Where this sits
Governing: STCW Table A-VI/1-4; MSN 1865 (M) Amendment 1, sections 2 and 3.5; COSWP 2026, Chapter 4. Builds on: Personal Survival Techniques and Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting.
PSSR is the fourth element of STCW basic training. Under MSN 1865 section 3.1, anyone with designated safety or pollution-prevention duties must complete PST, FPFF, EFA and PSSR with an MCA-approved provider before being assigned shipboard duties. The certificate needs a minimum age of 16 (section 3.5). The course is short and mostly classroom-based, which is why people underrate it. It is about how you behave when things go wrong, and how you live and work with a dozen people in a very small space.
The standard in one table
| Table A-VI/1-4 competence | Covered in |
|---|---|
| Comply with emergency procedures | This lesson |
| Take precautions to prevent pollution of the marine environment | L1.2 |
| Observe safe working practices | Module 2 |
| Contribute to effective communications on board | L3.1 |
| Contribute to effective human relationships on board | L3.1 |
| Understand and take necessary actions to control fatigue | L3.2 |
| Contribute to the prevention of and response to violence and harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault (from 1 January 2026) | L3.3 |
Know your signals
Every vessel has a muster list and an alarm plan. Learn the ship's own signals on day one, and do not assume they match your last boat. Typical content:
- General emergency alarm: go to your muster station, dressed and wearing or carrying your lifejacket.
- Fire alarm: report to your fire party station.
- Abandon ship: normally an order given by the master at the muster station, not a separate alarm you act on alone.
- Man overboard: shout, point, throw a lifebuoy, keep eyes on the casualty, and raise the alarm.
The muster list must be displayed in a visible place before the ship sails. On international voyages, it should include emergency instructions for each seafarer: assembly station, survival craft station and emergency duty, and the signals (COSWP 4.1.7). On yachts these are usually muster cards on the back of cabin doors.
Drills
COSWP Chapter 4 draws on SOLAS III/19:
- each crew member should take part in at least one abandon ship and one fire drill every month (4.1.8);
- if more than 25% of the crew have not taken part in drills on board in the previous month, hold both drills within 24 hours of leaving port (4.1.9);
- drills are held before sailing when a ship first enters service, after major modification, or when a new crew is engaged (4.1.6);
- wear properly secured lifejackets during drills (4.1.13).
Varying drill timing within the required frequency means anyone who missed one can catch the next. Enclosed space rescue drills are covered in L2.2.
WARNING: The first 48 hours New joiners are the most exposed people on board. Familiarisation under MSN 1865 section 2.1 must happen before you are assigned duties: you should know how to raise the alarm, where your muster and embarkation stations are, how to don a lifejacket, and how to close fire and watertight doors. If nobody has shown you, ask.
Guests
On a charter yacht you will muster guests who have never seen a lifejacket and are not inclined to listen. Brief them early, show them where to go, and account for them by name. The crew member assigned to a guest cabin area is often the first person those guests will see in an emergency.
TIP: Walk it In your first week, walk from your cabin to your muster station, fire station and embarkation point by the primary and secondary routes, once with the lights on and once with a torch.