STCW basic training is four short courses: personal survival (OMI 1.19), fire prevention and firefighting (1.20), personal safety and social responsibilities (1.21) and elementary first aid (1.13). In Panama you take them at an AMP-recognised training centre. They are required for the larger pleasure-craft grades, patrón de cabotaje, every yacht title and ship work.
What STCW basic training covers
The International Maritime Organization's STCW Convention sets a basic safety standard for anyone working aboard. The AMP lists it by IMO model course number:
| Course | AMP name | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| OMI 1.19 | Técnicas de supervivencia personal | Life jackets, life rafts, abandoning ship, survival in the water |
| OMI 1.20 | Prevención y lucha contra incendios | Fire chemistry, extinguishers, hoses, breathing apparatus, live fires |
| OMI 1.21 | Seguridad personal y responsabilidades sociales | Safe working, emergency procedures, pollution, working with others aboard |
| OMI 1.13 | Primeros auxilios básicos | Elementary first aid at sea |
Survival and firefighting include practical drills, so expect a pool or sea session and a fire ground, not only a classroom.
Which Panama licences require it
From the AMP requirement sheets:
- Required: patrón de nave de placer de 2da. and 1ra. clase, patrón de cabotaje, oficial de yate and every capitán de yate grade, and STCW ratings and officers.
- One of two options: marinero, operador de lanchas de 1ra. clase and patrón de nave de placer de 3ra. clase accept either the four basics or the shorter Curso de Seguridad Marítima para Aguas Nacionales.
- Not listed: operador de lanchas de 2da. clase, which takes the national-waters course or the curso de operador de lanchas.
Outside the licence rules, STCW basic training is the norm for crew on larger yachts. Resolución J.D. 089-2020 asks crew on foreign-flag charter yachts for STCW certificates for their positions. Grades and limits are in Panama captain licence types.
The national-waters safety course: the shorter option
The AMP's Curso de Seguridad Marítima para Aguas Nacionales covers sea survival, maritime safety, first aid, fire prevention and nautical terms. AMP staff teach it during the national licensing tours, and recognised centres also offer it. It is enough for marinero and operador de lanchas de 2da. clase, and an option for a few other grades. It is not an STCW certificate, so it will not carry you onto a yacht or ship that asks for STCW, and it does not count for the 2da. and 1ra. clase pleasure-craft grades.
Where to take it in Panama
Take the four courses at a centre on the AMP's Report of Recognized Training Centers, and check that the centre's approved course list includes all four: 1.19, 1.20, 1.21 and 1.13. On 7 November 2026 the list showed 23 recognised centres in Panama, most of them in or near Panama City, with a provisional authorisation for a centre in Chiriquí. How to check a centre is in captain courses and schools. Prices are not published; ask several centres for a written quote, since basic training is often sold as one package.
Endorsement, renewal and refreshers
The AMP endorses course certificates with a certificado de endoso de curso (Resolución J.D. 026-2022). Its F-84 chart lists B/.10 per basic course for the endorsement and B/.10 per course to extend it for active seafarers.
Under STCW, seafarers must show every five years that they have kept up their survival and firefighting competence, usually with a shorter refresher course. Ask the AMP how it applies that rule to your licence. The pleasure-craft and cabotaje sheets also list the basic courses again under revalidación, so check that yours will still be accepted when your licence comes up for renewal.
Already hold STCW basic training from abroad?
Many people arriving from Florida or Europe already hold STCW basic training from a US, UK or other centre. The AMP's list of recognised centres includes some abroad, and the AMP endorses course certificates. Whether your foreign certificate counts for an AMP licence, or needs an AMP endorsement first, is for Gente de Mar to say. Bring the originals and the issuing centre's details, and check the dates: if your survival and firefighting courses are close to five years old, a refresher may be simpler than arguing over an old certificate.
After the basics
The next courses most yacht crew add are security awareness, proficiency in survival craft and rescue boats (OMI 1.23), advanced firefighting (2.03) and medical first aid (1.14). The AMP's oficial de yate and unlimited capitán de yate sheets list all of these, along with a GMDSS operator certificate (1.25). The Florida side of the same training is in yacht crew training and STCW.
Your practical starting checklist
- Check your target licence's requirement sheet to see whether it needs all four basics.
- Shortlist AMP-recognised centres whose approved list includes 1.19, 1.20, 1.21 and 1.13.
- Get written quotes and dates; ask where the sea survival and live-fire sessions take place.
- Complete the four courses and keep the original certificates.
- Have the certificates endorsed by the AMP if your employer or grade asks for it.
- Diary the five-year refresher for survival and firefighting.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need STCW to work on a charter boat in Panama?
For a day boat under 12 m the AMP licence may accept the shorter national-waters course. For larger pleasure-craft grades, yacht titles and most yacht jobs you need the four STCW basics.
Do I need STCW basic training to drive my own boat?
Under 8 m the patrón de nave de placer de 3ra. clase accepts the shorter national-waters course instead. From 8 m up, the 2da. and 1ra. clase sheets require the four basics.
How long does STCW basic training take?
It depends on the centre and the package. Ask each centre for its schedule in writing.
Can I do STCW basic training online in Panama?
Survival and firefighting include practical drills. Ask the centre and the AMP whether any online part is accepted for your licence.
Is a Panama STCW certificate accepted abroad?
Panama is an STCW party, and AMP-recognised centres teach to the IMO model courses. Each country and employer decides what it accepts, so check with them.
¿Qué cursos incluye la formación básica STCW en Panamá?
Cuatro cursos OMI: 1.19 técnicas de supervivencia personal, 1.20 prevención y lucha contra incendios, 1.21 seguridad personal y responsabilidades sociales y 1.13 primeros auxilios básicos, en un centro de formación reconocido por la AMP.
The next question to answer
Where STCW fits in the licence ladder. Read Become a boat captain in Panama.
Find an AMP-recognised centre. Read Captain courses and schools.
Where STCW-trained crew find work. Read Yacht crew jobs in Panama.
Same topic in Florida: coming from the US? Compare When STCW and Other Crew Training Apply.
Official resources
Use the relevant Panamanian authority for current requirements and fees. These resources are the next place to check; a practical recommendation is not an agency determination.
- AMP: requisitos marinero (TIT-AN1) ↗
- AMP: requisitos patrón de nave de placer de 2da. clase (TIT-AN7, Res. J.D. 053-2018) ↗
- AMP: requisitos capitán de yate sin límite (TIT-F-21) ↗
- AMP: Report of Recognized Training Centers ↗
- AMP: F-84 tarifas del Departamento de Titulación ↗
- AMP: gira de emisión de licencias de marino de aguas nacionales ↗