Many South Africans who completed their STCW Basic Training in South Africa have asked the question, “what do we do when our STCW certificates expire?”. Candidates who completed their SAMSA STCW Basic training prior to July 2022 will notice an expiry date on all of their Basic Training certificates. This was a frustration to South African seafarers as STCW Basic Training training done under certain foreign authorities only needed two of the four courses to be refreshed (Fire fighting & Proficiency in Sea Survival Techniques (PST) every 5 years. Seafarers have now welcomed SAMSA’s decision to revoke the expiry date on Elementary First Aid and Personal Safety and Social Responsibility (PSSR) going forward.
Since the 1st of January 2017 all seafarers have been obligated to renew their STCW Personal Survival Techniques (PST) and Fire Fighting certifications if they were greater than five years old regardless of which maritime authority it was issued under.
Since the 1st of January 2017 all seafarers have been obligated to renew their STCW Personal Survival Techniques (PST) and Fire Fighting certifications if they were greater than five years old regardless of which maritime authority it was issued under.
In a nutshell, what does this all mean?
The long and the short of it is this: If you do your STCW courses in South Africa, you no longer need to complete entire basic STCW every 5 years. This means that STCW Basic Training in South Africa is an attractive option for both local residents and foreigners due to the low price. The course length of time for STCW Basic Training modules can be slightly longer than STCW training offered in foreign countries which is the only downside. The time it takes to do a full STCW Basic training in South Africa can be reduced by completing the PPSR online if required.