Description

Course Overview

Behavioral competency assessment is a structured process used by maritime organisations to evaluate whether seafarers demonstrate the attitudes, interpersonal skills, and safety-critical behaviours required by their role. Unlike traditional technical assessments, behavioural competency assessment examines how a person performs — their communication, situational awareness, decision-making under pressure, team coordination, and adherence to safety culture — not merely whether they can complete a technical task.

Course 1616 — Behavioral Competency Assessor is a one-hour Computer-Based Training (CBT) programme designed to equip Deck and Engine Management officers, as well as shore-based personnel, with the knowledge, tools, and structured methodology required to plan, conduct, document, and review on-board competency assessments in full compliance with STCW, OCIMF Behavioural Competency Assessment (BCA) requirements, SIRE 2.0, TMSA, and RISQ frameworks.

Upon successful completion, participants are awarded an Advanced Certificate of Behavioral Competency Assessor, valid for five years, along with an Expert-Level Digital Badge and IAMP Accredited Professional Membership.

This Behavioral Competency Assessor course provides maritime professionals with the structured methodology to plan, conduct, and document on-board competency assessments aligned with STCW, OCIMF BCA, and SIRE 2.0.

Main Objective of the Course

The primary objective of Course 1616 is to develop qualified, confident, and ethically grounded on-board assessors who can conduct rigorous, fair, and STCW-aligned competency assessments. The course provides a complete end-to-end framework — from understanding what competency means in a maritime context, to designing assessment tools, conducting on-board evaluations, delivering structured feedback, and formalising outcomes through documentation and, where necessary, Performance Improvement Plans.

The course further aims to standardise assessment practice across fleets, improve the quality and consistency of officer appraisals, and support shipping companies in satisfying the growing requirements of OCIMF’s Human Factors programme and the SIRE 2.0 Vessel Inspection Questionnaire, which places increasing emphasis on crew competence verification and the behavioural dimensions of safety management.

Learning Objectives

Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Define assessment and clearly distinguish it from related concepts including testing, grading, evaluation, and appraisal.
• Identify and explain the principal domains of learning — cognitive, psychomotor, and affective — and their relevance to maritime competency evaluation.
• Apply the principles of Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) within a shipboard context, including the use of performance criteria and evidence requirements derived from STCW standards.
• Describe the eleven key qualities of an effective maritime assessor and evaluate their own practice against these benchmarks.
• Plan and prepare a complete on-board assessment package, including identification of assessment opportunities, selection of appropriate methods, preparation of observation checklists, and conduct of a pre-assessment safety briefing.
• Conduct a fair, objective, and well-documented on-board assessment by observing performance, collecting valid and sufficient evidence, and applying judgement consistently.
• Deliver structured, constructive, and evidence-based feedback to candidates, and make a justified Competent / Not Yet Competent determination.
• Develop a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) with SMART goals for candidates who do not meet the required standard, including agreed review timelines and formal sign-off procedures.
• Complete all required assessment records accurately and maintain documentation suitable for audit by flag state inspectors, vetting inspectors, and company superintendents.

Regulatory Requirements and Industry Standards

This course is designed to support compliance with the following international standards and industry frameworks:

OCIMF Behavioural Competency Assessment (BCA)

The OCIMF BCA framework sets out the expectations for how tanker operators should assess the behavioural and non-technical competencies of their crew. It covers the assessor qualification requirements, the evidence standards for competency verification, and the documentation that should be held on board and ashore. This course provides the knowledge base required to meet these expectations.

OCIMF Human Factors

OCIMF’s Human Factors guidance recognises that the majority of marine casualties involve human error and that addressing human factors requires organisations to move beyond technical compliance toward genuine behavioural competence. This course equips assessors to evaluate precisely the non-technical skills that OCIMF identifies as most critical to safe vessel operations.

SIRE 2.0 — Ship Inspection Report Programme

The SIRE 2.0 VIQ includes competency-related questions that inspectors will put directly to officers and crew during vetting inspections. Inspectors will ask about the vessel’s assessment system, the qualifications of on-board assessors, the currency of assessment records, and whether PIPs are in place for crew who have not yet been assessed as competent. Officers trained in this course will be better prepared to answer these questions and to demonstrate, through their documentation, that the vessel’s competency management system is functioning effectively.

TMSA — Tanker Management Self Assessment

TMSA Element 4 (Crew Management) and Element 5 (Reliability and Maintenance Standards) both address competency assurance. Companies seeking higher TMSA ratings are expected to demonstrate that their on-board assessors are qualified, that assessments are conducted systematically, and that results are used to inform training plans and crew development decisions. This course supports the documentation and competency evidence requirements at TMSA levels 3 and 4.

RISQ — Rightship Inspection Safety Questionnaire

The RISQ questionnaire includes specific questions relating to crew competency verification and the vessel’s approach to non-technical skills assessment. Vessels with trained and qualified on-board assessors, supported by complete and up-to-date assessment records, are better positioned to achieve favourable RISQ ratings and to demonstrate to charterers and operators that crew competence is actively managed.

Who Should Attend

This course is suitable for any maritime professional who holds or is preparing to take on the role of on-board assessor, or who is responsible for the design, oversight, or auditing of a vessel’s or fleet’s competency assessment system. It regularly attracts participants from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities, reflecting the global and interdisciplinary nature of the maritime industry.

The course is particularly relevant to:

• Deck Management Officers — Masters, Chief Officers, and Second Officers who are responsible for assessing the competence of junior deck officers and ratings in areas including navigation, cargo operations, mooring, anchoring, and emergency procedures.
• Engine Management Officers — Chief Engineers, Second Engineers, and Third Engineers responsible for assessing the competence of junior engineers and ratings in machinery operation, maintenance, and emergency response.
• Fleet Superintendents and Technical Managers — Shore-based personnel who are responsible for designing or auditing the vessel’s training and assessment system, reviewing assessment records, and ensuring compliance with OCIMF, SIRE 2.0, and TMSA requirements.
• Crewing Managers and Manning Agents — Personnel involved in the selection, promotion, and performance management of seafarers who wish to understand the assessment methodology used on board and its relationship to company competency frameworks.
• Offshore and Energy Sector Personnel — Professionals working in the offshore oil and gas sector, the wind energy sector, or occupational health and safety roles who require a structured understanding of competency-based assessment for operational safety purposes.
• Trainers and Maritime Educators — Professionals working in maritime training centres or academic institutions who are involved in designing or delivering competency-based training programmes and who wish to align their assessment practice with international maritime standards.

Minimum Entry Requirements

There are no formal prerequisites for this course. It is accessible to any maritime professional regardless of their current certificate of competency level or years of experience at sea or ashore.

However, in order to gain maximum benefit from the course, it is recommended that participants have either:

• Some operational experience at sea or in a maritime shore-based role, which will allow them to contextualise the assessment scenarios and examples used throughout the course; or
• A professional role that brings them into regular contact with on-board training, crew performance management, or maritime compliance — for example as a superintendent, crewing manager, or maritime training officer.

Participants without a maritime background are also welcome. The course is written in clear, accessible language and does not assume prior knowledge of STCW or OCIMF frameworks; all relevant terminology and regulatory context is explained within the course content.

Duration and Timeframe

The core CBT content of Course 1616 has a guided study duration of one hour. This reflects the structured, focused nature of the course, which is designed to deliver maximum practical value within a format that is compatible with the demanding schedules of active seafarers and maritime professionals.

Participants may complete the course in a single session or return to it across multiple sessions; the platform bookmarks the participant’s last position so they can resume from exactly where they left off. All course materials — including lesson content, supplementary reading, and the assessment guide — are available for download and may be retained for future reference.

The course access period is nine months from the date of enrolment, providing ample time for completion and revision. Participants who require additional time may request an extension of up to six months, subject to approval by the Course Director. Extension requests must be submitted at least one day before the end of the standard access period.

Teaching Methods and Learning Approach

Course 1616 is delivered entirely online via International Maritime Training’s secure e-learning platform, using a Computer-Based Training (CBT) format. The course has been developed in accordance with IMT’s general approach to maritime e-learning and reflects best international practice in adult learning design.

The course is structured around independent study, supported by the IMT educational team. Each section is presented through a combination of structured narrative content, visual frameworks, worked examples, and reflective exercises drawn from real on-board assessment scenarios. The content is designed to be immediately applicable to the participant’s day-to-day practice as an assessor, not merely to pass the final exam.

The learning design follows a consistent pattern across all five sections: an introduction that sets out the section’s objectives and its place in the overall assessment framework; the core content, presented in a clear, logical sequence with explicit links to STCW and OCIMF requirements; worked examples and case studies that illustrate how the principles apply in practice; and consolidation exercises that require participants to apply what they have learned before moving on.

Progress is assessed through the final exam of twenty multiple-choice questions, which tests the participant’s knowledge and understanding across all five sections. The exam may be taken at any point after completing the course content and must be passed with a minimum score of 70%. Participants who do not achieve the pass mark on the first attempt may retake the exam after reviewing the relevant course sections.

Mode of Attendance

This course is available online only, delivered through IMT’s cutting-edge web-based learning platform. The platform is accessible from any device with an internet connection — desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile — and requires no software installation.

The online format has been deliberately chosen to maximise accessibility for maritime professionals who may be at sea, in port, or located in regions without access to face-to-face training facilities. It also eliminates the travel and accommodation costs associated with shore-based residential programmes, making professional development available to a wider range of seafarers and maritime personnel regardless of their location or schedule.

This Course Includes

• Advanced Certificate of Behavioral Competency Assessor — valid for five years, accepted by maritime authorities.
• Expert-Level Digital Badge — shareable across professional networks and LinkedIn.
• Access to IMT Tutors Gateway — direct access to maritime subject matter experts for questions and guidance throughout the study period.
• High-Quality Learning Materials — structured CBT content, downloadable course notes, observation checklists, and PIP templates.
• Registration in the IMT Alumni Portal — access to a global network of maritime professionals who have completed IMT programmes.
• IAMP Accredited Professional Membership — recognition by the International Association of Maritime Professionals.
• Flexible Schedule — study at your own pace, on any device, with nine months of platform access.
• Downloadable Course Material — all content available for offline reference and future use.

Applicable Vessel Types and Industry Sectors

While the course was developed with a particular focus on the tanker sector — given the specific OCIMF BCA and SIRE 2.0 requirements that apply to tanker operations — its content is applicable across all vessel types and maritime industry sectors. Competency-based assessment methodology, STCW alignment, and the principles of fair and objective assessment are universal; only the specific competencies being assessed and the associated performance criteria will vary by vessel type or sector.

The course is relevant to personnel operating on or managing:

• Oil tankers, chemical tankers, gas tankers, and LNG carriers
• General cargo vessels, bulk carriers, and container ships
• Passenger vessels, RoRo ferries, and cruise ships
• Offshore support vessels, platform supply vessels, and anchor handling tugs
• Wind energy support vessels and other specialist offshore craft
• Tugs, workboats, and harbour craft

It is also relevant to personnel working in the offshore oil and gas sector, the wind energy sector, port and harbour authorities, and occupational health and safety roles in industries where structured competency assessment is required.