Charted course

Study Plan: From STCW to DP

Seven stages through the library — training, certification, Port State Control, flag states, maritime law, machinery, then Dynamic Positioning. Each stage builds on the last; open any lesson directly if you already hold the earlier ground.

18 lessons

7 stages · all published and open

Stage 01 · Seafarer Training

Seafarer Training & STCW

Start with the international training baseline: what STCW requires, how certification paths run, and where a deck or engine career leads.

01The STCW Convention: Standards of Training, Certification and WatchkeepingWhy every seafarer's certificate traces back to one IMO convention — and how Port State Control enforces it in ports around the world.

IMO convention setting minimum training and certification standards for seafarers worldwide
From the 1978 original through STCW 95 to the 2010 Manila Amendments
Enforced on visiting vessels through Port State Control certificate checks

Seafarer Training guide

Stage 02 · Safety & SOLAS

Ship's Certificates & Safety

From training to paperwork: the certificates a vessel must carry, how management systems are audited and recertified, and the Master's authority under SOLAS.

02Ship's Certificates: The Documents a Vessel Must CarryThe statutory, class and trading certificates a ship must keep on board to trade and obtain Customs clearance — plus the MARPOL pollution-prevention certificates and when each applies.

Which certificates apply by vessel type and tonnage — IOPP, IAPP, NLS, sewage and more
Printable Master's checklist for document reviews
Validity periods and where to verify updates

03Management System Certification: From Request to RecertificationHow a management system certificate is earned and kept: the five-step process, the two phases of the certification audit, surveillance visits, and the three-year recertification cycle.

The five-step cycle: request, audit, certificate, surveillance, recertification
Phase 1 documentation review versus Phase 2 implementation audit
The three-year certificate cycle and what surveillance visits check

04Master's Discretion: SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 34-1SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 34-1 guarantees that no owner, charterer or operator can prevent the Master from taking the decisions needed for safety of life at sea and protection of the marine environment.

SOLAS V/34-1: no owner, charterer or company may restrict the Master's safety decisions
The Master's professional judgement overrides commercial pressure
Covers safety of life at sea and protection of the marine environment

05SOLAS Chapter XV and the IP Code: Carrying Industrial PersonnelSince 1 July 2024, SOLAS Chapter XV and the IP Code set mandatory safety rules for ships carrying more than 12 industrial personnel. This guide covers who they apply to, how the Code is structured, and the timeline.

New SOLAS Chapter XV and the IP Code for carrying industrial personnel
Who counts as industrial personnel and how they differ from passengers
Application dates and what existing ships must do

Certification Glossary

Stage 03 · Safety & SOLAS

Port State Control

How coastal states enforce the conventions on visiting ships: the inspection sequence, what triggers a detailed inspection, and how deficiencies and detentions follow.

06Port State Control: How Coastal States Enforce StandardsHow Port State Control officers board foreign ships, verify certificates and crew training, record deficiencies, and detain vessels that fall below international standards.

The five-stage inspection walkthrough, from targeting to report
How PSC enforces STCW certificates and ship's certificates in practice
Clear grounds, expanded inspections, deficiencies and detention

Stage 04 · Certification Glossary

Flag States & Registries

The flag a ship flies decides which laws, inspections and labour standards apply aboard. Learn how traditional registries differ from open registries — the so-called flags of convenience — and what that means for the crew.

Flag state, open registry & compliance terms Port State Control lesson

Stage 05 · Maritime Law

Maritime Law & Cargo

The legal side of the Master's desk: coastal-state jurisdiction, the Bill of Lading as receipt, contract and document of title, how cargo claims are won or lost under the Hague-Visby Rules, and the insurance that stands behind it all.

07Jurisdiction of Coastal States over Foreign Ships and CrewA foreign ship lives under two legal systems at once: the flag state and the coastal state. Learn where coastal state power begins and ends — from internal waters to the high seas — and how to act when local authorities come on board.

UNCLOS zones: internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, EEZ and high seas
Which state's law reaches a foreign ship, and where
Interactive zone explorer and quiz

08Bills of Lading: Receipt, Contract and Document of TitleHow the Mate's Receipt becomes the Bill of Lading, why "Freight Paid" and "Clean on board" endorsements carry real risk, and how the Master delivers cargo only to its rightful owner.