The Human Element in the work of the IMO

There is also the STCW-F Convention for fishing vessel personnel, which unfortunately is not yet in force due to lack of sufficient ratifications – but this has not stopped IMO from holding a series of
regional familiarization seminars around the world and developing a number of model courses for fishing vessel personnel, which are nearing completion. Meanwhile, IMO’s Maritime Safety
Committee (MSC) agreed at its 81st session in May 2006 that a comprehensive review of the STCW Convention and STCW Code is needed, in order to ensure that the Convention meets the new challenges facing the shipping industry including, but not limited to, rapid technological
advances today and in the future. The MSC instructed the Sub-Committee on Standards of Training and Watchkeeping (STW) to define, as a first step, the issues to be reviewed and advise the MSC
accordingly, before embarking on the actual work. The target completion date is 2008.