Chart Your Course
Bahamas, Liberia or NL/EU? Pick the right Security Awareness course in 5 minutes
Three approvals, one mandatory course. Here’s which certificate travels with which flag, and how to choose before you pay.
The Logbook
News, know-how and good reads for life at sea.
Course guides, flag state updates and crew stories. Short enough for a coffee break on watch, light enough for a satellite connection.
Latest from the Logbook
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Chart Your Course
Chart Your Course
Bahamas, Liberia or NL/EU? Pick the right Security Awareness course in 5 minutes
Three approvals, one mandatory course. Here’s which certificate travels with which flag, and how to choose before you pay.
Monthly
Flag Watch
We read the circulars, so you don’t have to.
Every month, our team turns flag state notices into three plain-English lines: what changed, what it means, and what to do next.
This month’s watch
November 2026
Bahamas
- What changed
- No new crew notices since the updated fee schedule.
- What it means
- Paper SIRBs stay valid.
- What to do
- Nothing for now.
Liberia
- What changed
- At the IMO Council on 3 November, Liberia called for better protection of seafarers in conflict zones.
- What it means
- Nothing changes for your certificates, but crews heading to the Red Sea, Gulf or Black Sea still face the highest risk.
- What to do
- Nothing for now.
Panama
- What changed
- No new seafarer circulars this month.
- What it means
- Paper CoCs issued before 1 April stay valid until they expire.
- What to do
- Nothing for now. Keep the original, paper or electronic, available on board.
Netherlands / EU
- What changed
- The European Commission has drafted an EU proposal to the IMO that would let simulator training count toward up to 3 months of required sea service.
- What it means
- This is a proposal only. It goes to the IMO by 20 November and will be discussed in February 2027, so the Dutch and EU rules don’t change yet.
- What to do
- Nothing for now.
Malta
- What changed
- From 1 January 2028, crew who rig or maintain pilot ladders need onboard familiarisation.
- What it means
- This affects deck crew on Maltese ships. Certificates don’t change.
- What to do
- Nothing for now. Expect your company to add the familiarisation before 2028.
MCA (UK)
Read all Flag Watch updates
- What changed
- The guidance for crews affected by the Middle East conflict (MIN 732) was extended to 30 November 2026.
- What it means
- eafarers on UK ships can still extend their employment agreement or choose repatriation before entering a war zone.
- What to do
- Watch for whether it gets extended past 30 November.
The Mess Room
Off watch? Pull up a chair.
Sea Lingo of the week
Dog watch
noun
/dɒɡ wɒtʃ/
The two short watches from 16:00 to 18:00 and 18:00 to 20:00. Splitting one four-hour watch in two means the rota shifts each day, so nobody is stuck with the same graveyard shift forever.
60 second course finder
Not sure which course you need?
Answer three questions about your experience and industry (yachting, shipping, cruise, ferry or offshore) and we’ll point you to the right course.
Did you know?
The 2010 conference in Manila that updated the STCW Convention also created the Day of the Seafarer, which has been celebrated every year on 25 June since 2011 to recognise the people who carry around 80% of world trade by sea.
Ask the Captain
Your questions, answered straight.
“I just passed my assessment. How do I actually get my certificate?”
Good news: it’s waiting for you. You’ll get a download link right away, and you can reprint it as often as you like. Need a signed and stamped original for your crewing agent? You can order a hard copy by mail.
Asked by a deckhand, somewhere in the Med