The Importance of Competencies for Seafarers

Exploring Competencies and Their Impact on Seafarers

As someone working in a seafarer job, your ability to perform your job safely and competently at all times - even when under pressure - is essential. Working at sea, no two days are the same and there are a number of factors that can play a huge part in how your day plays out.

You may be working in difficult weather conditions. The sea may be rolling and rough. And,  depending on your rank and role, you might be working with dangerous or complex machinery or systems. Put simply, there are any number of challenges you will need to be prepared to meet.

Which is why the only way that you, as a seafarer, can possibly be prepared for anything your vessel or the elements has to throw at you is through training and education.

After all, professionalism and safety is paramount on a vessel and knowing how to act in every possible situation to ensure your safety, that of your fellow crew members, the cargo, and the vessel is key.

And that is where competencies for seafarers come into the picture.

The Importance of Competencies for Seafarers

First of all, what does ‘competent’ actually mean? 

The dictionary describes competent as “Having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully.”

And whether you are an officer of the watch, a bosun, a chief engineer or a deck cadet you need that ‘necessary ability, knowledge, or skill’ to perform your tasks onboard to the highest standard. 

However, we know that, unfortunately, accidents can, and do, happen - in every workplace, not just the maritime industry. And like it or not, the majority of accidents happen because of human error - whether they’re on board a container ship or in a factory. 

And, if you’re a seafarer, you don’t need us to tell you that accidents that happen at sea can have catastrophic consequences.

Therefore, maritime training is something that needs to be taken very seriously. After all, you can never have too much education!

What Are Seafarer Competencies?

As you likely know, if you want to get ahead in your maritime career, the more skills and knowledge you have, the better. 

In the shipping industry competency assessments are used to validate the skills and knowledge that you hold as a seafarer for the vital role you have to play onboard your vessel. 

So what are the competencies of a seafarer? Let’s take one rank as an example.

Let’s say, for the purpose of this article, that you’re an able bodied seaman. That means that you should have a sound knowledge of seamanship and your competencies will include medical first aid (including CPR), lifesaving and firefighting. With that comes knowing how to use firefighting and safety equipment.

And talking of equipment, in our example of an AB role, you will also need to be able to confidently undertake general maintenance on the deck and have an understanding of the workings, operation and repair/maintenance of any equipment that you need to use on your vessel.

You will also be called upon to understand the principles and procedures that enable you to perform different tasks within your remit as well as being expected to be well versed in cargo operations.

How to Add to Your Seafarer Skill Set

No matter what seafarer rank you are, if you want to ensure your career at sea goes from strength to strength it is imperative that you continue to build on your skill set and knowledge base.

And one way you can do this is by adding to the knowledge you gained at maritime academy and at sea.

For example, could gaining basic skills in the High Precision Acoustic Positioning system (HiPAP) elevate your career? Or would knowing more about how to calculate quantities of grain cargo help you gain your Chief Mate’s license? 

And even if you’re a Captain or Chief Officer who has already covered grain stability in the past, you might find that our course gives you that timely refresher that we all need now and again when we’ve been doing the same job for a while!
There are only so many jobs on ships to go round - and a lot of seafarers, with more coming up through the maritime academies every semester. So if you understand that training is the way forward in your career, why not take a look at our accessible and affordable online seafarer training courses and further your employment opportunities today.