International Journal

on Marine Navigation

and Safety of Sea Transportation

Volume 2

Number 1

March 2008

105

Examining and Promoting Chinese Seafarer

Education and Training

Junzhong Bao

Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, China

Mingqiang Xu

Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, Shanghai, China

ABSTRACT: China has potential to become a seafarer supply country for international labour market. The

qualification and competency of Chinese seafarers is essential for the relief of the shortage of worldwide

officer crew and to reduce human-related sea accidents, to ensure maritime safety and protect marine

environment. Chinese seafarer education and training system takes an important role in training Chinese

seafarers to be qualified and competent. It is necessary to highlight how the system functions. This paper is

going to introduce Chinese MET systems, Seafarer MET Academies, Practice of seafarer MET, Quality

Management of Chinese seafarer MET, Continuing Training for Chinese Seafarers in order to promote the

national and international communication and cooperation in the shipping industry.

1 INTRODUCTION

As a Party to International Convention on Standards

of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for

Seafarers, 1978(hereafter referred to STCW

Convention), China has formulated a set of complete

legislation systems in terms of seafarer education,

training, examination, assessment and certification,

by which the STCW Convention has been fully,

sufficiently and effectively implemented. China was

among the first nations listed in the IMO’s “White

List”.

The BIMCO/ISF manpower 2005 update

provided a more encouraging picture than that

projected in the 2000 study with the calculated

shortage of officers being estimated at around 2%,

reportedly due to increased levels of training in the

Asian region. Currently, China has a total of about

400,000 seafarers, among whom 135,000 are

officer

. Enrollment of nautical and marine

Statistics included in this Paper ends in August 2005 and does

not apply to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Areas.

engineering programs in 2005 amounts to 11230

students for maritime colleges and universities and

1460 for secondary technical schools in 2005. More

than 7,000 cadets graduate from Chinese maritime

academies every year.

China is becoming a potential seafarer supply

country and the qualification and competency of

Chinese seafarers is essential for the relief of the

shortage of worldwide officer crew as well as to

reduce human-related sea accidents and to ensure

maritime safety and protect marine environment. Itis

necessary to highlight Chinese seafarer education

and training in order to promote the national and

international communication and cooperation in the

shipping industry. To achieve this objective, Chinese

MET systems, Seafarer MET Academies, Practice

of seafarer MET, Quality Management of Chinese

seafarer MET, Continuing Training for Chinese

Seafarers are discussed.

106

2 CHINESE MET SYSTEMS

2.1 Administrative System for China’s

maritime MET

Maritime academies in China are under sponsorship

of the Ministry of Education, the ministry of

communications, local governments or enterprises,

for example, Dalian Maritime University is under

sponsorship of the Ministry of Communication,

while Wuhan University of Technology is fund by

the Ministry of Education, Shanghai Maritime

University is sponsored by Shanghai (local)

governments and Qingdao Ocean Shipping Seafarers

College is a Shipping Company owned MET

academy. The educational administrative authority

controls the academic education management while

maritime administrative authority is in charge of the

seafarer trainings in MET academies, supervising the

implementation of related of maritime education and

training rules and regulations in these MET

academies. The State offers support to maritime

education with

governmental

funding,

offering

tuition fee concession for nautical and maritime

engineering students. Although a few maritime

vocational and technical schools belong to large

shipping companies, the qualification and quality

issues are administrated by competent educational

authority and the Ministry of Communications.

2.2 Parallel standards of met

The MET in China is conducted in Maritime

Academies under the direct control of the Ministry

of Education. Graduates will be awarded Certificates

as well as Degrees if they meet National Advanced

Education and Graduation Standards adopted by the

Ministry of Education. On the other hand, Graduates

should meet the Standards for seafarers’ MET

approved by the Competent Authority. That is the

primary conditions for graduates from maritime

academies to be allowed to take part in National

Examination for Seafarers’ Competent of Certificates.

However, Seafarer Training Institutes are solely

administrated by the competent authority. Chinese

seafarer MET academies and training centers should

meet the following requirements:

1 Training facilities and appliances should meet

technical standards and functions required by the

competent authority.

2 Teaching plans, curricula and teaching materials

should comply with the relevant regulations

required by the competent authority.

3 Teaching staff should have appropriate academic

degrees, sea service experience, expertise and

practical experience required by the competent

authority. Teachers for training should be fully

competent for corresponding training programs.

4 The staff, facilities and equipment for various

training programs should meet the minimum

standards required by the competent authority.

3 SEAFARER MET ACADEMIES

Chinese MET includes undergraduate, college, and

vocational, secondary and secondary vocational

maritime education. Chinese seafarer MET academies

are capable of conducting all training programs

stipulated by STCW Convention.

Most of 75 seafarer MET organizations in China,

including 8 maritime universities, 14 maritime

academies, 3 secondary technical schools, and 50

training centers are located in or near coastal areas in

Mainland China.

China has a team of devoted teaching staff with

solid theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

Currently, the total number of teachers engaged in

maritime education and seafarer training in maritime

colleges and universities amounts to 1,726, 737 of

whom are professors or associate professors, 910

lecturers, 79 teaching assistants and 784 holds

captain’s or officer's CoCs. Teachers of training

academies meet the qualification requirements of

competent authority regarding academic degree,

seagoing experience.

Table 1. Enrolment of nautical and marine engineering

programs per year

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004

Enrolment Per Year

4-year Degree

Program

3-year Non-degree

Program (Including

higher vocational)

3-year Technical

School

Fig. 1. Enrolment of nautical and marine engineering programs

for a decade

107

4 PRACTICE OF SEAFARER MET

IMO’s Model Courses are well referred to during the

implementation of Chinese MET. Total 44 Model

Courses have been or about to be published in

Chinese Version. Curriculums of Training Programs,

Teaching Plans and Training Outlines, Textbooks,

Practicum in Chinese MET organizations are

produced in accordance with respective Model

Courses. Entry conditions are set for students as the

same as that for other national advanced education.

4.1 Entry conditions

Applicants for maritime education should firstly pass

the national entrance examinations for tertiary or

secondary education. The qualification required by

entrance examinations of higher education is: the

applicant should finish nine-year compulsory

education and three years’ high school education;

that for three-years technical secondary schools is:

the applicant should finish nine years’ compulsory

education. Moreover, the physical condition of the

applicant should meet physical standards of seafarers.

Students in a seafarer training program should

meet related requirements of the specific training

regarding age, physical condition, sea service

experience, education etc.

4.2 Teaching Plans and Training Outlines

In accordance with the STCW Convention,

China has amended comprehensively the academic

program guidelines of maritime education, which

have been effectively implemented in maritime

academies. The modified guidelines set priority on

new technology application, English competence,

practical skills, professionalism, safety and

environmental protection awareness, maritime

legislations etc.

According to STCW Convention and national

maritime regulations, the competent authority

uniformly established assessment outlines of

examinations of competency for seafarers, as well as

professional and special training outlines, unifying

standards of competency examinations and

professional training for Chinese seafarers, ensuring

Chinese MET to meet requirements of STCW

Convention.

Students in Chinese maritime academies should

complete all theoretical and practical courses

stipulated by the academic program during school

years, sit for examinations for regulated seafarer

professional training certificates before graduation,

and pass exmination and assessment for seafarer

competency.

4.3 Textbooks

Putting great importance to textbook construction on

MET and in compliance with requirements of

STCW Convention, Chinese competent authority

constituted outlines of assessment, professional and

special training for seafarer competency examina-

tions, and compiled uniform textbooks for maritime

education, professional and special training courses.

The textbooks meet requirements of modern

maritime technology and management, as well as the

needs of Chinese seafarer MET.

Chinese textbooks on MET are compiled for

cultivating seafarers with compound skills, solid

base and practicability. With superior pertinence and

applicability, the current textbooks cover modern

maritime technologies and advanced management

ideals, providing a complete knowledge system for

the improvement of seafarer competency.

4.4 Practicum

Strictly following provisions stipulated by

assessment outlines for seafarer competency

examination, professional and special training,

Chinese maritime academies and training centers

extensively utilize real or advanced simulated

maritime instruments or onboard facilities for

practical MET. Students undergoing maritime

education should finish at least 16 weeks’ onboard

training and professional training stipulated by the

competent authority. Besides, students in maritime

academies should also finish 19 weeks’ assessment

and technical training for seafarer competency.

Chinese maritime academies possess 11 special

training vessels. Meanwhile, school-business coope-

ration provides sufficient training ships for seagoing

probations. Besides comprehensive laboratories and

training bases, Chinese seafarer MET academies are

equipped with various real and simulated ship

facilities for training and assessment, such as ship

propulsion facilities, cargo handling simulators,

tanker training simulators etc. Currently, maritime

colleges and universities own 19 sets of ship handling

simulators, 38 sets of GMDSS simulators, 42 Radar

simulators, 18 marine engineering simulators and 22

marine power plant simulators.

Maritime academies attach great importance to

maritime practical training. Besides various training

in laboratories and simulators onshore, students

should also undergo practical training for a certain

period of time onboard ships as required by

108

Guidance for Programs of Chinese MET, which is

approved by the Competent Authority. The required

practical training weeks are listed in Table2-1 and

Table 2-2 for undergraduate and college level

respectively.

Table 2-1. Student Practical Training Time for maritime

undergraduates

Specialty

Practical

training (week)

Onboard practice

(week)

Nautical

technology

21 weeks

No less than 22

weeks

Marine

engineering

19.5 weeks

No less than 22

weeks

Table 2-2. Student Practical Training Time for maritime

colleges

(College)

Specialty

Practical training

(week)

On board practice

(week)

Nautical

technology

22 weeks 16 weeks

Marine

engineering

19 weeks 16 weeks

4.5 Student administration

Chinese maritime academies carry out military or

quasi-military management for maritime cadets, and

nurture students’ professional characteristics of

being calm, courageous, resolute and ready to serve,

aiming at enabling students to obtain superior

systematical and disciplinary sense as well as the

ability to handle affairs and meet emergencies.

5 QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF CHINESE

SEAFARER MET

5.1 Quality control

Quality Control Regulations of Seafarer MET,

China, established by the competent authority,

stipulate

that

seafarer MET

organizations must

constitute and execute quality systems, pass audit of

Maritime Safety Administrations authorized by the

competent authority and conduct MET regulated by

STCW Convention after obtaining the quality

system certificate issued by the competent authority.

At present, in compliance with the said provisions,

Chinese various seafarer MET organizations have

constituted and executed quality systems, passed

auditing as well as obtained quality system

certificates of the competent authority.

5.2 Supervision and Inspection of MET Quality

The whole process of academic program constitu-

tion, student admission, student administration,

academic program execution, facility installation and

utilization for Chinese seafarer training should all

undergo the supervision and inspection of seafarer

examination, training and certification institutions.

Maritime education is conducted in accordance

with national education standards, under the

supervision and management of the competent

authority. Contents and teaching activities of

competency examination assessment, professional

and special training outlines conducted by maritime

education are monitored and guided by the

competent authority.

6 CONTINUING TRAINING FOR CHINESE

SEAFARERS

The competent authority requires seafarers to receive

upgrading training so as to maintain their

professional competency. The 2

officers, the 3

engineers, and the 4

engineers must

attend required on-board training programs after

passing the examination and assessment of

competency. The Masters and Chief engineers must

complete required on-board training program.

Seafarers must attend knowledge updating training

programs to revalidate their CoCs. The knowledge

upgrading training is mandatory even when the

certificate of seafarer special training is valid.

The competent authority also stipulates that the

company should be responsible for the knowledge

upgrading training of the employed seafarers and

should keep records.

Seafarers’ on-board training should be organized

by shipping companies, which are also responsible

for making on-board training programs, designating

training supervisors and teachers. The trainees must

complete on-board training indicated in the On-

board Training Record Book under the supervision

of teachers and supervisors. The Master or Chief

Engineer should sign on the on-board training

remarks. The on-board training will be supervised

and managed by examination and certification

institutions.

7 CONCLUSION

Equipped with sufficient and advanced seafarer

MET facilities as well as high quality teaching staff,

Chinese MET academies have established effective

control mechanism to conduct seafarer MET in strict

accordance with the state seafarer MET criteria

and the needs of shipping industry. The standards

of Chinese seafarer MET comply with requirements

of national laws and regulations.

109

The entire process of Chinese seafarer education

and training is conducted under consecutive

supervision and control of quality system, in order to

make sure quality standards of Chinese seafarer

education, training, examination, assessment and

certification are met.

Chinese seafarers possess superior quality and

strong competency. Chinese seafarer certificates

enjoy sound worldwide reputation. Chinese seafarers

are well accepted by international shipping

companies. Currently, more than ten countries

and regions including Holland, Norway, Singapore

etc. have signed agreements with the Chinese

government recognizing Chinese seafarers’ certificate

of competency.

With unceasing emphasis on seafarer education

and training, China will take more effective efforts

to improve seafarers’ all-round quality, especially

the required competency of STCW Convention

and will continuously strive to realize the goal

of “Safe, Secure and Efficient Shipping on Clean

Oceans”.

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International Maritime Organization (IMO), STCW Convention

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IMO, STW 37/WP.6-Draft Report to the Maritime Safety

Committee, London: Author, 2006.

China Maritime Safety Administration, Chinese Seafarers

Examination, Assessment and Certification. Dalian: Author,

2006.

Morrison, W.S.G, Competent Crews=Safer Ships: An aid to

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Wu B. Participation in global labour market: experience and

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