STCW Personal Survival Techniques (PST)

The STCW Personal Survival Techniques course forms part of the mandatory basic safety training for all seafarers.

The purpose of this course is to provide the essential knowledge and experience of personal survival principles to maximise the chances of survival in the event of an emergency, including practical training in the use of life jackets and inflatable life rafts.

The course will include:

• Types of emergency situations such as collision, fire, sinking
• Types of life-saving appliances normally carried on ships
• Equipment in survival craft
• Location of personal life-saving appliances
• Principles concerning survival at sea

The practical instruction will include:

• Donning a life jacket
• Donning and use of an immersion suit
• Safely jumping from a height into the water
• Righting an inverted life raft while wearing a life jacket
• Swimming while wearing a life jacket and keeping afloat
• Boarding a life raft from the ship or the water while wearing a life jacket
• Taking initial actions on boarding a life raft to enhance the chance of survival
• Streaming a drogue or sea anchor
• Bringing aboard an injured person
• A Group survival exercise

All candidates are to meet at the Scalloway Campus for 0800. In the afternoon, candidates are to go to Clickimin.

The course involves a wet drill which will be conducted in the swimming pool at the Clickimin Leisure Centre. You should bring a towel, swimwear and a t-shirt or other clean clothing which can be worn during the wet drill.

The practical aspects of the training can be physically demanding. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, medical concerns about the wet drill or are pregnant then please seek further advice from your doctor. Should your condition preclude you taking part in the wet drill then please advise the centre before attending the course.

Photographic I.D. is required as this must be provided before commencement of the course. No certificate will be issued to you without photographic I.D.

*We cannot issue a certificate to someone under 16. In exceptional circumstances we can allow someone to complete the course 6 months prior to their 16th birthday if they have a ENG 1 to show.