By Christian Spain
National Vice President, Government Relations

The 2010 Manila amendments to STCW caused a crush of training to be required for senior and junior officers at STAR Center over an 18-month implementation period leading up to start of enforcement in 2017.

This short timeline was almost entirely caused by the U.S. Coast Guard's failure to implement the required regulations in a timely manner even though industry had been begging them to do so for several years. Many AMO members were adversely affected by this event; therefore, I would like to address items that you will start to see in the maritime industry press over the next year regarding new amendments to STCW.

In the near future you will read about a "comprehensive review of STCW" in the maritime press. Please do not panic! The International Maritime Organization's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) will meet this April and is expected to accept a proposal to review the STCW Convention as part of its new work program for the coming years.

The last change was done more than a decade ago culminating in the 2010 Manila amendments to the STCW. Once the IMO's MSC adds this to the work plan, the next time it will be discussed is at the Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping Subcommittee meeting in February of 2023. This meeting is where the scope of the review will be determined and a schedule/timeline for the review may be established. Regardless, the review is expected to take several years. AMO and STAR Center will be involved in all of these meetings and deliberations at both the international (IMO) and national (USCG) levels.

The review of STCW is based on an understanding that there is a need to remove obsolete training requirements and provide flexibility to the code for future technologies. Some industry segments have made public proposals for the addition of new capacities to the STCW for their own economic interest. There will be large media campaigns behind some of these proposals over the next 10 months.

My advice is to not get caught up in these publicity pushes, such as those revolving around autonomous vessels or MASS (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships). AMO and STAR Center will be actively engaged to ensure the best interests of all our members and participants are represented.

Due to the extent of the issues and overall process, the implementation date for any new STCW amendments will likely be 2030 or later, with an earliest potential effective date in approximately 2033. As this process evolves we will keep the membership informed.