STCW Basic Safety Training study guide
STCW Basic Safety Training · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
STCW - the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers - was adopted on 7 July 1978 and entered into force on 28 April 1984. It has been amended many times since, including in 1995, when the STCW Conference adopted the STCW Code, and in 2010, through the Manila Amendments. The STCW Basic Safety Training study guide has 8 sections and about 2,802 words.
01Chapter I - General Provisions: How Certification Itself Works
Chapter I contains no seamanship; it governs how certification itself works. The Convention articles and annex regulations sit above the STCW Code .
355 words, about 2 min02Chapter II - Master and Deck Department
Ranks are certified in sequence: rating forming part of a navigational watch (II/4) → able seafarer deck (II/5) → officer of the watch (II/1) → chief mate and master (II/2). Near-coastal certificates (II/3) are a limited variant issued at the Administration's discretion and are not automatically valid for other flags.
358 words, about 2 min03Chapter III - Engine Department
Chapter III mirrors the deck: III/4 ratings forming part of an engine room watch, III/5 able seafarer engine, III/1 officer of the watch (engine), III/2 second engineer and chief engineer, III/6 electro-technical officer, III/7 electro-technical rating, plus III/3 near-coastal variants. The engineer officer of the watch is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of propulsion and auxiliary machinery , and must keep the bridge informed whenever a defect could affect propulsion, steering, electrical power or safety.
357 words, about 2 min04Chapter IV - Radiocommunication and Radio Operators
Chapter IV certifies GMDSS radio personnel (Regulation IV/2) and leaves operational detail to the Radio Regulations. Only two STCW certificates matter: ROC (Restricted Operator's Certificate) – valid for Sea Area A1 only, i.e.
322 words, about 2 min05Chapter V - Special Training for Personnel on Certain Ships
V/1-1 – oil and chemical tankers: basic training (tanker familiarisation) and advanced training for those in charge of cargo operations. V/1-2 – liquefied gas tankers: the same basic/advanced structure for gas.
338 words, about 2 min06Chapter VI - Emergency, Safety, Security, Medical Care and Survival
Regulation VI/1 and Tables A-VI/1-1 to 1-4 define four elements every seafarer must complete before being assigned shipboard duties: 1. Personal survival techniques – abandon-ship drills, lifejackets, liferafts, immersion, hypothermia, survival at sea.
323 words, about 2 min07Chapter VII - Alternative Certification
Alternative certification lets an Administration issue function-based certificates instead of the traditional rank ladder of Chapters II and III. Instead of "second officer", the certificate states the functional areas the holder may work in - for example navigation, cargo handling and stowage, ship operation and care for persons on board, marine engineering, maintenance and repair, or electrical and electronic engineering.
369 words, about 2 min08Chapter VIII - Watchkeeping: Fitness for Duty and Watch Arrangements
The baseline is rest , not work: at least 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period ; at least 77 hours of rest in any 7-day period ; rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of which is at least 6 hours long; the interval between consecutive rest periods must not exceed 14 hours ; watch schedules must be posted, and hours of work and rest recorded and signed. Under the ILO Maritime Labour Convention the same idea is expressed as work limits: maximum 14 hours worked in 24 and 72 in 7 , with a minimum of 6 hours between watches.
380 words, about 2 min