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STCW 2026: Harassment & Bullying Training Is Now Mandatory

From 1 January 2026, everyone taking STCW Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR) training must cover a new mandatory competence: preventing and responding to violence and harassment. Here is exactly what changed — and what it means for your next test.

If you are a cadet, a rating, or already an officer, this one touches you directly. Harassment and bullying at sea stopped being only an HR topic and became a mandatory part of the STCW syllabus. And because it is now in the syllabus, it shows up in the tests you take to keep your certificate current.

Let’s cut through the noise and look at what actually changed — with the source, not a rumour.

What exactly changed

On 1 January 2026, amendments to the STCW Code adopted by the IMO entered into force. The change sits in STCW Table A-VI/1-4 — the table that defines what PSSR training must deliver — and it was adopted through IMO Resolution MSC.560(108).

The new competence, in the wording the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency uses to explain it:

“Contribute to the prevention of and response to violence and harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault.”

In plain terms: PSSR is no longer just about surviving a fire, abandoning ship, or staying safe on deck. It now has to teach a seafarer how to recognise harassment, respond to it, and report it — and every approved PSSR course has to build that into its content.

If you have heard a number floating around — a resolution code, a table number — this is the one to remember: MSC.560(108), STCW Table A-VI/1-4, effective 1 January 2026.

Who actually has to do it — and the myth to ignore

This is where a lot of the online chatter gets it wrong.

The new requirement applies only to seafarers undertaking PSSR training on or after 1 January 2026. That means:

  • New seafarers going through basic safety training — this is now part of what you are taught and assessed on.
  • Existing seafarers who already hold a valid PSSR certificate — you are not required to redo PSSR, and your certificate does not need to be reissued. MCA-approved PSSR certificates remain valid indefinitely.

The myth: “Everyone has to retake PSSR to renew their certificate.” That is not what the amendment says. If you already hold a valid PSSR certificate, you do not have to complete additional training to meet these amendments.

The honest caveat: a company, or the flag state of the vessel you sail on, can adopt a stricter approach and ask you to demonstrate compliance with MSC.560(108) — in some cases even retake PSSR. So if you are job-hunting or about to join, confirm the expectations with the employer or the flag. But that is a per-company decision, not a blanket worldwide rule — and it is not grounds for a “you must redo your PSSR” headline.

What the new competence actually covers

The amendment splits into two halves — prevention and response — and the knowledge, understanding and proficiency behind them are worth knowing, because this is exactly the material quizzes draw from.

Prevention:

  • Basic knowledge and understanding of what violence and harassment are.
  • The consequences of harassment and bullying — for the individual and for the ship’s working environment.
  • The contributing factors: abuse of power relations, discrimination, stress, isolation, fatigue, drugs, or alcohol.
  • The ability to recognise the signs and identify harassment when it happens.

Response:

  • The actions to intervene and to report.
  • The basic principles of a trauma-informed response — how to respond to someone who has been affected without making things worse.

That list is not filler. It is a decent map of the questions you will meet in a harassment-and-bullying test: the definition, the warning signs, the contributing factors, the reporting route, and how to treat the person affected.

What this means for your test

If you prepare with MaritimeTest, this material is already in the bank. The closest match to the new PSSR competence — and the best place to start — is the Harassment and Bullying test (CBT), 33 questions.

Around it, three more cover the same ground from different angles:

Every one of these opens its first questions for free — you can check your gaps before you decide anything.

How to prepare

The topic is more common-sense than the engine room, but the wording in tests is where people trip up. Here is a short sequence:

  1. Start with the CBT Harassment and Bullying set. Run it and note which types and warning signs you have to think about twice.
  2. Cover the prevention half with the Prevention test — especially the contributing factors (power relations, discrimination, stress, isolation, fatigue, drugs, alcohol).
  3. Do not skip the response half. The “what do you do when you see it” and “trauma-informed response” questions are where the amendment puts real weight.
  4. Use Search answers when a question surprises you — type the concept, read the explanation, then try the question again. Understanding beats memorising, here as everywhere.
  5. Browse the wider libraries if you are revising the whole basic-safety block: CBT tests and Mintra tests.

If you are preparing at sea, remember the whole point of the offline mode: download the test while you have Wi-Fi, then study without a signal.

FAQ

Is harassment and bullying training mandatory now? Yes — since 1 January 2026 it is a mandatory competence within STCW PSSR training, adopted via IMO Resolution MSC.560(108) and written into STCW Table A-VI/1-4.

Does my existing PSSR certificate expire because of this? No. Seafarers who already hold a valid PSSR certificate are not required to retake training to meet the amendment, and the certificate does not need to be reissued. Individual companies or flag states may ask for more — check with your employer.

When did the new requirement come into force? On 1 January 2026, and it applies to seafarers undertaking PSSR training on or after that date.

What is MSC.560(108)? It is the IMO resolution that adopted the amendments adding the prevention of and response to violence and harassment to the PSSR syllabus.

Don’t get caught by the wording

The rule changed, and the tests follow the rule. Ten focused minutes on the Harassment and Bullying set will tell you more about your readiness than an hour of reading about it. Start there, check the free questions, and unlock the full set when you are ready to drill it properly — online or offline at sea.

MaritimeTest — your test trainer. Browse the CBT library, search the question database, or see pricing to unlock a full test and study offline.

Sources:

  • UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, MIN 729 (M+F) — IMO amendment to PSSR (withdrawn 19 Aug 2026, superseded by MGN 718), gov.uk.
  • IMO Resolution MSC.560(108), amendments to STCW Code Table A-VI/1-4 (PSSR), in force 1 January 2026.