LEADERS from various international maritime administrations agree that Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW)-related training should be reduced with a focus on skills applicable only to actual seafaring tasks.Discussions during the Seatrade Maritime Crew Connect Global last Nov. 12 disclosed the sentiments of maritime leaders on STCW training. These leaders included representatives from the European Commission, International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko), International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Danish Maritime Authority (DMA), and Philippines’ Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).Crew Connect Global is the world’s biggest manning conference with hundreds of local and international crewing experts and professionals discussing key trends impacting the global manning industry. This is the 25th year that Crew Connect Global was held in the Philippines in recognition of the country’s status as the world’s leading provider of seafarers.Arvind Natrajan, senior manager of ICS, observed that seafaring entails excessive training that makes the profession unattractive to the younger generation.”The cumulative effect of all these training requirements on seafaring is incredible. It makes recruitment and retention difficult. We need to modernize and slim down the training under the STCW,” he said.Capt. Mahyar Jokhi, gas manager of Intertanko, concurred with Natrajan, stating that too much training puts a lot of pressure on seafarers.

LINK: https://seafarertimes.com/2020-21/node/9187