- The STCW is unable to keep up pace with the changes in technology on ships
- Simulator training can be included under the current convention
- Seafarers aids to move the medical equipment and food
Is the training that seafarers are required to do, such as under STCW, keeping up with advances in technology?, says an article in Tanker Operator.
About the STCW
The STCW (International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) is “frankly struggling to keep pace” with changes in technology on ships, said Espen Poulsson, chair of the International Chamber of Shipping, in his opening address to a webinar on Mar 24, “The Future Seafarer”.
“There’s an increasing gap between meeting regulatory requirements and what is required from seafarers in practice,” he said.
Speakers include:
- Mayte Medina, Chief of the Office of Merchant Mariner Credential, US Coast Guard, chairperson of the IMO Human Element sub-committee and lead of the US delegation to IMO on safety and security
- Gerrardo Borromeo, CEO of PTC Holdings, a company which manages a pool of 65,000 seafarers
- Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), a federation of transport workers’ trade unions.
About IMO and STCW
Mayte Medina said that IMO’s development of training requirements follows work in other areas of IMO.
“Most of the time we’re running frantically to try to develop these training requirements, to implement them in time for when the equipment or requirements come into force.”
“IMO is losing the battle of trying to keep up with technology when it comes to training.”
“Introducing technology is not something new at IMO, we’ve done that before. The problem is this is moving very fast now.”
“It may make sense to amend STCW so that it can be updated much faster, removing obsolete requirements and adding new ones, to address new and future technologies”, she said.
“STCW has a number of requirements that are obsolete. They need to be removed, and in some cases, they need to be amended.”
“The other thing we need to do is make sure that we make seafarers more technically savvy. We included the electro technical officer in the last review. We need to review those,” she added.
The structure of STCW, with a division into deck and engine, may also become outdated. “We need to establish more of a multipurpose type of person, which I think is going to be key with automation in the future.”
There are some flexibilities built into STCW. “There is a system for alternative certification, Chapter 7”, she said.
Impact of COVID on training model
The standard model for STCW maritime training is classroom training ,which was not available during the pandemic.
“We need to do that properly,” quoted Mayte Medina. “Not every training is conducive to doing through virtual means. But some of it is.”
“When it comes to sea service requirements, there’s several studies which show simulator training can be equivalent to sea service. We are in urgent need of that. It is time we included simulators in the proper way,” she added.
Simulator training can be included under the current convention via being accepted as an equivalent.
“Formal training should also be complemented by on the job training, and familiarization on board the vessel, which is really the responsibility of shipowners,” she said.
On the subject of leadership training, Ms. Medina thinks company culture is a major part of it. “If the company doesn’t have a culture that promotes leadership at every level, I will never succeed as a leader,” she said.
“Leadership is not only at the top level, but it is across the board, everyone is a leader within their specialty. We need to look at it from the beginning to end.”
Gerrardo Borromeo, CEO of PTC Holdings, a company which manages a pool of 65,000 seafarers, said he agrees that the training of seafarers “is going to have to change”, as technology develops.
The maritime industry could also work more closely with academia, in particular training the next generation of maritime leaders.
Espen Poulsson, chair of the International Chamber of Shipping, agreed that it is important to narrow the gulf between academia and the real world. “I can’t help but think, whenever I go to a university and listen to some lectures, which I enjoy doing, there’s quite a gulf between the two.”
Employment opportunities for seafarers
“If we want to develop employment opportunities for seafarers, we have to change the approach ‘who’s the cheapest seafarer’. If that’s part of the rationale you’ll never build a career path,” said Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), a global union federation of nearly 700 trade unions.
“ITF sometimes sees the worst of the worst, including some shipowners.”
Espen Poulsson, chair of the International Chamber of Shipping, responded that since shipping is a free marketplace, it is inevitable that cost “becomes a big issue”.
Seafarers as key workers
Webinar participants felt it was important to address the big issue on the day for seafarers, the “lack of action by far too many governments”, in recognizing seafarers as key workers, Mr. Poulsson said.
ICS developed 12 protocols for ensuring safe crew changes and travel during the pandemic together with 15 other associations, and the protocols were adopted by IMO.
At the time of the webinar in March 2021, “less than half the countries that have ratified this, have recognized seafarers as key workers.”
“Responsible shipowners end up chartering airplanes and finding other innovative and expensive ways.”
Comparison of maritime industry approach with aviation
Stephen Cotton was able to compare the maritime industry approach with aviation, since his organisation ITF includes unions from both sectors in its membership.
Civil aviation has proven to be “very nationalistic with approach.” The maritime sector is much more international, he said. “When it comes to mobilizing around UN bodies, maritime has been so much more led – by ICS, ITF in partnership with all those UN bodies.”
But in the maritime sector at the moment, there is frustration with government and the level of bureaucracy, “and perhaps a degree of puzzlement”.
Seafarers to help health department
“We can get people in the room, get statements signed, but they can’t manage their own internal national challenges. Often that’s because the departments responsible for transport are different to the departments responsible for managing health”, Stephen Cotton.
But the health department is happy to rely on seafarers to move the medical equipment and food that people need, he said.
On the plus side, COVID has given seafarers much more attention than they are used to. “It has been recognized that we are critical to the response to COVID,” he said
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Source: Tanker Operator
