The Department of Merchant Shipping recently issued a notification to owners, bareboat charterers, managers and representatives of Cyprus-flagged and foreign-flagged vessels visiting ports in Cyprus. The notification concerns the latest amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers 1978 (as amended) and the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers Code.
The amendments were adopted on November 25 2016 under Resolutions MSC.416(97) and MSC.417(97) and took effect on January 1 2018 under the convention's tacit acceptance procedure. The amendments concern the mandatory minimum requirements for the training and qualification of:
- masters, officers, ratings and other personnel on passenger ships; and
- masters and deck officers on ships operating in polar waters.
The amendments apply to Cyprus-flagged passenger vessels, Cyprus-flagged vessels operating in polar waters and foreign-flagged passenger vessels visiting Cyprus ports and seafarers employed on them.
The Department of Merchant Shipping recommends early voluntary implementation of the amendments relating to the mandatory minimum requirements for the training and qualification of masters and deck officers on ships operating in polar waters and will recognise seafarers' certificates issued in accordance with Paragraph 4 of Resolution MSC.416(97) by countries whose certificates of competency are recognised by Cyprus.
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