Collaboration Charter: STCW 2026 meets Culture — Turning the new PSSR Competence into Ship-and-Shore Habits

From 1 January 2026, STCW’s PSSR (Table A-VI/1-4) is amended to add a new competence: Seafarers must be able to “contribute to the prevention of and response to violence and harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault.”

The IMO resolution sets this up via the STCW tacit acceptance process (deemed accepted 1 July 2025 unless objection thresholds were met) and states the amendments enter into force on 1 January 2026 upon acceptance.

In plain terms: the baseline training outcome is now explicit—identify, intervene and report, understand the continuum of harm, key risk contributors (e.g., abuse of power, discrimination, stress, isolation, fatigue, drugs/alcohol), and apply basic trauma-informed response principles.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: training is necessary - but not sufficient. You can deliver a compliant module and still fail operationally if crews don’t have a shared, practiced way to speak up early, intervene appropriately, report safely, and support people afterwards. That’s exactly the gap the Collaboration Charter is designed to close: a 12-principle, week-by-week operating rhythm run across ship and shore that’s intentionally practical (weekly sessions, guided questions, and consistent practice across ranks).

And the Charter is also candid about the make-or-break factor: it only works when leadership makes it an “operational reality,” not an abstract ideal.

The Collaboration Charter is a 12-principle workplace framework designed to build a consistent, high-functioning culture by reinforcing constructive behaviours through weekly ship-and-shore sessions (across “bridge, engine, deck and shore”), using guided questions and practical discussion to make teamwork standards routine—and it explicitly depends on visible leadership support to become an operational reality rather than a poster.

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Collaboration Charter (CC) Principles that reinforce the new STCW Requirements

1. Understand violence/harassment and the “continuum of harm” →

CC Principles: Inner Mastery + Collaborative Dialogue + Mutual Openness + Ongoing Development STCW expects crews to grasp what these behaviours are and how harm escalates. The Charter builds that shared understanding through weekly ship-and-shore sessions where every level (bridge/engine/deck/shore) uses guided discussion to make behavioural standards explicit and repeatable. It leans on Collaborative Dialogue (balanced speaking/listening with respect) and Mutual Openness (honesty and transparency, treating mistakes as growth) to surface “grey-zone” behaviours early - before they normalise.

2. Understand consequences (for victims/bystanders/stakeholders) and effects on safety, health, well-being →

CC Principles: Mission Outcomes + Guiding Mission + Inner MasterySTCW explicitly requires understanding the consequences and the safety/wellbeing impact. Mission Outcomes anchors performance to “an unwavering commitment to the wellbeing and unity of every team member,” so the organisation doesn’t trade results for people. Guiding Mission then ties day-to-day decisions to a clear “why,” giving both ship and shore a consistent reference point when pressure rises and standards are tested.

3. Recognise key contributing factors (abuse of power, discrimination, stress, isolation, fatigue, drugs/alcohol) →

CC Principles: Skilled Expertise + Psychological Safety + Trust + Inner MasterySTCW calls out these contributors directly. The Charter counters “power drift” through Skilled Expertise (valuing strengths “irrespective of hierarchy”), and it makes it safer to surface stressors and early warning signs via Psychological Safety (raising concerns without fear of retribution/dismissal). Trust (integrity, transparency, authentic dialogue) reduces hidden agendas and fear-based silence - across vessel and office alike.

4. Be able to identify violence/harassment behaviours →

CC Principles: Psychological Safety + Mutual Openness + Collaborative DialogueSTCW requires the ability to identify these behaviours. Identification improves when people can speak plainly and early, which is exactly what Psychological Safety and Mutual Openness are designed to enable (openly raising concerns; honesty without blame). Collaborative Dialogue provides the practical mechanism: respectful, two-way conversation that clarifies perception vs perspective before issues escalate.

5. Know what action to take to intervene and report →

CC Principles: Mutual Responsibility + Constructive Debate + Collective Resolve + Trust. STCW requires basic knowledge of what to do to intervene and report. The Charter reinforces intervention as a shared duty through Mutual Responsibility - upholding standards “through respect rather than fear,” including “polite yet direct peer feedback,” so correction isn’t only top-down. Constructive Debate and Collective Resolve then provide the “how”: challenge behaviours without demeaning people, make decisions, and follow through consistently - whether the issue arises in the engine room at sea or in the office onshore.

6. Understand basic trauma-informed response and how to support victim, bystanders and self →

CC Principles: Inner Mastery + Psychological Safety + Trust. STCW requires basic trauma-informed principles and appropriate support. The Charter does not present itself as clinical training, but it strengthens the conditions that make trauma-informed responses more likely: Inner Mastery (poise, respect, empathy under pressure) plus Psychological Safety and Trust (a climate where people can speak and be supported rather than judged or dismissed).

7. Ensure prevention/intervention/reporting practices are “observed at all times” →

CC Principles: weekly practice + leadership accountability + Ongoing Development. STCW’s evaluation language is about what is observed in practice, not what’s written in a policy. The Charter is built as a hands-on routine - weekly ship-and-shore sessions and consistent practice - so behaviours are rehearsed and normalised rather than left to chance.

It also states plainly that sustained impact depends on “unwavering leadership support” and leaders visibly integrating behaviours into daily decisions; Ongoing Development keeps feedback and adaptation continuous across the whole organisation.

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Why this Positioning Matters

This is not about replacing STCW training. It’s about turning STCW outcomes into everyday, company-wide habits - across vessels and headquarters - so prevention, intervention and reporting are consistently practiced, leadership-led and treated as normal professional standards rather than rare acts of courage