To get employment seafarers must comply with the qualification requirements as set out by international regulations. Without certification and evidence of the required competencies working on board ships is not possible. Vocational training and the lifelong acquisition of skills for the maritime sector is governed by standards worldwide – all must demonstrate the competences against exactly the same common rules: the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Convention, 1995.
“The use of fraudulent certificates of competency has the potential not only to endanger the safety of life at sea but also cause severe damage to the marine environment and undermining the standing of the nautical profession.” 1
This quote reveals a global problem of unlawful practices associated with certificates and documents for seafarers (SIRC 01/2001, MSC 74th session 06/2001, MORI 1998) and is set to undermine the confidence in the training provided by Maritime Academies in Europe. Evaluation of the situation shows that fraudulent certificates in the maritime sector are an increasing threat to maritime safety in general and the recognition process of third party certificates in particular.
The widespread distribution of false documents not only jeopardises the national and, more important, international trust in the transparency of seafarersī vocational qualification certificates, but will ultimately endanger international trade, the environment and freedom of employment. Nearly one in ten seaman worldwide was exposed at one time to fraudulent certificates. This is not only a national problem but is pan European as the majority of the seamen are not embarking on ships flying the flag of seamen’sī country of origin but any flag connected with shipping.
Although all original certificates and licences are issued by the respective national seafarersī administration, vesselsī flag-states require their own official certificates / endorsements to serve onboard ships flying their share. Transparency is absolutely crucial to enable such transfer of qualifications and competences among countries and all personnel connected with the issuance have to be aware and trained accordingly to determine whether a certificate is genuine or not.
The dimension of the problem urges measures to re-ascertain the trust in endorsed certificates and thus in the existence of vocational training and competence the holder of a licence has undergone. On the level of the European Union the Copenhagen Declaration adopted in 2002 also pinpoints the necessity of an increased European co-operation in VET with the aim to improve the quality and transparency of VET especially on a regional level.
1 Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee 52004AE1633, Brussels, 15 December 2004
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