel systems.
• Ammonia: leak response with water-spray for vapour suppression rather than direct extinguishment (ammonia is poorly extinguishable; the principal hazard is toxic-vapour exposure), SCBA or ammonia-rated respirator use, evacuation-zone establishment, and emergency-shutdown coordination for ammonia fuel systems.
• Hydrogen: jet-fire response with isolation-and-ventilation rather than direct extinguishment (hydrogen flames are nearly invisible and the wide flammability range of 4 to 75 per cent in air makes direct attack hazardous), thermal-imaging camera use for invisible-flame detection, and shutdown coordination.

These proposals complement the IGF Code operational-safety framework and the Chapter V Reg V/3 IGF training for officers serving on IGF-fuelled vessels. They have not been adopted as of the date this article was last updated.

Worked example: certificate set for a third engineer on an LNG carrier

A Filipino seafarer joining a Norwegian-flagged LNG carrier as third engineer must hold, at minimum:

• Reg I/2 Certificate of Competence (STCW Chapter III engine officer at operational level).
• Reg VI/1.2.1 Personal Survival Techniques (5-year validity).
• Reg VI/1.2.2 Fire Prevention and Firefighting (5-year validity).
• Reg VI/1.2.3 Elementary First Aid (5-year validity).
• Reg VI/1.2.4 Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (lifetime validity).
• Reg VI/2.1 Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats other than Fast Rescue Boats (5-year validity).
• Reg VI/3 Advanced Firefighting (5-year validity).
• Reg VI/4.1 Medical First Aid (5-year validity).
• Reg VI/6.1 Security Awareness Training or VI/6.2 DSD if assigned security duties under the SSP (lifetime validity).
• Reg V/1-2.1 Basic Familiarization for Liquefied Gas Tanker (Chapter V, ship-type endorsement).

The Norwegian Administration also requires that Filipino certificates be endorsed as recognised under STCW Reg I/10. A typical certificate set therefore comprises 9 to 10 Chapter VI plus Chapter V certificates in addition to the underlying CoC, with the renewal-cycle scheduling spread across 5 years to manage cost and time-off-vessel impact. The five 5-year-refreshable Chapter VI certificates (PST, FPFF, EFA, PSCRB, AFF, MFA) that this officer holds each expire on their individual issue dates; in practice many seafarers stagger their refreshers to avoid the cost of renewing everything in the same calendar year.

Common errors and misunderstandings

Several persistent errors in Chapter VI compliance reflect misreadings of the post-Manila 2010 text:

• Treating PSSR as 5-year-refresher: PSSR (Reg VI/1.2.4) has lifetime validity under the Manila 2010 framework; only PST, FPFF and EFA among the four BST modules carry a 5-year refresher.
• Treating SAT and DSD as 5-year-refresher: SAT (Reg VI/6.1) and DSD (Reg VI/6.2) have lifetime validity. The security awareness and designated security duties certificates do not require periodic refresher under STCW, subject to flag-State discretion.
• Confusing PSCRB (VI/2.1) with FRB (VI/2.2): the two are separate certificates. An officer designated as FRB coxswain on a passenger ship or offshore vessel must hold both; FRB cannot substitute for PSCRB.
• Confusing MFA (VI/4.1) with MC (VI/4.2): the two are separate certificates with MC building on MFA. The designated person in charge under the SSP holds MFA at minimum; the officer responsible for ship-side medical care typically holds MC.
• Treating BST as a single certificate: BST is the colloquial name for the four-module package PST plus FPFF plus EFA plus PSSR. Each module is a separate certificate with its own issue date and its own validity (where applicable). A seafarer’s BST set contains four certificates, not one.
• Miscalculating the refresher cycle from the BST course start date: the 5-year cycle runs from the certificate-issue date of each module, which is typically a few days after the BST start date and may differ between modules within the same BST package. PSC verification uses the issue date on each certificate.
• Overlooking the SSO requirement on small ISPS-covered vessels: every ship subject to the ISPS Code (cargo vessel of 500 GT or above on an international voyage, passenger vessel including high-speed craft on an international voyage) must have a designated SSO. The requirement applies to small ISPS-flagged vessels including coastal tankers and feeder container ships, not only to the large ocean-going fleet.
• Treating the Chapter VI baseline as sufficient for tanker, gas-carrier or passenger-ship service: the Chapter VI baseline is universal but does not authorise service on a Chapter V ship type. An officer joining an oil tanker must hold BST plus PSCRB plus advanced fire plus medical (Chapter VI) and the Reg V/1-1 oil tanker endorsements (Chapter V).
• Miscounting the BST minimum modules: the BST minimum is four modules (PST plus FPFF plus EFA plus PSSR). Some flag States and employer practices add advanced fire plus medical first aid plus security awareness to the colloquial “BST package”, but the strict STCW minimum BST is four modules only.

Limitations

This article covers STCW Chapter VI as adopted in the 1978 Convention as amended through the Manila 2010 package and the MSC.560(108) amendment in force from 1 January 2026. Several boundaries apply:

The MSC.560(108) PSSR amendment section in this article is based on the resolution text as adopted at MSC 108 (May 2024) and the IMO circular communicating the entry-into-force date. The implementing update to IMO Model Course 1.21 had not yet been formally published as this article was last updated. Flag-State guidance on transition for training centres delivering PSSR after 1 January 2026 should be consulted directly.

The HTW cyber-security, alternative-fuel and medical-care proposals described in this article reflect working documents under development. They have not been adopted; no entry-into-force date has been confirmed. The content of these sections may change materially when the HTW review concludes and MSC acts on any resulting proposals.

Flag-State variations are not captured individually. The USCG, MCA, AMSA, Transport Canada, and the major open-registry Administrations (Liberia, Marshall Islands, Panama, Bahamas, Malta) each operate recognition and revalidation rules that go beyond or modify the minimum STCW standard. Flag-State guidance should always be consulted alongside the Convention text.

Domestic-trading exemptions under STCW Reg I/3 allow flag States to disapply the Convention for vessels that never leave national waters. The scope and conditions of these exemptions differ by flag State and are outside the scope of this article.

Course availability and quality at individual training centres is outside this article’s scope. The Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU annual reports provide aggregate performance data; individual training-centre approval status must be verified with the relevant flag State Administration.

This article does not constitute legal advice. Certificate validity, recognition and revalidation requirements must be confirmed with the seafarer’s flag State Administration and with the flag State of the vessel on which the seafarer intends to serve.

See also

• STCW Convention parent article
• STCW Chapter II: Master + Deck Department Officers deck-side core chapter
• STCW Chapter III: Engine Department Officer + Rating competency engine-side core chapter
• STCW Chapter V: Special Training ship-type endorsement layer
• ISPS Code maritime security framework, Reg VI/5 plus VI/6 trigger
• SOLAS Chapter III: Life-Saving Appliances and Arrangements survival-craft technical framework
• SOLAS Chapter II-2: Fire Protection, Detection and Extinction fire-safety technical framework
• SOLAS Chapter XI-2: Maritime Security security-side parent chapter
• ISM Code safety-management interface
• MLC 2006 seafarer-welfare and OH&S interface
• IGF Code gas-as-fuel interface for firefighting expansion
• Calculator catalogue

References

The principal source for STCW Chapter VI is the IMO consolidated text of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended, together with the STCW Code (Sections A and B), available from the IMO publishing service and the IMO Knowledge Centre. The Manila 2010 amendments were adopted at the Conference of Parties held in Manila on 21-25 June 2010, entering into force 1 January 2012 with full effect from 1 January 2017; they added Reg VI/5 (SSO) and Reg VI/6 (SAT and DSD) and formalised the 5-year refresher cycle for PST, FPFF, EFA, PSCRB, FRB, advanced firefighting, medical first aid and medical care. The pre-Manila 1995 amendment package (Resolution 1 of the 1995 STCW Conference) introduced the four-module BST architecture and the universal-applicability principle. IMO Resolution MSC.560(108), adopted at MSC 108 in May 2024, amended STCW Code Table A-VI/1-4 (PSSR) to add mandatory training on the prevention of and response to violence and harassment, including SASH and bullying, entering into force 1 January 2026. The IMO Model Courses supporting Chapter VI implementation are published as the Model Course series 1.13 (Elementary First Aid), 1.14 (Medical First Aid), 1.15 (Medical Care), 1.19 (Personal Survival Techniques), 1.20 (Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting), 1.21 (Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities), 1.23 (PSCRB), 1.24 (Fast Rescue Boats), 1.27 (PST Refresher), 2.03 (Advanced Training in Fire Fighting), 3.19 (Ship Security Officer), 3.26 (Designated Security Duties of Shipboard Personnel) and 3.27 (Security Awareness Training for All Seafarers), each available from IMO Publishing. The security-side framework is operationalised through the ISPS Code (Resolution MSC.94(73), 2002) and the parallel SOLAS Chapter XI-2 amendments. The ISM Code cyber-risk obligation derives from IMO Resolution MSC.428(98) (Maritime cyber risk management in safety management systems, 2017), effective from the first annual SMS verification after 1 January 2021; proposals to integrate cyber-security awareness into STCW Chapter VI are under review by the HTW Sub-Committee but have not yet been adopted. The seafarer-welfare and occupational-health complement is set out in the ILO Maritime Labour Convention 2006 under Regulation 1.3 (training and qualifications), Regulation 4.1 (medical care on board ship and ashore) and Standard A2.3 (work and rest hours). The EU implementation of STCW for EU flag States is set out in Directive 2022/993 (replacing Directive 2008/106/EC), incorporating the full Chapter VI training framework. Industry-side training delivery is operated by an extensive network of approved training centres including the academy sector (Warsash, STC Group, Hellenic Maritime Training Centre, the Indian Maritime University and the Philippine maritime training centres among others), the shipowner-manager-operated training centres (BMI, Maersk Training, V.Ships, BSM, Anglo-Eastern, Wilhelmsen, Synergy Marine), the class-society training services (DNV, Lloyd’s Register, ABS, Bureau Veritas, RINA, ClassNK, KR, IRS), and the flag-State institutes operated by the principal seafaring nations. Port-State control enforcement of Chapter VI compliance is operated through the Paris Memorandum of Understanding, the Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding, the United States Coast Guard QUALSHIP 21 programme, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority PSC framework, and the regional MoU agreements covering the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Black Sea, Caribbean, Riyadh and Abuja regions, with annual deficiency reports providing the principal evidence base on Chapter VI compliance in practice and identifying missing or expired BST plus advanced fire plus medical plus security certificates as a leading deficiency category. The casualty record underpinning Chapter VI evolution (Ocean Ranger 1982, Doña Paz 1987, Herald of Free Enterprise 1987, Scandinavian Star 1990, Estonia 1994, Costa Concordia 2012, Sewol 2014) is maintained in the IMO Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) Marine Casualties and Incidents module and in the casualty-investigation reports of the relevant flag-State maritime accident investigation authorities.

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