Maritime Safety Committee – 74th session: 30 May – 8 June 2001 

A position on the White List entitles other Parties to the STCW Convention to accept, in principle, that certificates issued by or on behalf of the parties on the list are in compliance with the revised STCW (the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) as amended, which entered into force on 1 February 1997. The amended Convention sets out clearly defined minimum competency requirements for all seafarers and takes into account developments in technology since the original 1978 Convention was adopted.

The new White List is contained in an MSC Circular, which notes that, as the process of communicating and evaluating information is continuing, further Parties may be added to the list at annex at its subsequent meetings. For most countries, preparation of the submissions to the Secretary-General represents a demanding and challenging task requiring not only reporting on national laws, training requirements, standards and systems in place, but also ensuring that all of those elements met the revised Convention requirements and could pass the scrutiny of persons with detailed knowledge  of those requirements. 

A flag State Party that is on the White List may, as a matter of policy, elect not to accept seafarers with certificates issued by non White List countries for service on its ships. If it does accept such seafarers, they will be required by 1 February 2002 also to have an endorsement, issued by the flag State, to show that their certificate is recognized by the flag State. By 1 February 2002, masters and officers should hold STCW 95 certificates or endorsements issued by the flag State. Certificates issued and endorsed under the provisions of the 1978 STCW Convention will be valid until their expiry date.

Parties included on the “White List” at 8 June 2001

* Includes:  Faeroe Islands
** Includes:  Isle of Man, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar
*** Associate Member