Crowley Implements STCW95

After two-and-a-half years of preparation, Crowley Maritime Corporation has implemented International Maritime Organization (IMO) Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW95) for all mariners aboard Crowley-owned seagoing vessels in compliance with the IMO's February 1, 2002 training deadline. The STCW convention was drafted in 1978, establishing such things as the requirement for four years of experience for a Master 1600 gt license. In addition, the 1995 amendments establish minimum rest periods for watchkeeping personnel, and require that all mariners receive vessel familiarity and basic safety training. One of the fundamental objectives of the convention is to establish standards of competence for the performance of tasks and to have assessments as to whether an individual meets each competence level. The convention is based in part on the principle that proper training, coupled with effective application of quality management principles and use of proper procedures, will promote shipboard practices which prevent human error or detect errors at a point when adverse consequences can be averted.