The Philippines is a member of the International Maritime Organization and a signatory to the 1978 STCW Convention.

The STCW Convention was amended in 1995 and among the amendments introduced and approved by the Convention is the use of simulators in the mandatory simulator-based training of Marine Deck and Engine Officers.

As a signatory to the Convention, the Philippines is obliged to comply with the provisions of the STCW Convention as amended in 1995 on the use of simulators in the mandatory simulator-based training of seafarers in both the operational and management level of Marine Deck Officers.

WHEREFORE, the Board hereby resolves to require training with the use of simulators in marine technical and/or upgrading courses for the operational and management levels of Marine Deck Officers in the National Maritime Polytechnic in Tacloban, Leyte or in any training center or institution equipped with complete simulators accredited or recognized by the Maritime Training Council of the Philippines as a prerequisite for the taking of licensure examination for Marine Deck Officers.

Starting with the March, 1997 Marine Deck Officers licensure examination, any candidate for said examinations shall be required to present to the Examination Division of the PRC, before he is allowed to take the examination, an authentic or authenticated copy of certificate of completion or diploma of mandatory simulator-based training in marine technical and/or upgrading courses as follows:

Courses for Operational Level

Third Mate

1.      Electronic Navigation System
2.      Radar Observation Course
3.      Marine Meteorology

Second Mate

1.      Radar Simulator Course
2.      Practice of Navigation/Aids to Navigation

Courses for Managerial Level

Chief Mate

1.      Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA)
2.      Trim and Stability

Master

1.      Shiphandling and Maneuvering
2.      Safe Cargo Handling & Storage

The Board Member assigned to give the examinations of the subjects to which the above marine technical and/or upgrading courses properly belong shall input at least 50 questions for each course in the test bank for the March, 1997 examinations. The test bank shall be replenished every after examination by double the number of questions used in the last examinations until the total number of questions in the test bank for every course levels at 300 questions in which event the replenishment shall be equal to the number of questions used.

The requirement of training with the use of simulators in marine technical and/or upgrading courses for the operational and managerial levels of Marine Deck Officers as a prerequisite for the taking of licensure examination herein provided shall be applied prospectively.

This Resolution shall take effect after 15 days from its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation whichever is earlier.

Adopted: 30 Sept. 1996