What is Stcw?
1.
(Standards of Training and Certification of Watchstanders) or also informally known as 'Stuff The Coast guard Wants"
Bullshit certifications required of all Merchant Seamen before they can sail deep sea as either licensed officers or unlicensed crew. Despite the fact that having these certs does nothing to improve the competence of the mariner possessing them, and the fact that accidents still happen to this day despite them, the IMO (international maritime organization) and the U.S. government still shove them down our throats.
Training and certification is in 4 basic areas: Firefighting, Personal Safety/Sexual Harassment, Personal Survival, and First Aid.
"Despite the fact that McAllister's Port Captain told me I couldn't sail past the sea buoy without STCW, I was aboard a vessel headed to Norfolk the next morning."
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