In This Guide You’ll Learn
- What the January 2026 PSSR amendment actually requires — and who it will and won’t catch
- Why experienced seafarers are currently exempt from the new sexual harassment training
- What the STCW 2030 review means for operational and management-level officers
- What crew can do right now if they experience harassment, bullying or sexual assault on board
- How the Royal Navy has run mandatory harassment training for 20+ years — and what yachting can borrow from that model
- What captains and HODs can do today without waiting for regulation
New amendments to STCW came into force in January 2026, inserting sexual harassment prevention and response into the Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR) course. That is real progress. The problem is that PSSR is a once-in-a-career certificate, which means every experienced seafarer currently at sea — including the people most likely to be in positions of power — will never be required to complete it.
That gap was raised at the IMO’s recent Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW) committee meeting, and it raised more than a few eyebrows. Chris O’Flaherty, Fellow of The Nautical Institute and former Royal Navy officer, sat in those sessions and explains exactly what happened, what the regulation does and does not achieve, and what vessel leaders can do in the meantime.
What Did the January 2026 PSSR Amendment Actually Change?
The Maritime Safety Committee’s amendment to the STCW Code inserted a new competency into the PSSR course: the prevention of and response to violence, harassment, sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault. It came through after two and a half years of negotiation, and, as O’Flaherty notes, the quality of debate at both the plenary and working-group levels was significant. This is no longer a topic being brushed into a corner at the IMO.
But here is the structural limitation. PSSR is not a renewable certificate. Unlike firefighting, which seafarers refresh every five years, PSSR is completed once, at the very start of a sea-going career. Anyone who has already done their PSSR will not be required to complete the new module. The certificate they hold is valid for life.
“Young sailors going to sea for the first time generally aren’t the problem. The problem tends to be people with a slightly longer sea-going career.”
– Chris O’Flaherty, Fellow of The Nautical Institute
O’Flaherty was careful in how he phrased it, but the implication is clear. The cohort most likely to hold institutional power on board — senior officers, heads of department, captains — will not be caught by this amendment. All new entrants to the industry will be. That is a meaningful step forward, but it is not the industry-wide reset some delegates had hoped for.
The Port State Control Confusion
A practical complication emerged quickly after January. A number of port state controllers began boarding vessels and asking for proof that seafarers had completed the new PSSR module. Masters had no such proof to show because the module did not exist when their seafarers originally completed the course.
The UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) issued a notice clarifying the position: port state control cannot require seafarers to demonstrate completion of modules that were introduced only after their lifetime certificate was issued. That guidance was subsequently discussed and confirmed at plenary level in the IMO. The regulation is clear. The enforcement overreach has been corrected — but it is a reminder of how quickly confusion spreads when a new amendment meets a poorly understood certification structure.
What Is the STCW 2030 Review Going to Change?
The broader STCW review, which will report around 2030 with amendments likely in force from approximately 2031, takes a different approach. Rather than inserting a module into PSSR, it is introducing new competencies at the operational and management levels — that is, junior officers and senior officers including masters.
These competencies will cover sexual harassment prevention and response at the appropriate depth for each level. Officers at the operational level will be trained to recognise, respond to and report incidents. Masters and chief officers at the management level will be trained to prevent incidents in the first place — to understand the cultural and systemic conditions that allow harassment and bullying to take root, and how to address them.
The same structural limitation applies. Anyone who has already completed their STCW qualifications before the amendments come into force will not be required to go back and do it. The training catches people as they progress up the career ladder. It does not retrofit the people already at the top.
What the STCW framework covers — and when
- PSSR amendment (in force January 2026): sexual harassment prevention added for all new entrants
- STCW 2030 review (in force ~2031): new competencies at operational level (junior officers) and management level (masters, chief officers)
- No retrospective requirement: certificates already held are not affected
- Companies and vessel owners remain the primary vehicle for reaching experienced crew
What Rights Does a Crew Member Have Right Now?
The regulation provides a framework. It does not protect a crew member in the moment. O’Flaherty was asked to address a specific scenario: a captain committing sexual assault against a stewardess. Where does she stand?
The answer starts with national law. A yacht is, in law, a registered business of the flag state. If the incident occurs on a UK-flagged vessel, the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and the Equality Act 2010 apply. What has been described is potentially a criminal offence. The training a crew member has or has not received does not change that.
Flag state matters more than most crew realise when they join a vessel. As O’Flaherty put it: look at the stern, look at the flag, because you are about to become subject to the laws of that state. A British passport does not give you British legal protections if you are serving on a vessel registered elsewhere. Some flag states have far weaker explicit protections than others.
Practical Steps for Crew Experiencing Harassment or Assault
O’Flaherty’s practical guidance, drawn from his experience as an Equality and Diversity Advisor, is as follows.
If the situation reaches the point of criminal conduct and the company is not acting, appropriate authorities may need to be contacted. The DPA exists partly for situations where the master is not behaving as they should.
- Address it directly if it is safe to do so. Politely, without confrontation. “Can you please stop doing that.”
- Report it to your line manager immediately. Do not allow it to be brushed aside. If the perpetrator is the master, the DPA (Designated Person Ashore) is your next escalation point.
- Start a contemporaneous diary from the moment an incident occurs. Record dates, times, locations and what was said or done. Be clear in the diary about which entries are historical reconstructions and which are contemporaneous notes. This is powerful evidence.
- Report every incident — do not self-select for what feels “serious enough.” Patterns matter in both formal and informal resolution processes.
“Start a diary of every single incident. Make sure it captures historical records clearly as such, and then every time something happens, make a contemporaneous note. That is really powerful evidence.”
– Chris O’Flaherty, Fellow of The Nautical Institute
What the Royal Navy Has Been Doing for 20 Years
O’Flaherty left the Royal Navy and entered the merchant fleet. The contrast in approach to harassment and bullying training was, in his words, one that still raises his eyebrows.
In the Royal Navy, every member of personnel completed a mandatory half-day harassment and diversity course every three years. It was tracked through an HR system. If you had not done it, your name flagged. If you still had not done it, your commanding officer was notified. It was not optional and it was not forgotten about.
On every vessel there was an Equality and Diversity Advisor (EDA) — typically the second-in-command and the most senior rating on board. The EDA course ran for five days and covered definitions, the psychology of harm, and practical techniques for early intervention.
That last part is where O’Flaherty is most precise: early intervention. The goal of the training was not to teach people how to manage an incident after it had escalated. It was to spot the early friction, the slight change in someone’s demeanour at the start of a watch, and address it before it became a complaint. He describes techniques such as separating two parties into different rooms on the same vessel and having them speak by phone — removing body language from the dynamic when emotions are running high — or exchanging written letters so both parties articulate their positions before speaking. These are not improvisations. They are trained responses.
The yachting industry had none of this twenty years ago. It still largely does not. And in that time, the Royal Navy model has simply been running.
What Can Captains and HODs Do Without Waiting for Regulation?
O’Flaherty’s view is direct: the regulation provides a baseline, but vessel leaders do not need to wait for it.
A significant number of companies are already offering voluntary training that draws on the PSSR content and the emerging management-level competencies from the STCW review. In some cases, owners and charterers are making it a condition of service. A master who wants to get this right can: mandate a half-day stand-down between charters and bring in an external trainer, or have the whole crew complete the training online. A good owner will often fund it. It is not a regulatory burden. It is a leadership standard.
The link to safety is not rhetorical. O’Flaherty makes the case that cohesive teams perform better in emergency evolutions, in galley operations, in engineering — in every function where human coordination under pressure matters. Guests notice friction between crew members. They do not always name it, but they feel it. The vessel with a content, trusting crew does not just deliver better hospitality. It is safer.
“It’s creating that culture onboard which is the single most important thing any leader does on a vessel. Have a culture where everybody feels valued, everybody feels content, everybody performing to their best.”
– Chris O’Flaherty, Fellow of The Nautical Institute
The STCW 2030 review is also bringing expanded leadership and management training at both the operational and management levels — a recognition that the original code was task-focused to a fault, and that having a master who is technically brilliant at pilotage is not enough. Safe ships require well-led ships. That principle is finally making its way into the regulatory framework, even if it arrives slowly.
For crew who want to get ahead of it, O’Flaherty’s suggestion is worth taking seriously: invest in yourself. A one-day sexual harassment prevention and response course is not another mandatory ticket. It is the kind of professional development that makes you the officer a discerning owner notices — and the kind that means, when something difficult happens on board, you already know what to do.For crew navigating the aftermath of harassment or bullying onboard, or leaders trying to build a culture that prevents it, two resources that may help: Counselling for Yacht Crew and The Foundational Leadership Course.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the January 2026 PSSR change affect crew who have already done their PSSR?
No. PSSR is a once-in-a-career certificate. The new sexual harassment prevention module is required only for seafarers completing PSSR from 1 January 2026 onwards. Crew who already hold a PSSR certificate are not required to complete the new module, and port state control cannot require them to do so.
What is the STCW 2030 review and when will it take effect?
The STCW review is a broader reform of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping code currently underway at the IMO. Among its key additions are new competencies at the operational level (junior officers) and the management level (masters and chief officers) that cover sexual harassment prevention and response. The review is expected to report in around 2030, with amendments likely to come into force around 2031. The same principle applies: the new competencies will be required for seafarers who obtain or renew their qualifications after that date. Those who already hold their certificates will not be retrospectively required to complete the training.
If my captain is the one harassing me, who do I report to?
Your Designated Person Ashore (DPA) is the appropriate escalation point when the master is involved. The DPA exists partly for situations where the chain of command on board has broken down or is compromised. Keep a contemporaneous written record of every incident, including dates, times and what was said or done. If criminal conduct is involved — and sexual assault is criminal in most jurisdictions — the matter may ultimately need to go to the relevant authorities, depending on the flag state.
Does flag state really affect my legal protections?
Yes, significantly. A yacht is legally a registered business of its flag state. If you serve on a Cayman Islands-flagged vessel, Cayman Islands law applies. If you serve on a UK-flagged vessel, UK law — including the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and the Equality Act 2010 — applies. The legal protections available to you are determined by the registration of the vessel, not your nationality or passport. Before joining any vessel, look at the flag and understand what legal framework you are signing into.
Can a master mandate harassment training without it being a regulatory requirement?
Yes. A master can call a half-day stand-down between charters and arrange either an external trainer to come on board or have crew complete online training. Many companies are already offering this voluntarily, drawing on the content of the PSSR amendment and the emerging management-level competencies from the STCW review. An owner can make it a condition of service. It does not require a regulatory mandate to implement — it requires a decision.
Ready to Lead Differently?
The Foundational Leadership Course is built for captains and heads of department who want to understand how their behaviour shapes crew culture — including the conditions that allow harassment, burnout and high turnover to take hold. Evidence-informed, yachting-specific, and built around the real challenges of leadership at sea.
