Checked against IMO sources, 46 CFR Part 15, and the Coast Guard's STCW final rule · September 2026
You'll hear “STCW” on almost every ship, in every school, and in nearly every job posting. It stands for the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. It is an international agreement that sets the minimum training, certification, and watchkeeping standards for mariners on seagoing ships.
Before STCW, each country set its own standards, and they varied widely. STCW gave the world's fleets a common minimum, so a ship owner, a port, or another country can have confidence in a certificate issued anywhere that follows the Convention.
Who runs STCW?
Three different players are involved, and it helps to keep them straight:
STCW vs. the Coast Guard: not either/or
A common misunderstanding is that STCW is something separate from your Coast Guard license. It isn't. For a U.S. mariner, the Coast Guard is the agency that issues your STCW endorsements. They appear on the same Merchant Mariner Credential as your national endorsements.
| STCW | U.S. Coast Guard national requirements |
|---|---|
| An international treaty, administered by the IMO | U.S. law and regulations (46 CFR), administered by the Coast Guard |
| Sets minimum international standards | Can set requirements beyond the international minimum |
| Applies to seagoing ships, with exemptions | Applies to U.S. mariners on U.S. vessels, including domestic, inland, and Great Lakes service |
| Recognized worldwide, including by foreign port inspectors | Defines your U.S. route, tonnage, and vessel-type authority |
| Shows up as STCW endorsements on your MMC | Shows up as national endorsements on the same MMC |
How the two fit together on your credential, with examples: National vs. STCW →
What does STCW cover?
The Convention is organized into chapters. You'll see these chapter numbers in endorsement names, such as II/1 or V/1-1:
| Chapter | Covers |
|---|---|
| I | General provisions |
| II | Master and deck department |
| III | Engine department |
| IV | Radiocommunication (GMDSS) |
| V | Special training for certain ship types: tankers, passenger ships, ships in polar waters, and ships using gas or other low-flashpoint fuels |
| VI | Emergency, occupational safety, security, medical care, and survival functions, including Basic Training |
| VII | Alternative certification |
| VIII | Watchkeeping, including rest hours |
What it means for you
If you sail on seagoing vessels that STCW applies to, you'll typically run into:
If you work only on inland waters, the Great Lakes, fishing vessels, barges, or smaller vessels on domestic near-coastal routes, STCW may not apply to you at all. Who is exempt →
STCW Basic Training update: violence and harassment prevention training
Updated September 29, 2026 · Source: CG-MMC Policy Letter 01-26 (September 25, 2026), paragraph 5 and Enclosure (1)
IMO amended the Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR) part of STCW Basic Training to add a new competence: prevention of violence and harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault. The international amendment took effect January 1, 2026. The Coast Guard is phasing it in for U.S. mariners:
- Who it affects: mariners getting or keeping an STCW Basic Training endorsement, not every license holder.
- New applicants: starting October 1, 2029, an original BT endorsement also requires a Coast Guard-approved Prevention of Violence and Harassment, including Sexual Harassment, Bullying and Sexual Assault course.
- Current BT holders: complete the course on or before your first MMC renewal after September 30, 2029. A complete application submitted before October 1, 2029 can still be evaluated under the old requirements.
- Every five years: it isn't a one-time course. It's repeated every five years along with your BT revalidation.
- Approved or accepted training only: a general workplace harassment course won't automatically count. The Coast Guard will accept the SOCP Maritime SASH Prevention and Response eLearning Program, and may accept company or union training given before October 1, 2029 if the NMC finds it meets the STCW standard.
- No separate endorsement will be issued for it.
- Sailing internationally? The Coast Guard warns that foreign port state control may treat mariners without this training as non-compliant, including possible vessel detention, before the U.S. deadline. You can take the training voluntarily now.
Confirm current requirements with the National Maritime Center before you plan training or file for renewal.
Seven things mariners learn the hard way
There's no separate STCW certificate anymore
Since the MMC replaced the older documents in 2009, STCW endorsements are printed on their own page of your MMC. If an endorsement isn't listed there, you don't hold it under STCW, even if you hold the national equivalent.
“STCW-95” is an outdated term
The 1995 amendments were historic, but the 2010 Manila Amendments are the current standard. When someone asks for your “STCW-95,” they usually mean Basic Training. What Basic Training is →
A national license doesn't bring the STCW officer endorsement with it
Holding Master 1,600 GRT does not by itself qualify you as an STCW Master. The STCW endorsement has its own service, training, and practical assessment requirements. National vs. STCW →
Your medical certificate has two clocks
For STCW service it is valid for 2 years (1 year if you're under 18). For national service it can run up to 5 years. If you sail where STCW applies, watch the STCW date.
Practical assessments need a Qualified Assessor
STCW sign-offs must come from a Coast Guard-approved Qualified Assessor (QA), not just any shipmate. A Designated Examiner is different: that role signs off towing TOARs.
Basic Training has to be kept current
Basic Training must be revalidated every five years. Plan for it before it lapses, because an expired Basic Training can hold up an otherwise complete renewal. Refresher vs. revalidation →
Foreign inspectors can check your paperwork
In a foreign port, port state control inspectors can verify crew endorsements and rest-hour records and watch drills. A serious deficiency can get the whole ship detained, not just the mariner cited.
STCW isn't a separate license. It's a set of endorsements on the same MMC, issued by the Coast Guard. If a school tells you that you need “your STCW,” ask which STCW endorsement, and for which job.
Want More Information?
History, how the Convention is built, how the U.S. puts it into law, rest hours, and what's changing. Tap a topic to open it.
1A Short History of STCW1978 to today, and the review now under way
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1978 | STCW adopted at the IMO. It was the first convention to set basic training and certification requirements for seafarers internationally. |
| 1984 | The Convention entered into force. |
| 1995 | A major rewrite created the STCW Code and shifted the focus to demonstrated competence, not just time served. |
| 2010 | The Manila Amendments updated training for modern ships and added requirements such as security training and stronger rest-hour rules. |
| 2014 | The Coast Guard’s final rule putting the 2010 amendments into U.S. regulations took effect on March 24, 2014, with a transition period that ended January 1, 2017. |
| 2022–today | The IMO began a comprehensive review of the whole Convention and Code in 2022. Adoption of the revised text is targeted for 2029–2030, with entry into force after that. |
2How the Convention Is BuiltArticles, regulations, and the STCW Code
- The Convention contains the articles and the regulations (the chapters listed above).
- The STCW Code, Part A is mandatory. Its competence tables, such as Table A-II/1 for officers in charge of a navigational watch, list exactly what you must be able to do and how it is assessed.
- The STCW Code, Part B is recommended guidance to help countries apply Part A.
When you complete practical assessments for an STCW endorsement, you are demonstrating the competences in those Part A tables. The Coast Guard's NVICs translate them into U.S. assessment guidance. NVICs & Approved Courses →
3How the U.S. Puts STCW Into Law46 CFR, NVICs, the NMC, and approved courses
| Piece | Role |
|---|---|
| 46 CFR Parts 10–15 | The regulations: credential requirements, officer and rating endorsements, tank vessel endorsements, and manning (including STCW exemptions in 46 CFR 15.105). |
| NVICs | Coast Guard guidance on how to qualify, including assessment tables for each STCW endorsement. |
| National Maritime Center | Evaluates your application and issues STCW endorsements on your MMC. |
| Approved courses | Training courses approved by the Coast Guard to meet specific STCW requirements. |
Several STCW qualifications, including Basic Training, must be revalidated every five years, typically through qualifying sea service or refresher training. Check the NMC checklist for your endorsement.
4Rest HoursThe watchkeeping minimums in 46 CFR 15.1111
These rules apply to watchkeeping officers and ratings, and to crew with designated safety, pollution-prevention, and security duties, on vessels operating beyond the boundary line. Port state inspectors can and do check rest-hour records.
The IMO writes STCW, the Coast Guard applies it, and your MMC carries it. When you're planning training, start with the job and the vessel, then check whether STCW applies before you pay for anything.
Official sources
Where this fits in your journey
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