The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding for the mutual recognition of seafarers’ certificates between the two countries. It was signed on the Saudi side by the Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Transport Authority, Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, and on the Korean side, the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-hwan.
The Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to South Korea exchanged documents ratifying the agreement concluded between the two countries in the field of maritime cooperation.
The signed memorandum of understanding comes with the aim of recognizing the education, training and qualifying certificates for seafarers working on ships between the Kingdom and South Korea, and to implement the provisions of the International Convention (STCW) of 1978 AD and its amendments regarding the levels of training, certification and shift work for seafarers, and to ensure the efficiency of officers and seafarers working on board ships belonging to the two countries and their eligibility to carry out and carry out their tasks, and to achieve optimal standards of maritime safety, protection of property, preservation of the marine environment, and the fulfillment of the requirements of the duties of each of them while carrying out their work on board ships. Evaluation for granting certificates to seafarers from the two countries.
It also comes within the framework of the Kingdom’s keenness and interest in sailors, supporting them with educational and training programs, developing their capabilities in the maritime sector, and opening new horizons for cooperation and joint work in the fields of knowledge and qualification, in a way that guarantees improving the quality and efficiency of Saudi sailors, and to complete the process of giving and making more complementary efforts and with the participation of fellow sailors from different countries of the world; To ensure the continuous flow of global supply chains and logistics.
The memorandum includes a set of important regulatory articles such as requirements for certificate recognition, training and evaluation of seafarers; In accordance with the provisions of the STCW Basic Convention, and how the Maritime Authority issues a recognition certificate after verifying the recognition requirements, and that the evaluation of quality standards is in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (8/I) of the Basic Convention, and that those responsible for training and evaluation are suitably qualified according to the standards of the Convention, As well as mechanisms for auditing and verifying the issuance of certificates and validity of their duration, and exchanging visits necessary to verify the implementation of requirements, and this includes the possibility of visiting maritime departments and maritime educational and training institutions of the other party in order to see the capabilities of each party in implementing the requirements of training, maritime education and certification, and certification standards. , procedures for endorsing, renewing, suspending or canceling certificates, as well as exchanging information regarding the validity of the certificate and verifying its validity, and establishing an electronic database for maritime workers, and other levels of organization and joint work, in a way that serves the sailors working on board ships in the two countries.
