A discussion on the implementation of the Polar Code and the STCW Convention’s training requirements for ice navigation in polar waters

In 2017, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) implemented the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code), with mandatory requirements covering the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. In this conjunction, the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) were amended in 2018. New training requirements were made applicable for dedicated personnel in charge of a navigational watch on ships with a Polar Ship Certificate (PSC) operating in polar waters. In association with the new training requirements amending the STCW Convention, the IMO, and Transport Canada (flag state authority) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2017, for Canada to develop and deliver four regional capacity-building “train-the-trainer” workshops. The objectives of these events were to assist maritime education and training (MET) institutes in enhancing the skills and competence of instructors, to develop competence-based STCW training programs, for dedicated personnel on ships operating in polar waters. This paper examines the first workshop conducted in Canada (2019), to understand the mechanisms in the interaction taking place between the IMO and the Canadian workshop developers and instructors, using the System Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP). Individual expert interviews are performed, with the main contributors directly involved in developing and conducting the workshop, to evaluate the event’s contribution to improving and specifying the STCW Convention’s training requirements, as referenced in the Polar Code, for seafarers operating in polar waters.