STCW Competency Assessment Workshop

The Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) invites maritime industry representatives to attend its Summer 2010 meeting to be held at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) in Linthicum Heights, Md., September 8-9, 2010. There are no membership requirements to attend.

This public session will provide maritime professionals, labor unions, seafarers, training institutions and regulatory representatives the opportunity to participate in a working group format focusing on the development of performance measures which are used to assess mariner competencies listed in the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978, as amended in 1995, and again in June 2010. The workings groups will focus on generating recommendations on the assessments performance conditions, behaviors, and the criteria for the Code’s tables of competencies. The work products generated will be forwarded to the United States Coast Guard.

The SOCP intends to form work groups for each of the table of competencies amended. Interested parties may participate on more than one work group, provided they are able to meet work group scheduling commitments. The size of each work group may be limited as needed to ensure the groups remain manageable so please be flexible. Volunteers for working group chairpersons are being accepted and should be forwarded to Glen Paine ([email protected]).

The 2010 amendments to the Convention include new requirements for certification, including the standards of competence in the form of tables, for the following new categories:
•    Able seafarer deck
•    Able seafarer engine
•    Electro-technical officer
•    Electro-technical rating
•    Basic training for oil and chemical tanker cargo operations
•    Advance training for oil tanker cargo operations
•    Advance training for chemical tanker cargo operations
•    Basic training for liquefied gas tanker cargo operations
•    Advance training for liquefied gas tanker cargo operations
•    Security awareness
•    Security for personnel with security responsibilities

There is no charge for attending or participating in the working groups. However, participants must register for the event at the SOCP website (www.socp.us) under Upcoming Events. Please indicate whether you would like to participate in a specific working group to ensure ample seating.

Hotel accommodations are being made available for attendees at the MITAGS Conference Center. The room rate is $168/night and includes all meals. Day attendees may purchase lunch and break service ticket at the front desk for $20 dollars. To make an online reservation please go to www.ccmit.org, click the [RESERVATION] icon on the home page, then select the [Group] icon on the reservation page. Enter the following codes:
Group ID – 16439
Password – 1298

You may also e-mail a reservation to [email protected] , or call 866-900-3517. For day participants, lunch tickets can be purchased at the front desk. For directions, please visit: www.mitags.org

For questions please contact Kumar Samanta via email at [email protected] or by calling (301) 440-1936.