International Journal

on Marine Navigation

and Safety of Sea Transportation

Volume 1

Number 4

December 2007

453

The STCW 1995 Convention: Awareness,

Attitude, and Compliance Among Seafarers

R. Pador

John B. Lacson Maritime University, Iloilo City, Philippines

ABSTRACT: This survey research focused on the STCW 1995 and related awareness, attitude and

compliance among 232 selected seafarers in the Philippines. Conducted in August 2004, the study utilized

three researcher-made data-gathering instruments- the STCW 1995 Awareness Scale, STCW 1995 Attitude

Scale, and Seafarer’s Compliance with the STCW 1995 Code Rating Scale. Means, standard deviations, the t-

test for independent samples, the One-Way Analysis of Variance, and the Stepwise Multiple Regression

Analysis were the statistical tools used. Significance level for all inferential tests was set at .05. The study

found out that, generally, the seafarers had “very high” level of awareness of, “neutral” attitude towards, and

“above average” compliance with the requirements of the STCW 1995 Convention.

1 INTRODUCTION

The maritime industry, more specifically the ship

manning industry, faces fast paradigm shifts brought

about by the rapid technological developments and

fast-changing political environments worldwide. The

demands on qualifications of ships’ crews have

dramatically changed since the implementation of

the Standard of Training, Certification and Watch

keeping (STCW) Code (STCW 1978 Convention

and subsequent amendments in 1995).

Prior to the implementation of STCW 1978 and

its subsequent amendments in 1995, the number of

maritime schools in the country has increased

tremendously. From a number of 41, maritime

institutions mushroomed to 111, accounting for an

increase of 170.73%. In 1994 alone, these maritime

schools graduated 43,918 deck and engine cadets

(Aldenese, 1995).

However, the need for more competent graduates

is demanded in the global market. Aldenese (1995)

observes that a good percentage of maritime

graduates are not adequately competent. Since the

maritime manning agencies operate on the global

market, many of the Filipino ship officers and

ratings need to comply with the international

competency requirements for seafarers; hence, the

need for their awareness of and compliance with the

STCW requirements of the STCW 1995 Convention.

2 AIMS OF THE STUDY

This survey research aimed at ascertaining levels of

awareness, attitude and compliance among selected

seafarers in the Philippines in connection with the

requirements of the STCW 1995 Convention.

Specifically, the study aimed at determining the

following:

1 The level of the Filipino seafarers’ awareness of

the requirements of the STCW 1995 Convention;

2 The level of their attitude towards the

requirements of the STCW 1995 Convention;

3 The level of their compliance with the

requirements of the STCW 1995 Convention;

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4 The significance of the differences in levels of

awareness, attitude and compliance among the

seafarers classified according to the personal

factors of age, marital status and educational

attainment;

5 The significance of the differences in levels of

awareness, attitude and compliance among the

seafarers classified according to the seafaring-

related factors of license, manning company of

last contract, shipping company of last contract,

rank on board, number of years in present

rank/position, department where assigned on

board, and flag registration of last ship board;

6 The significant predictors of the seafarers’

awareness, attitude and compliance; and

7 The significance of the relationships among the

seafarers’ awareness, attitude and compliance in

relation to the requirements of the STCW 1995

Convention.

3 METHODOLOGY

The participants of this study were the 232 seafarers

selected through the two-stage sampling technique.

The survey research method was employed in this

study.

The independent variables included the seafarers’

personal factors (age, marital status and educational

attainment) and seafaring-related factors (license,

manning company of last contract, shipping

company of last contract, rank on board, number of

year in present rank/position, department where

assigned on board, and flag registration of last ship

on board).

The moderator variable was the seafarers’

awareness of the STCW 1995 convention. The

seafarers’ attitude towards and compliance with the

requirements of the STCW 1995 Convention were

the dependent variables.

A researcher-made survey instrument was utilized

to gather the data needed for the study. The

instrument included four parts: (1) Information Form

to gather data on the seafarer’s personal and

seafaring-related characteristics; (2) STCW 1995

Awareness Scale; (3) STCW 1995 Attitude Scale;

and (4) Seafarer’s STCW 1995 Code Compliance

Rating Scale.

Means and standard deviations were the

descriptive statistics used; the t-test for independent

samples, the One-Way ANOVA, the Stepwise

Multiple Regression Analysis, and the Pearson’s r,

the inferential statistics. Significance level for all

inferential tests was set at .05 alpha.

4 FINDINGS

The findings showed that the seafarers had “very

high” awareness of the requirements of the STCW

1995 Convention. Their attitude was “neutral” and

their compliance with the requirements of the STCW

1995 Convention “above average”.

The seafarers differed significantly in their

attitude towards the STCW 1995 Convention when

classified according to number of years in present

position.

They also differed significantly in their compliance

with the STCW 1995 Convention when classified

according to educational attainment and department

assigned.

Age was a significant predictor of the seafarers’

awareness of the STCW 1995 Convention.

Department assigned on board and flag of

registration were significant predictors of the

seafarers’ compliance with the requirements of the

STCW 1995 Convention.

Significant positive relationships existed between

the seafarers’ awareness and attitude; between their

awareness and compliance; and between their

attitude and compliance.

5 CONCLUSIONS

The seafarers’ being very highly informed of the

STCW 1995 Code—its intent, mandatory

provisions, and technical standards—pointed out

their acceptance of their mandated duty to be

familiar with the STCW 1995 Code and its

provisions, including the mandate that all Filipino

cadets be required to follow a program of structured

on board training documented in an approved

training record book, based on the model developed

by the International Shipping Federation (in Warsash

Maritime Centre, 2002).

From the findings, it could be drawn that the

seafarers were highly knowledgeable of the issues

relevant to their training on board despite their

seemingly ambivalent attitude towards the STCW

1995 Code.

As noted by the IMO and the ISF, the seafarers’

on-board training might be deficient due to

inadequate understanding about the purpose and

conduct of the training. For instance, misunderstanding

would occur between Filipino trainees and their

foreign officers who might not be aware of the issues

and concerns relevant to the training of Filipinos

(Warsash Maritime Center, 2002).

455

One major international issue is the low number

of Filipino junior officers promoted to senior officer

level (International Shipping Federation (in Warsash

Maritime Center, 2002). This could be due to lack of

morale-boosting motivation from the seafarers’

senior officers and their low career aspirations. One

other reason is the ceiling for promotion imposed by

some shipping companies.

The seafarers’ lack of motivation must have

stemmed from lack of self-confidence which could

have been caused by poorly-founded basic education

or vocational training. It could also be attributed to

the non-transparency and cultural biases of company

assessment schemes (International Shipping Federa-

tion, in Warsash Maritime Center, 2002).

The seafarers appeared to be very dedicated,

committed, and conscientious in complying with the

requirements of the STCW 1995 Convention. They

showed high regard for and commitment to quality

standards, performing in accordance with the criteria

set for assessing performance vis-à-vis international

standards required of a seafarer.

In addition, the seafarers seemed to be willing to

undergo temporary sacrifices to attain possible long-

term rewards. They appeared to be determined,

motivated, compliant, persistent, positive, committed,

and self sacrificing.

6 RECOMMENDATIONS

Following are the recommendations based on the

findings:

Development of an “academic ramp” in the form

of a model course covering basic math, physics and

other subjects relevant to maritime training in

accordance with STCW standards and for possible

adoption by the International Maritime Organization.

Development of a standard test of basic knowledge

requirements necessary for maritime training in

accordance with STCW standards.

Research to further identify knowledge gaps and

differences between high-school educational

standards in the Philippines and in other countries.

A replication of this study to validate the present

findings is suggested. Other areas of concern should

focus on manpower quality and competitiveness,

managerial and/or leadership competence, and career

paths for seafarers.

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