STCW Course | Training for Seafarers

STCW Basic Safety Training is mandatory safety training for personnel in any capacity on board a ship. STCW training is recognised as an international standard by most countries in the world. Learn more about the details of an STCW course and find out if the training applies to you.

What does STCW mean?

STCW stands for Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. It is a convention dating back to 1978. Until 1978 there was no international standard for seafarer's safety training, so STCW was a milestone in sea safety when it was implemented worldwide in 1984.

STCW course description

Before beginning any job on a ship, an STCW course is in most cases mandatory. The basic training focuses on equipping seafarers with the necessary knowledge, understanding, and skills to perform the role as seafarer effectively and safely.

During the course, students will attain and demonstrate to a level of competence the requirements in personal survival techniques, fire prevention and firefighting, elementary first aid and personal safety and social responsibilities.

Who is the target group for STCW course?

This course is aimed at seagoing personnel in any capacity on board with designated safety or pollution prevention duties in the operation of the ship.

Before commencing the training students must have a valid seafarer medical certificate issued by an approved medical practitioner and seaman card/identity document.​

How long is a STCW course?

Five days.

How long is the STCW certificate valid?

Five years.

Here are the skills attained in basic STCW (STW1) training

During five days the following topics are covered in detail:

• Survival at sea in the event of ship abandonment
• Minimize the risk of fire and maintain a state of readiness to respond to emergencies involving fire
• Fight and extinguish fires
• Take immediate action upon encountering an accident or other medical emergencies
• Comply with emergency procedures
• Take precautions to prevent pollution of the marine environment
• Observe safe working practices
• Contribute to effective communications on board ship
• Contribute effective human relationships on board ship
• Understand and take necessary actions to control fatigue

After earning the certificate, you have to take a refresher STCW course within five years.

STCW basic training refresher (STW2)

This course is also called an STCW revalidation course. It is a course for seagoing personnel who already are STCW certified. During the course, students will refresh their skills in personal survival techniques, fire prevention, and firefighting.

The STCW Basic Training Refresher goes into more details in the subjects also covered in STW1. The STCW course subjects are:

• Survival at sea in the event of ship abandonment.
• Survival Craft and Rescue Boats
• Personal Lifesaving Appliances
• Location Aids & Rescue
• Minimise the risk of fire and maintain a state of readiness to respond to emergencies involving fire
• Location of firefighting equipment
• Classification of fires and appropriate extinguishing agents
• Fight and extinguish fires

The refresher training is a two-day course, and the student attains a new certificate with a validity of five years.

Pre STW2 course requirement

All students must have a valid seafarer medical certificate issued by an approved medical practitioner, seaman card/identity document and show evidence of attending STCW Basic Training.​

STCW education 2010

Since the introduction of STCW in 1978, several amendments have been made to the first convention. The amendments in 2010 address new technological advances and adds more education for the delegates. Read more about the amendments here.

STCW course online

You can find and book STCW courses online. An STCW course is a mix of theory and practice, so you need to attend physical training and get hands-on experience with the equipment to get the certificate.

STCW refresher course Europe

In the UK, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands and Belgium, RelyOn Nutec offers refresher STCW courses on all levels.