IMO's STW 44 Committee to Consider ISM Code Amendment

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Sub-Committee on Standards of Training & Watchkeeping (STW 44) agenda items.

The meeting is held from 29 April to 3 May 2013 in London and BIMCO’s Marine Department will be present.

The Sub-Committee on Standards of Training and Watchkeeping aims through the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), to set the standards of competence for seafarers internationally. The sub-committee assists with uniform interpretation of the STCW and develops other guidance for the Convention. For maritime training institutes worldwide, STW develops and maintains a series of model courses which provide suggested syllabi, course timetables and learning objectives. STW also considers the promotion and implementation of the IMO’s human element strategy.

The agenda for STW 44 includes, among others, the following important items:

• Reports of fraudulent certificates detected and reported by Governments, and a proposal on how to decrease the number of fraudulent certificates in the future;
• Development of a mandatory Code for ships operating in polar waters where concrete proposals for training of officers operation in the Polar Areas have been submitted;
• Proposed amendment to the STCW Code's colour vision requirements;
• Development of an e-navigation strategy implementation plan; and
• Role of the human element which includes proposals to amend the International Safety Management Code (ISM Code).