STCW and Flag State Regulations
What this domain tests
This domain is about your own licence and the crew's: STCW certification structure, watchkeeping arrangements, rest hours, medical fitness, familiarisation and drills, and the flag State's role in endorsing and enforcing. Croatian candidates are asked directly about their CoC, the GMDSS endorsement, and how they would handle a rest-hour shortfall or an uncertificated rating.
Core rules and concepts
- Certification chain. STCW sets standards; the flag State issues the Certificate of Competency (CoC) and, where required, a Certificate of Proficiency (CoP); a flag State endorsement or recognition is needed when serving under a flag other than the issuing one. Croatian CoCs follow the STCW 2010 Manila amendments.
- Watchkeeping. Chief engineer and second engineer must hold appropriate CoCs; a watch is kept in the engine room at all times when the ship is manned for sea. The engineer officer in charge of the watch is responsible for the safe operation of the machinery and must be informed of any change affecting it.
- Rest hours. Minimum 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any 7-day period; rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of at least 6 hours, and the interval between consecutive rest periods shall not exceed 14 hours. Drills and emergency work may interrupt rest, with compensatory rest.
- Fitness and medical. Valid medical certificate, eyesight and hearing standards, no alcohol/drug impairment; the master has authority to act if fitness is in doubt.
- Familiarisation, drills and training. Every crew member must be familiarised before assignment; musters and drills at the intervals in SOLAS; training records kept on board and available for inspection.
- Records. Rest hour records are the single most commonly inspected document in this area; falsification is a serious offence.
Worked example
A candidate is asked: a third engineer has worked 14 hours in the last 20 and is scheduled for the next watch. Reasoning: 10 hours rest in 24 and 77 in 7 days must be met; even if the 24-hour total is met, the division rule and the 14-hour interval limit may be breached. Action: the chief engineer rearranges the watch, records the actual hours, ensures compensatory rest, and reports the manning pressure through the SMS so the shortfall is documented rather than hidden. The scoring answer names the specific numeric limits.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing CoC with CoP.
- Quoting 10 hours rest without the 77-hour weekly figure and the two-period split rule.
- Forgetting that a CoC may need a flag State endorsement to be valid on that flag.
- Saying rest records may be completed retrospectively as a routine practice.
- Omitting the requirement to familiarise before assignment.