NEWS STORY

MAIN HEAD
DNV seafarer standards

Class society Det Norske Veritas has launched a system of seafarer competence standards, ensuring that seafarers from different nations, cultures and training institutes have a common, acceptable level of knowledge, skill and attitude. 

Standard seafarer certificates, DNV says, only provide a partial picture of true competence because they give no indication as to the employee's attitude, only his skill and knowledge.

The idea is to build up a system of "classification" of personnel, also classifying shipping companies, training academies and training providers.

The system should fulfil the needs of ship-owners, management companies, crewing agencies, authorities, yards, training institutions and other players.

"Maritime academies, training schools, authorities and ship managers have all expressed a desire to see a global system of standards in place. DNV is responding to this demand in the market," says the company.


SUBHEAD
Need more competence

Modern ships have fewer crew but they need to be constantly updated on new technologies. 

Meanwhile charterers are demanding more sophisticated logistics services, as well as increased safety and environmentally friendly operations. 

The ISPS security requirements further drive up the training requirements of seafarers. 

DNV strongly believes that the maritime training on offer today is fragmented and varies widely in content and quality, with seafarers trained all over the world. 

DNV also believes that seafarers trained to the minimum standards is no longer acceptable. 

"The industry has long since progressed beyond the minimum levels laid down by statutory requirements," says DNV. 

"Today's maritime industry needs people who don't just have a ticket to trade, but are competent and able to perform their duties in the most effective manner possible."


SUBHEAD
The program

There is a competency management system certification, for shipowners, shipyards and regulatory authorities. This focuses on the ability of an organisation to plan, define, develop and improve the competence of employees, according to external requirements and defined business goals. 

Then there is a training certification, intended to assess the quality of training, independent of location, operation and method. The DNV SeaSkill Standard of Certification of Learning Programmes is available. 

Finally there are the DNV standards of competence for individuals, enabling DNV to offer Certificates of Competence for various non-STCW positions.

Around 200 training organisations globally have already been certified by DNV to train and assess if people and organisations meet the standards.

All certificates are only issued upon passing of appropriate examinations, conducted either by DNV or DNV-approved examination institutes.
The certificates are normally renewed every 3 years, with the candidate being required to pass an updated examination. 

The certificates issued by DNV are renewable, usually every three years. To do this, the candidate has to pass an updated examination.

DNV hopes that the standards will eventually become a basis for competence management systems, training courses, testing and certification of individuals.

DNV is putting together committees of shipping experts to make sure it has a shipping company view on how to evolve them. 


Further information about the program is available on www.seaskill.com.