Two thirds make STCW deadline

Of about 120 signatory countries to the STCW, around 80 met the August 1 deadline to submit information on their training institutions to IMO. The information has to be processed and approved by the Marine Safety Committee before the country can be added to the `White List`.

The MSC will review the information at its meeting in spring 1999, but it may be some time before the first countries get the required approval. However, there is an extended phase-in period during which existing certificates will be valid, so shipowners should not be faced with their crews` certificates suddenly being invalidated.

At this point IMO is not saying which countries have submitted the required information. A spokesman says: “Its the smaller counties which may struggle as they don`t have the seafarers, the training academies or the organisations to submit the information.”