If you hold a UK Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR) certificate dated before 1 January 2026, you must complete extra training. The topic is prevention of and response to violence and harassment. This includes sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault. The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) sets the rule in Marine Guidance Note (MGN) 718.
The MCA makes a free online module available for this. The deadline is 31 March 2027. As of November 2026, this is still the date in MGN 718.
Why this training exists
IMO Resolution MSC.560(108) changed the STCW Code. STCW is the international convention on training, certificates and watchkeeping for seafarers. From 1 January 2026, the basic PSSR course must cover violence and harassment.
PSSR is part of STCW basic safety training. It applies to seafarers with designated safety or pollution-prevention duties on board.
Who must do the free module
You must complete the extra training if you are UK-certified and you fall in any of these groups:
You hold a UK PSSR certificate (STCW A-VI/1-4) dated before 1 January 2026.
You hold a UK Certificate of Competency (CoC).
You hold a UK Certificate of Proficiency (CoP).
You are a UK-certified officer or rating who still needs to show this competence.
You do not need the extra module if your MCA-approved PSSR certificate is dated on or after 1 January 2026. Those new courses already include the new learning outcome.
Other certificates the MCA can accept
Some seafarers already did equivalent training before MGN 718 was published on 18 August 2026. The MCA can accept a course certificate from any IMO White List flag state if both points below are true:
The certificate clearly refers to IMO MSC.560(108).
The certificate is dated before 18 August 2026.
Splash247 reported this wider recognition when the MCA amended MGN 718 on 3 September 2026. Keep the original certificate. You may need it for revalidation or inspection.
How to take the free OneOcean module
The MCA arranged the course with OneOcean. The course name is Prevention and Response to Violence & Harassment. The course code is 0900. Choose the version for UK Certified Seafarers. It takes about one hour. There is no final exam. You can do it on a phone.
Open the Ocean Technologies Group shop. Then follow these steps from MGN 718:
Search for 0900 and select the UK Certified Seafarers version.
Add it to the cart.
Enter coupon code mca_prvh26 and apply it so the price is zero.
Register or log in, complete billing details (total should be £0), and place the order.
Open My Courses. Enter nationality and date of birth when asked.
Accept the end-user terms, then start the course.
Complete all 16 lessons, including videos and knowledge checks.
Click Save and return to course menu when you finish.
Download your Verification of Training and keep a digital copy.
What happens after 31 March 2027
If you miss the deadline, the MCA says it may affect certificate revalidation. It may also affect how you show compliance in inspections. It may affect your eligibility to work on ships. Companies should make sure UK-certified crew finish the module and keep records.
Other flags may set their own deadlines
MSC.560(108) is an international STCW change. Each flag state decides how to implement it. For example, the British Virgin Islands Shipping and Maritime Authority issued Marine Circular 05/2026 on 15 October 2026. It says seafarers with a pre-2026 PSSR certificate must finish supplementary training by 30 June 2027. Check your own flag and company rules. Do not assume the UK date applies to every certificate.
What to do now
Look at the date on your UK PSSR certificate. If it is before 1 January 2026, plan to finish module 0900 before 31 March 2027.
Use coupon code mca_prvh26 so you do not pay.
Save the Verification of Training on your phone and in cloud storage off the ship.
If you already hold an accepted MSC.560(108) certificate dated before 18 August 2026, keep that document. You may need it for the MCA or your company.
Tell your company training officer when you finish, so the crew records stay correct.
If you face harassment on board, use company reporting routes and official help lines. India has a new complaint committee for women seafarers; see our DGMA harassment committee post.
Companies can also read the WISTA Germany guide on hiring and protecting women seafarers.
Official help lines and certificate checks are on Crewboard's useful links.
Cover photo: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency building in Dover, England, September 2017. Illustrative photo of the UK maritime authority, not a training venue for this module. Photo: Michael Garlick/geograph.org.uk/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Sources: UK MCA: MGN 718 (M+F) 2026 IMO Amendment to PSSR (updated 3 September 2026), Ocean Technologies Group shop (OneOcean module 0900), Splash247: UK broadens recognition of seafarer anti-harassment training (4 September 2026), IMO: Raft of shipping rules in force from 1 January 2026, British Virgin Islands VISMA: Marine Circular No. 05/2026 on STCW PSSR MSC.560(108) (15 October 2026, PDF).
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