Broadly speaking, the STCW Convention stated that maritime authorities were responsible for certifying the suitability and skills of seafarers on board their ships by issuing, among other documents, a temporary certificate of competency, valid for one year, and a standard certificate of competency, valid for five years.
Cette convention disposait, dans ses grandes lignes, que les services maritimes devaient certifier les aptitudes et les qualifications des gens de mer à bord des navires, en délivrant, entre autres documents, un brevet d'aptitude provisoire, valable pendant un an et un certificat d'aptitude réglementaire, valable pendant cinq ans.