Training Circular No. 31 of 2004

Subject: Guidelines - Proficiency in Survival Techniques(PST)

Maritime safety and efficiency is of utmost concern to the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), the constituted authority of the Government of India for all maritime affairs.

It was noticed that some training institutes barely met the minimum standards set by the Directorate, while other provided training facilities that were world class. In order to bring about uniformity of training, amenities and equipment provided by all, old guidelines were revised and new ones formulated. This was done by the DGS in consultation with the training institutes and employers (shipowners and manning agencies). Draft guidelines were displayed on the website of the DGS and comments invited from interested parties, regardless of the position or office held.

Meetings of interested parties were held and modification made to the draft guidelines. In keeping with Government policy, the guidelines have been made in as transparent manner as practicable. The final guidelines for Proficiency in Survival Techniques (PST) is attached herewith.

It is expected that training institutes would follow these guidelines in letter and spirit.

The above guidelines shall come into force w.e.f. 01.05.2004.

This issues with the approval of the Director General of Shipping and ex-officio Addl. Secretary to the Government of India.

Sd/-

(Naresh Salecha)

Sr.Dy. Director General of Shipping

MANDATORY GUIDELINES FOR TRAINING INSTITUTES

FOR OBTAINING APPROVAL FROM DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF SHIPPING

TO CONDUCT 

PROFICIENCY IN SURVIVAL TECHNIQUES (PST)

To avoid unnecessary repetition, reference has been made herein to DGS Order no: 1 of 2003 (Guidelines for the conduct of Pre-Sea Training courses for Merchant Navy) wherever appropriate.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. BASIC DETAILS OF THE COURSE
   1. Aims:
   2. Objectives:
   3. Application:
2. APPROVALS
3. QUALIFICATION AND ELIGIBILITY OF CANDIDATES
   1. Entry Standards:
   2. Required Attendance:
   3. Course intake limitations:
4. INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENT
5. COURSE DETAILS
6. HOLIDAYS
7. FACULTY REQUIREMENT
   1. Qualifications and experience of Course " in " charge
   2. Qualifications and experience of faculty members
   3. Visiting faculty members:
   4. Age Limit
8. FACULTY / INSTRUCTOR STRENGTH
9. COURSE DURATION
10. ASSESSMENT
11. QUALITY STANDARDS
12. INSPECTIONS
13. FEES TO GOVT.
14. Annexure 1 ' List of library books.
15. Annexure 2 ' Form of certificate

PROFICIENCY IN SURVIVAL TECHNIQUES (PST)

1. BASIC DETAILS OF THE COURSE
   1. Aims:

   This course aims to meet the mandatory minimum requirements for seafarers for familiarization, basic safety training and instruction in accordance with Section A-VI/1 of STCW Code

   2. Objectives:

   This syllabus covers the requirements for the 1995 STCW Convention and Code Chapter VI, Section A-VI/1 and META manual Vol. II, Appendix M-VI/IA. On meeting the minimum standard of competence in personal survival techniques, a trainee will be able to survive at sea in the event of ship abandonment. The trainee will be able to:

   Don a lifejacket

   Don and use an immersion suit

   Safely jump from a height into the water

   Right an inverted liferaft while wearing a lifejacket

   Swim while wearing a lifejacket

   Keep afloat without a lifejacket

   Board a survival craft from ship and water while wearing a lifejacket

   Take initial actions on boarding survival craft to enhance chance of survival

   Stream a drogue or sea-anchor

   Operate survival craft equipment

   Operate location devices, including radio equipment

   3. Application:

   These guidelines shall be applicable from 1st Dec 2004

2. QUALIFICATION AND ELIGIBILITY OF CANDIDATES
   1. Entry Standards:

   This course is principally intended as basic training for seafarers employed or engaged in any capacity on board ship as part of the ship's complement with designated safety duties in operation of the ship. There are no particular educational requirements. All trainees must be certified by a DGS approved doctor, to be in good health.

   2. Required Attendance:

   100% attendance is required for successful completion of the course. However, in exceptional circumstances, a student is allowed absence of up-to one day subject to his attending the lectures missed out during the next course at the same institute. The institute shall keep proper records of such cases.

   3. Course intake limitations:

   TThe number of students shall not exceed 24 per class.

3. INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENT

Physical requirement for classrooms, black/white boards, overhead projector, screen, notice board, study environment and teaching equipment are to be provided as per DGS Order no: 1 of 2003. Library books and equipment to include items contained in Annexure 1.

4. COURSE DETAILS

Course duration: 2.5 days

Course outline: As per Annexure 2

Detailed Teaching Syllabus: As per IMO Model Course 1.19 (Recommended)

5. HOLIDAYS

Sundays shall be holidays.

Independence Day and Republic Day shall be compulsory holidays.

Students shall normally enjoy the holidays observed by the Govt of the state in which the institute is located.

6. FACULTY REQUIREMENT
   1. Qualifications and experience of course in charge

      Certificate of competency as Master (FG), issued or recognised by the Government of India.

      And

      5 years service on Merchant ships of which at least one year should have been in the rank of Master

      Or

      In lieu of aforesaid command experience, One year experience as Chief Officer and one year experience as regular (full time) faculty member in ROSC, APRA Course, RANSCO, SMS Course, Pre-Sea Cadet degree course or Competency Courses

   2. Qualifications and experience of faculty members

   Certificate of competency as Master (FG), issued or recognised by the Government of India.

   and

   At least 5 years service on Merchant ships of which at least one year should have been at management level.

   3. Qualification and experience of instructors

   Held a rank not lower that Petty Officer in the Indian Navy or Bosun (Serang) on a merchant ship.

   Ex-Navy instructor for Seamanship must have Seamanship Instructors qualifications.

   Instructors already in employment of DGS-approved pre-sea training institutes for three years or more on the date these guidelines may continue to teach the same subjects/topic even if they do not possess the above qualifications.

   4. Training of Trainers & Assessors Course:

   DGS Order no: 1 of 2003.

7. Visiting faculty members:

Qualifications and experience of visiting faculty members should be the same as that of regular faculty as specified above.

8. Age limit for regular faculty members:

As per DGS Order no: 1 of 2003.

9. FACULTY STRENGTH

Not less than one Master Mariners (inclusive of the course-in-charge) and one instructor.

A minimum of 50% of the entire portion must be covered by regular faculty.

10. COURSE DURATION

A total of 15 hours of lectures, including practical training and assessment.

11. ASSESSMENT

A written test would be carried out at the end of each course.

12. QUALITY STANDARDS

As per DGS Order no: 1 of 2003.

13. COST OF INSPECTIONS

As per DGS Order no: 1 of 2003 and as per Training Circular No.28 of 2004 dated 11.10.2004.

14. FEES TO GOVT.

As per DGS Order no: 1 of 2003.

ANNEXURE '1

TEACHING AIDS

Equipment

Audiovisual aids: video cassette player, TV, slide projector, overhead projector, etc.Photographs, models, or other representations of various vessels and vessel parts to illustrate operational elements.

The practical lessons require access to water, i.e a swimming pool, a lake or the sea. The following items of equipment are required:

24 lifejackets

5 inflatable lifejackets

2 lifebuoys

2 twenty-persons inflatable liferafts for wet drills

1 SART operating on 9 GHz frequency

2 Immersion suits

Complete set of liferaft equipment

Complete set of lifeboat equipment

emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) operating on 460 MHz Safety / first aid equipment comprising

Video cassette(s) on following subjects related to ships:

1. SOLAS Chapter III Part 1- Preparing for Abandonment
2. SOLAS Chapter III Part 2- Abandonment by Lifeboat
3. SOLAS Chapter III Part 3 - Abandonment by liferaft
4. SOLAS Chapter III Part 4 - Techniques of Survival
5. SOLAS Chapter III Part 5 - SOLAS Amendments

Cold Water Casualty

6. Man Over board

Publications recommended10

T1 Bo, Olav, Basic Safety Course : Sea Safety and Survival, Oslo: Norwegian University Press, 1987. (ISBN 82 00 432122).

T2 Wright, C.H. Survival at Sea : the Lifeboat and Life raft. Liverpool : the James Laver Printing Co. Ltd., 1986 (ISBN 085174 5407)

IMO/ILO references (R) (mandatory)

R1 The International Convention Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping for Seafarers, 1995 (STCW 1995), 1998 edition (IMO Sales No. 938E)

R2 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 (SOLAS 1974), as amended (IMO Sales No.110E)

R3 Merchant Ship Search and Rescue Manual (MERSAR) (IMO Sales No. 963E)

R4 A Pocket Guide to Cold Water Survival (IMO Sales No. 946E)

R5 IMO Life Saving Appliances Code (LSA code) (IMO Sales No. 982)

R6 LSA symbols ' Poster (IMO Sales NO.: 981E)

Annexure II

COURSE OUTLINE

lProficiency in Survival Techniques (PST) Course

Duration: 2.5 working days

Total hours: 15 hours

Sr. No	Topic	Methods of teaching	Duration
1	Introduction Safety & Survival Safety Guidance Principles of Survival at sea Definitions, survival craft and appliances   SOLAS Training manual Safety Symbols	Lecture / Presentation	0.75 Hours
2	Emergency situations Types of emergencies Precautions Fire Provisions Foundering Crew expertise and initial familiarisation Muster List and emergency signals Crew and emergency instructions Extra equipment and survival Abandon ship - complications	Lecture / Presentation;	1.5 Hour
3	Evacuation Abandoning ship ' last resort Personal preparation for abandoning ship Need to prevent panic Crew duties to passengers Crew duties ' launching survival craft Master's orders to abandon ship Means of Survival	Lecture / Presentation;	0.75 Hours
4	Survival Craft and Rescue boats Lifeboats Liferafts Rescue boats	Lecture/ Presentation/ Workshop/ Exercises	2.0 Hours
5	Personal Life-saving appliances Lifebuoys Lifejackets Immersion suits/anti-exposure suit Thermal Protective aids	Lecture/ Demonstration of Equipments	0.75 Hours
6	Personal Life-saving appliances (Demonstrations) Lifebuoys Lifejackets Inflatable lifejackets Immersion suits or anti-exposure suit Thermal protective aids Personal survival without a lifejacket Boarding survival craft	Lecture/ Presentation/ Workshop/ Exercises	3.75 Hour
7	Survival at sea Dangers to survivors Best use of survival craft facilities	Lecture/ Presentation/ Workshop/ Exercises	0.50 Hours
8	Emergency radio equipment (Lecture and Demonstrations) Portable radio apparatus for survival craft Emergency position-indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) Search and Rescue transponders (SARTs)	Lecture/ Presentation/ Workshop/ Exercises	2.0 Hours
9	Helocopter assistance Communicating with the helicopter Evacuation from ship and survival craft Helicopter pick-up Correct use of helicopter harness	Lecture/ Presentation/ Exercises/ Contingency plans for various security related emergencies	1.5 Hours
TOTAL			15.0 Hours