There is no single STCW exam with one syllabus or pass mark. Start by identifying your role and your maritime administration, then study the Convention chapter and Code Part A table that cover your competence, check the approved training your administration requires, and track the January 2026 update to personal safety and social responsibilities training.
What does STCW certification mean?
STCW sets international standards for seafarer training, certification and watchkeeping. It covers many roles and certificates. Start by identifying the credential you need and the maritime authority that issues or recognizes it.
The Convention establishes minimum standards that its Parties must meet or exceed. Your training and assessment depend on your role, service and national implementation. The “SC” label used in this site’s catalogue is not an IMO exam code.
Official sources: International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) — IMO Human Element, STCW Convention and Code overview
How the Convention and the Code fit together
The Convention sets the framework and the attached STCW Code carries the technical detail. Code Part A is mandatory; Part B is recommended guidance. Knowing which layer a rule sits in tells you how binding it is.
A 1995 revision split the technical rules between the Convention's regulations and a new STCW Code. Generally, the Convention contains the basic requirements, and the Code enlarges on and explains them. The minimum standards of competence required for seagoing personnel are set out in detail in tables in Part A of the Code, which is mandatory (IMO, STCW Convention overview).
Part B provides recommended implementation guidance. National authorities may give effect to provisions through their own rules, so use your authority’s current requirements when planning training or an application.
Official sources: International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) — IMO Human Element, STCW Convention and Code overview
Which chapters and competences apply to your role
The Convention is organized into chapters by department and function. Locate the chapter that covers your service, then study the corresponding Part A competence table.
The Convention's chapters cover general provisions, the master and deck department, the engine department, radiocommunication and radio personnel, special training for certain ship types, emergency and safety functions, alternative certification, and watchkeeping. The US Coast Guard's National Maritime Center organizes its STCW material along similar lines — general, deck, engine, radio, tanker cargo, and emergency/security/medical categories — which shows how a national administration maps the framework to its own credential types (USCG NMC, STCW page).
Use this mapping as a preparation priority list: find your chapter, then the Part A table for your capacity. Chapter VI, for example, covers emergency, occupational safety, medical care and survival functions — the area where the January 2026 update discussed below sits. If your role spans chapters, such as a deck officer who also needs tanker or ship-type training, plan study time for each relevant table rather than reading the whole Code linearly.
| Chapter | Covers |
|---|---|
| I | General provisions |
| II | Master and deck department |
| III | Engine department |
| IV | Radiocommunication and radio personnel |
| V | Special training requirements for personnel on certain types of ships |
| VI | Emergency, occupational safety, medical care and survival functions |
| VII | Alternative certification |
| VIII | Watchkeeping |
Official sources: International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) — IMO Human Element, STCW Convention and Code overview; Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) — US Coast Guard National Maritime Center; Raft of shipping rules in force from 1 January 2026 — IMO press briefing, 9 January 2026
Why older materials mention the Manila amendments
The 2010 Manila amendments entered into force in 2012 and updated the Convention and Code. Older training materials may describe that revision; check them against subsequent amendments and your authority’s current rules.
The Manila amendments entered into force on 1 January 2012 and updated every chapter of the Convention and Code. For a modern candidate, the most relevant changes include new requirements for training in electronic charts and information systems (ECDIS), marine environment awareness training and training in leadership and teamwork, new security training requirements, updated competence requirements for tanker personnel, and revised requirements on hours of work and rest together with updated medical fitness standards (IMO, STCW Convention overview).
Official sources: International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) — IMO Human Element, STCW Convention and Code overview
What changed on 1 January 2026
Amendments to the STCW Code in force from 1 January 2026 add mandatory minimum training requirements on preventing and responding to violence and harassment — including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault — in the personal safety and social responsibilities table A-VI/1-4.
The amendments sit in table A-VI/1-4 of the STCW Code, which specifies the minimum standard of competence in personal safety and social responsibilities. They set new mandatory minimum requirements for basic training and instruction, equipping seafarers with knowledge and understanding of violence and harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault, together with information on how to prevent and respond to incidents (IMO, press briefing on rules in force from 1 January 2026).
For new candidates, this means basic safety training now includes this content as a mandatory element. For existing certificate holders, the sources do not state how or when refresher training must be updated, so confirm the transition arrangements with your administration or approved training provider rather than assuming a deadline.
Official sources: Raft of shipping rules in force from 1 January 2026 — IMO press briefing, 9 January 2026
A national example: the United States
In the United States, STCW requirements are incorporated into US regulation and policy for certain personnel, and the Coast Guard's National Maritime Center administers the credentialing process — a concrete illustration of how a national administration implements the framework.
For a US credential, use the Coast Guard National Maritime Center’s checklists, approved training information and application instructions. Its STCW page links requirements and guidance by category. Confirm that each document applies to your intended endorsement and remains current. Other administrations have their own processes.
Official sources: Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) — US Coast Guard National Maritime Center
Preparing for your own route
Preparation is a three-step match: your role to a Convention chapter and Code table, your certificate to your administration's requirements, and your study plan to the approved training and assessment that administration specifies.
Write down your target role and certificate. Find the relevant competence table and your maritime authority’s current credential checklist. Check approved training, sea service, medical documentation and assessment requirements for that route.
Use the competence requirements to organize study and supervised practice. Keep a list of outstanding documents and questions for the authority or approved provider. General knowledge questions can support revision but do not replace required practical training or assessment.
Official sources: International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) — IMO Human Element, STCW Convention and Code overview; Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) — US Coast Guard National Maritime Center
Official sources
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