Course Description:

This micro-learning module is a compliance-driven training package designed to fulfill the January 2026 STCW amendments (IMO MSC.560(108)) for seafarers.

Built specifically as an advanced, add-on module to supplement existing harassment training, this course isolates and focuses entirely on the mechanics of consent, power dynamics, and spatial boundaries unique to life at sea. It equips crews to recognize how the ship’s strict chain of command can distort or invalidate consent, maps out clear boundary rules for shared work and private living spaces (like cabins), and provides actionable reporting pathways when these boundaries are compromised.

Ultimately, it bridges the gap between basic harassment awareness and the active, everyday practice of maintaining professional boundaries to ensure vessel safety and compliance.

Learning objectives:

By the end of the course, learners shall:

• Define the legal criteria for valid consent under the 2026 STCW amendments, specifically within shared shipboard living and working spaces.
• Analyze how maritime hierarchy and rank nullify the validity of consent due to systemic power imbalances.
• Identify conditions of temporary incapacity (extreme fatigue, watch rotation stress, alcohol) that legally invalidate consent onboard.
• Interpret non-verbal boundary cues and hesitation in confined ship environments (corridors, cabins, mess rooms).
• Navigate the reporting protocols specifically when consent has been violated, bypassed, or compromised by a superior.

Sections

• Section 1: Consent at Sea
• Section 2: Hierarchy, Rank and Power
• Section 3: Spatial Boundaries and the Confined Vessel
• Section 4: Incapacity and Environmental Factors
• Section 5: Intervention and Reporting