New requirements under STCW

From 1st January 2026, Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR) training must include specific content on preventing and responding to violence and harassment at sea, including sexual harassment, bullying, and sexual assault.

This requirement applies to new and renewed STCW PSSR certification and has been introduced through recent amendments to the STCW Code. By embedding this content within PSSR itself, the amendments set clearer expectations around behaviour, culture, and responsibility onboard and establish a consistent baseline across the industry.

What has changed

The amendments, approved by the IMO Maritime Safety Committee, bring training on violence and harassment directly into STCW PSSR. Rather than introducing a separate or optional requirement, the updated guidance makes this content a mandatory part of the foundation of basic safety training.

The requirements apply globally and the new training requirements will benefit seafarers in a wide range of roles including cadets, cruise and ferry hotel staff, and crew working on SOLAS-compliant vessels. Existing STCW PSSR certificates remain valid for their five-year period, but any new or renewed certification from January 2026 must reflect the updated training requirements.

Why clarity and responsibility matter onboard

Life onboard a vessel brings people together in ways that are different to shore-based work environments. Crews live and work in close quarters, often for extended periods, and under operational pressure. In that setting, behaviour is shaped as much by what is tolerated or ignored as by what is written down. When expectations are unclear, people may be unsure where the line sits or what to do when something does not feel right.

Training helps by setting out those expectations in practical terms. It gives seafarers a shared understanding of what is acceptable, how concerns should be raised, and how situations should be handled when they arise. While it does not resolve every issue, it reduces ambiguity and provides a common point of reference across teams, vessels, and companies.

There is also growing evidence that this clarity is needed. A report by Safer Waves1 has shown that many seafarers have experienced or witnessed harassment during their careers. While no set of figures can reflect individual experiences in full, they help explain why regulators and industry bodies are placing greater emphasis on addressing these issues through mandatory training.

The role of PSSR in supporting safer onboard environments

STCW PSSR training has always played an important role in preparing individuals for the social and personal responsibilities of working at sea. By integrating training on violence and harassment into PSSR, the updated requirements reinforce the idea that risk and safety are not limited to physical hazards alone: psycho-social aspects also matter.

The updated content focuses on prevention, awareness, and appropriate response. It also recognises the importance of cultural awareness and the role of bystanders in supporting a respectful onboard environment. While awareness modules can support understanding, meeting STCW certification requirements necessitate completion of the full PSSR course in line with approval by national maritime authorities.

It is also important to be realistic. Training alone does not change culture, particularly in the complex working environments found at sea. Behaviour onboard is shaped by leadership, operational pressures, reporting mechanisms, and the norms that are reinforced through daily practice.

What training can do is establish a common baseline by removing ambiguity, making expectations explicit, and giving people shared language around unacceptable behaviour and appropriate responses. In that sense, training is not an entire solution, but a necessary starting point for defining consistent and responsible norms, and for influencing awareness and behaviour across vessels and organisations.

Supporting organisations through regulatory change

For ship operators, crewing managers and training teams, regulatory change can add complexity to an already demanding compliance landscape. Ensuring that training remains aligned with STCW requirements, while maintaining continuity for crews and staff, is a key concern.

Using established, flag-approved training providers can help organisations manage this transition more effectively. Approved courses that integrate new requirements into familiar training frameworks reduce disruption and provide clarity for both managers and crew as expectations change. eLearning courses are an effective means of distributing training to ensure seafarers receive updated content, wherever they are located: maritime authorities’ national requirements should always be checked before selecting a course.

Looking ahead

Global trade depends on seafarers and will continue to do so. The industry cannot function, adapt, or grow without a skilled, committed workforce. As demand for skilled crew remains strong, the conditions in which people live and work at sea are becoming an increasingly important consideration for the industry.

Clear standards around behaviour and responsibility form part of that picture. While training alone will not change culture, embedding training on violence and harassment within core safety education helps establish shared expectations and a consistent baseline across vessels and organisations. It signals that professionalism onboard extends beyond technical competence to how people treat one another day to day.

For organisations, taking these issues seriously is not only about meeting regulatory requirements. It is also about supporting retention, strengthening recruitment, and contributing to a working environment that is inclusive, viable, and attractive for the next generation of seafarers.

To learn more about accessing this updated training, visit our Ocean Learning Platform webpage or contact our team.

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