Tug Master Training and Certification
Why STCW carries no tug competence, the national routes that fill the gap, the Towing Officer Assessment Record, and what the investigations recommend.
STCW regulation II/3 and table A-II/3 set the standard of competence for masters and officers in charge of a navigational watch on ships of less than 500 gross tonnage, which is where most harbour tugs sit, and allow an administration to issue a certificate restricted to near coastal service. STCW contains no tug specific competence, no ship assist competence and no towing endorsement.
Two investigations identified that gap independently. MAIB recommended in report 17/2024, into the loss of the tug Biter and both her crew off Greenock on 24 February 2023, that a recognised training scheme for tug masters be adopted. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada found in report M18P0230 that the industry relies on masters’ shiphandling skill and informal work practices to manage the girding hazard because initial and recurrent training is inadequate. National regimes fill the gap unevenly, the United States running towing as a separate credential track evidenced by the Towing Officer Assessment Record.
The full article will compare the national routes, cover simulator training and its limits, and set out the competence assessments used by the major towage operators.