Published: 26 Apr 2021
Immediate Need
A surge of seafarers requiring recertification training is predicted for June and for December of 2021.
These two peaks coincide with the conclusion of the expiry date extension window provided by AMSA during COVID, and with the first cohort of seafarers who switched from the in-perpetuity STCW booklets to the 5 year expiry CoST cards back in 2016 now being due to renew them.
To avoid seafarers getting caught in a bottleneck as everyone tries to renew at once, it is vital that those needing to undertake recertification training do so sooner rather than later.
Process
The steps for renewing are straightforward, but require seafarers to select the right course and gather the necessary documents:
Selecting the correct course
The recertification training that is needed depends on two things:
· The seafarer’s qualification (CoST, IR, CIR etc), and
· Whether the seafarer meets the AMSA sea service requirement to participate in the short ‘refresher’ course, or if they will be required to participate in the longer ‘revalidation’ course.
The sea service requirements to qualify for the refresher are:
o 12 months within the last 5 years
o 3 months within the last 6 months
NB – AMSA assesses the two periods of sea service from the date that the application is submitted by the seafarer. It is critical that the seafarer be sure they have enough sea service to meet requirements if they are doing the refresher course.
Where/Cost/Duration?
This list is not exhaustive, there may be additional training providers that can be found through an internet search - especially for the CoST refresher training as this requires less infrastructure to deliver.
Please note: There are currently only 3 providers of the IR revalidation training for seafarers who don’t have the minimum seatime for the shorter course. They are located in Sydney, Perth, and Launceston.
You can download this information by clicking HERE
If you need further information you should contact AMSA.
