We’re dumbfounded. The 2011 edition of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), including the 2010 Manila Amendments Code, is being retailed in Manila for a whopping £73 equivalent (US$115). One can order it from IMO London for £40 (US$63). But that’s still plenty of money for a book of 350-plus pages that comes in cheap spiral binding, not hardbound. Just as disconcerting to us is that the obra maestra is copyrighted to IMO, so one can’t freely download it from the internet in digital format.
We get the point that the STCW print edition can’t be given away for free. The publisher, after all, has to recover the cost of printing and distributing the material with some margin of profit. Even the Christian bookstores earn from selling copies of the Bible. Why deny the IMO and its agents the same privilege in the case of the STCW? What’s beyond our comprehension is IMO holding the copyright to something that really embodies the collective intellectual effort of individual member states. This is akin to copyrighting the traffic regulations and asking motorists to buy the book so they’ll know what rules govern the road and their driving. Or the United States of America copyrighting its Constitution, copies of which Americans will then need to buy from the bookstore so they’ll all be law-abiding citizens. No free downloads, folks.
Apparently because of the copyright issue, it’s nearly impossible to find the full text of the updated STCW in the internet – except as an e-book that one needs to purchase. There was a time when the US Coast Guard had the pre-2010 version in its website. It was presented in sections but everything was there. The USCG-posted document appears to have vanished into thin air. Recently we found the STCW in a little-known website based on Faroe Islands but it was the text of the old (1995) Convention. Whether the IMO admits it or not, it’s making it difficult for seafarers to have access to that one document that governs their profession and affects their lives. It is also bolstering the impression that the IMO is a business-driven organisation, which is just as lamentable. ~Barista Uno
Exactly my point when I was given an opportunity to speak during the Lloyd’s Manning and Training Conference at Sofitel (Hotel) last November.
I said that since the industry is already spending a lot in order to increase quality and competency of seafarers, why not make these publications available and downloadable on the net. It will be paid more than its costs by making our seas safer and cleaner.
Of course it’s free availability does not mean everybody will read it. But for those who need it most it may mean the difference between a vessel aground, vessels in collision and vessels on incident-free and successful voyages and operations.
Absolutely concur with Barista’s points.
I don’t offer a solution, but solace. The Marine Society is the world’s oldest charity serving seafarers. It happens to be housed around the corner from IMO in London, and is a registered distributor of all IMO publications.
Why not fulfil your publication needs by buying from Marine Society?
That way the charity gets to make a surplus on the sale which it ploughs into support for its charitable objects.
We can supply any book, in any format. We can even offer discounts on bulk purchases. Ask us to quote!
http://tinyurl.com/84bnq35
Nice post and thank you – greetings from Berita Kapal, salam Pelaut Batam, Indonesia.
The STCW (something to cause worry)…In the Philippines, there is already a rumor going around that with the Manila amendments, all trainings taken after 5 years the seafarers will be required to renew their training certificates by retraining again otherwise they will not be issued C.O.C. And sad to know that there are confusions again going on because many are already complaining why they have to retrain again the (basic safety training) if their sea service are continuous. Which is the best laboratory, the real ship or the blackboard ship?? On board the ship, we are continuously doing this safety drills as per vessel’s SMS and also being inspected/audited by PSC, vetting inspectors,and other third parties.
Where in STCW regulations states that the all seafarers has to retrain their basic safety training (Regulation VI) after 5 years??? Your comments on this please!!!
Fully subscribe to the points mentioned. Whilst indeed one has to recover the cost of production, printing and distribution along with some margins, somewhere along the way they seem to have lost focus of their mandate, to spread the word to all seafarers across the globe through the most accessible way
The copyright issue is the kicker here, it sends a message to all that “This required reading material only comes from me and me alone”
Why not try the auto industry business model wherein different parts are outsourced and even shipped to a designated point wherein it is assembled and sold in that particular location? Surely quality wise, there are many countries that can accomplish this at lesser production cost.
This will mind you drive down the proliferation of the pirated copies
I just bought STCW10 on the Marine Society site for L 40, or about $60. Cheaper than a college textbook or a professional reference book. The spiral binding is to make page changes ‘idiot proof’ so we can keep the pub updated (no more pen & ink/cut & paste changes).