Maritime certification confirms a seafarer has met a defined standard. Whether they are ready for the actual conditions of the role is a separate question. This insight explores the distinction between certification, compliance training, and competence, and why the gap between passing maritime exams and performing safely in real operations is wider than the industry often acknowledges.
Certification, compliance training, and competence are closely linked, but they are not the same. Certification confirms that a seafarer has met the defined standards required of them, compliance training demonstrates that a person has completed mandatory training, and competence concerns whether a person can perform safely in actual conditions.
Alexander McDonald, a Coastal Tanker Master at a shipping company, explained that certification does not always prove readiness, comparing certification to a driving test. “You learn to pass your test, and then you learn how to actually drive afterwards,” he said. “People learn to pass exams, and then when they’re on board, that’s when we try to teach them how it actually works in practicality.”
Competence is more nuanced than being qualified because it is difficult to measure accurately. It is shown through performance rather than on paper. Interviewees repeatedly described competence as the ability to operate safely and respond to changing conditions.
According to John Hissey, Master Mariner and Senior Product Manager at OneOcean, one of the biggest gaps is not technical knowledge, but the confidence and communication needed to act on it. “Soft skills are the biggest gap,” he said, referring to the ability to lead a team, communicate clearly under pressure, exercise discernment, and make decisions with confidence when the situation demands it.
A fully qualified seafarer might understand formal procedures but not know how they work within specific vessel operations. During training, tasks are usually clear, and scenarios are often designed around specific outcomes.
However, onboard operations are less controlled than in simulation tools. Tasks overlap, interruptions often occur at the worst moments, equipment varies from vessel to vessel, and crews are expected to operate under pressure while dealing with multiple demands simultaneously.
Matt Bland, Marine Consultant at Alton Marine Consulting Limited, noted that “simulation is good because you can simulate scenarios which happen very rarely, but it doesn’t replace the experience of living and working onboard a ship”. This is where experience and time in rank are important, as competence develops through repeated operational exposure rather than only through formal learning.
If crews are progressing faster through the ranks while the demands placed on them are increasing, the industry needs an understanding of the impact of this compressed timeline and how to compensate for it.
Applied competence refers to a seafarer’s ability to operate safely under real-world conditions. This is role-specific. For example, a watchkeeper, chief officer, engineer, master, or superintendent each requires a different set of skills and level of readiness because each role has a different function and carries different decisions, risks, and responsibilities.
Download Competent or Compliant? and discover how seafarer readiness is shaping modern maritime operations.
Download The Full Report
