Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW 5), 16-20 July 2018

Revised guidelines on fatigue agreed
The Sub-Committee agreed the draft set of revised IMO Guidelines on Fatigue, for submission to the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 100) in December 2018 for approval. 

The Guidelines, last issued in 2001, have been thoroughly reviewed and updated, taking into account the latest research studies.

The Guidelines provide information on the causes and consequences of fatigue, and the risks it poses to the safety and health of seafarers, operational safety, security and protection of the marine environment. The aim is to assist all stakeholders to contribute to the mitigation and management of fatigue.

Once approved and published, Member States will be expected to bring the Guidelines to the attention of their maritime Administrations and all stakeholders, including seafarers, companies, naval architects/ship designers and training providers. They will also be invited to use them as a basis for disseminating information on fatigue (such as: pamphlets, video training modules, seminars and workshops, etc.); and take them into consideration when determining minimum safe manning.

Companies will be strongly urged to take the issue of fatigue into account when developing, implementing and improving safety management systems under the ISM Code.

IMO has considered the issue of fatigue for several decades, adopting Assembly resolution A.772(18) on Fatigue factors in manning and safety, in 1993. This was followed by the development of comprehensive Guidance on fatigue mitigation and management (MSC/Circ.1014), which was issued in 2001. The MSC had agreed in 2014 that the Guidance needed to be reviewed and updated.

Model courses validation
The Sub-Committee validated 10 model courses:

New model courses:
• Electro-technical rating;
• Ratings as able seafarer engine in a manned engine-room or designated to perform duties in a periodically unmanned engine-room;
• Use of leadership and managerial skills;
• Safety training for personnel providing direct service to passengers in passenger spaces;
• Passenger ship crowd management training; and
• Crisis management and human behaviour training.

Revised model courses:
• 1.36 on Liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker cargo and ballast handling simulator;
• 1.19 on Proficiency in personal survival techniques;
• 1.34 on Automatic Identification Systems (AIS); and
• 1.08 on Radar Navigation at Management Level (RADAR, ARPA, Bridge Teamwork and Search and Rescue).

The Sub-Committee established review groups for the revision or development of various draft model courses, with a view to their validation at HTW 6 and HTW 7. 

Review and update of the 1995 STCW-F Convention
The Sub-Committee continued its comprehensive review of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F), 1995. The aim is to review the minimum standards of competence set out in the treaty in order to bring them up to date and reflect realities in the fishing industry. A correspondence group was established to progress the work intersessionally and report to HTW 6.

The STCW-F Convention was adopted in 1995 and entered into force in 2012. It is a key pillar among the international instruments addressing fishing vessel safety and sets the standards of training and requirements for certification and watchkeeping for crews of seagoing fishing vessels entitled to fly the flag of a Party.