Photo: New training requirements for polar seafarers

A subcommittee of the International Maritime Organization — the global body that governs shipping in international waters — has agreed on a new set of training rules for masters and navigating officers who ply Arctic and Antarctic waters. The new rules are expected to eventually form part of the international Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping. Proponents are hoping they come into effect concurrently with the new Polar Code, a code governing all aspects of polar shipping including ship design, equipment and operations, as summarized in the graphic above. The new Polar Code is supposed to come into force in January 2017. One new requirement, according to a news release from the Danish Maritime Authority, stipulates that “seafarers must acquire improved understanding of the limitations to the crew, ship and the equipment applicable when operating in cold and desolate areas, with poor or no infrastructure, in case of, for example, accidents or pollution.” A draft of the training guidelines is expected to be forwarded to the Maritime Safety Committee for approval at meetings in June 2015. (INFOGRAPHIC COURTESY IMO)