Master the international conventions that form the backbone of every national maritime exam.

International Maritime Conventions

No matter which flag you sail under or which national authority issues your certificate, the core body of international maritime law is identical: COLREGS 1972, STCW 1978 as amended in 2010 (the Manila Amendments), SOLAS 1974 as amended, MARPOL 1973/78, the ISM Code, and the ISPS Code. Every national exam authority — USCG, MCA, Transport Canada, AMSA, MNZ, DG Shipping, MARINA — draws questions from these instruments, often verbatim. The conventions hub on MMCE.app treats this shared body of material as its own study track because mastering it pays off across every credential a mariner will ever hold, from a first AB card to a Master Unlimited upgrade thirty years later.

Exam systems by country

United States (USCG, NMC). COLREGS (under the short title "Rules of the Road") is tested as its own module on every deck officer and AB exam and requires 90% to pass. STCW Basic Training, Advanced Firefighting, Proficiency in Survival Craft, and Medical Care Provider are separately-issued endorsements with their own approved-course exit exams. MARPOL, SOLAS, and ISPS content is distributed across Deck General, Deck Safety, and Engineering Safety modules. 33 CFR and 46 CFR frequently reference the conventions directly — for example 33 CFR Part 83 is the US implementation of the International Rules.

United Kingdom (MCA). Rules of the Road is tested in a dedicated signals paper and in the oral exam at every level. STCW is tested via approved-course certificates. MARPOL and ISM are tested on the Ship Construction and Operations papers. The MCA's interpretation of Rule 19 (restricted visibility) is famously scrutinizing in the oral exam.

Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Each jurisdiction incorporates COLREGS wholesale via its own Collision Regulations, with minor local carve-outs for inland waters (for example the Canada Collision Regulations include an additional Part C for the Canadian modifications). STCW Basic Training and advanced endorsements are mandatory before any certificate is issued.

India (DG Shipping), Philippines (MARINA), and other STCW white-list states. Conventions are tested heavily on both written papers and orals, and candidates are expected to cite convention article numbers from memory. The DG Shipping oral examiners in particular are known for demanding precise article-level knowledge.

Typical exam structure

USCG Rules of the Road: 50 questions (30 International + 20 Inland, or 30 each for a full endorsement), 2 hours 30 minutes, 90% pass. Every missed question hurts because missing 6 out of 50 fails the module. STCW Basic Training: four separate approved-course exams, typically 20-40 questions each, 70% pass. Advanced Firefighting: similar. Proficiency in Survival Craft: written exam plus practical demonstration including lifeboat launch and recovery.

MCA signals paper: 2 hours including flag identification, light and shape identification, and Rule 19 scenarios. Oral exam: 45-60 minutes with COLREGS scenarios dominating; the examiner typically gives 10-15 lights/shapes/sounds challenges and expects instant correct answers.

Typical sea service / prerequisites

STCW Basic Training has no sea-service prerequisite and is the first training a new mariner completes. Advanced endorsements (Advanced Firefighting, Medical Care Provider, Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats) require the base BT and are typically taken before first employment or at the officer-track level. Rules of the Road is tested at every deck-track level from AB onward. Refresher training under STCW Regulation VI/1 and VI/2 is required every 5 years for Basic Training, PSC, and Advanced Firefighting.

Core subject matter

COLREGS (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972). 41 numbered rules divided into 5 parts: Part A (general, Rules 1-3), Part B (steering and sailing, Rules 4-19, the heart of the convention), Part C (lights and shapes, Rules 20-31), Part D (sound and light signals, Rules 32-37), and Part E (exemptions). Plus four annexes (positioning and technical details of lights, sound signal appliances, additional signals for fishing vessels, and distress signals). The most-tested rules are Rule 5 (lookout), Rule 6 (safe speed), Rule 7 (risk of collision), Rule 8 (action to avoid collision), Rules 13-15 (overtaking, head-on, crossing), Rule 18 (responsibilities between vessels), and Rule 19 (restricted visibility).

STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping, 1978 as amended). Chapter I (general), Chapter II (master and deck department), Chapter III (engine department), Chapter IV (radiocommunication and GMDSS), Chapter V (special training for tankers and passenger ships), Chapter VI (emergency, occupational safety, medical care, survival — the Basic Training content), Chapter VII (alternative certification), and Chapter VIII (watchkeeping). The 2010 Manila Amendments added ECDIS, BRM/ERM, leadership and managerial skills, and security awareness. Table A-II/1 and A-III/1 are the minimum competence tables most candidates will encounter.

SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea, 1974). 14 chapters covering construction, fire protection, lifesaving (Chapter III and the LSA Code), radiocommunication (Chapter IV and GMDSS), safety of navigation (Chapter V), carriage of dangerous goods (Chapter VII and the IMDG Code), nuclear ships, safety management (Chapter IX and the ISM Code), high-speed craft, maritime security (Chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code), and the Polar Code (Chapter XIV). Chapter V regulations on voyage planning, bridge procedures, and steering gear testing are perennial exam favorites.

MARPOL (Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973/78). Six annexes: I (oil), II (noxious liquid substances), III (harmful substances in packaged form), IV (sewage), V (garbage), and VI (air pollution including SOx, NOx, and greenhouse gases, Emission Control Areas). Oil record book entries, garbage record book, and the IOPP and IAPP certificates are heavily tested. The 15 ppm oil-in-water limit for overboard discharge, the requirement to retain engine room bilge water records for 3 years, and the Annex VI sulphur limit (0.50% globally, 0.10% in ECAs) are specific numerical facts that show up repeatedly.

ISM Code (International Safety Management). The Safety Management System (SMS), Document of Compliance (DOC), Safety Management Certificate (SMC), designated person ashore (DPA), master's responsibility and authority, and non-conformities vs. major non-conformities. The 11 elements of an SMS are a common exam question.

ISPS Code (International Ship and Port Facility Security). Ship Security Plan (SSP), Ship Security Officer (SSO), Company Security Officer (CSO), Port Facility Security Officer (PFSO), security levels 1/2/3, Declaration of Security, and the International Ship Security Certificate (ISSC). ISPS is tested sparsely but candidates who cannot name the SSO/CSO/PFSO triad lose easy points.

Common pitfalls

Rule 19 restricted visibility questions are the single highest-failure area on Rules of the Road exams globally because candidates mistakenly apply Rules 13-18, which only apply in sight of one another. Light and shape identification questions trip candidates who have memorized the lights but never visualized them in three dimensions. MARPOL Annex V garbage categories changed in 2013 and outdated study materials still teach the old categories. ISM and ISPS questions ask for exact role titles (DPA, SSO, CSO) and candidates who learned the concepts loosely miss these. STCW Chapter VI watchstanding hours of rest rules (10 hours in any 24, 77 hours in any 7 days) are frequently tested and frequently missed. Candidates also confuse the STCW hours-of-rest rules with the MLC 2006 hours-of-work/rest rules, which are similar but not identical.

How to study with MMCE.app

Select the conventions track and the platform surfaces questions from COLREGS, STCW, SOLAS, MARPOL, ISM, and ISPS in proportion to their weighting on your chosen national exam. Rules of the Road practice is enforced at the 90% threshold. The AI tutor cites the specific rule, chapter, and annex number for every question and can generate Rule 19 restricted visibility scenarios on demand. The spaced-repetition system drills lights, shapes, and sound signals as flashcards and tracks which ones you consistently miss. A dedicated lights-and-shapes interactive module shows the light pattern alongside the shape pattern so candidates learn to recognize both day and night silhouettes for the same vessel.

Related credentials on MMCE.app

Every officer, ratings, and specialty track on MMCE.app integrates convention content automatically, because conventions are embedded in every national exam. STCW Basic Training, Advanced Firefighting, and Proficiency in Survival Craft endorsement exam prep is covered in the specialty endorsements hub. Naval sailors studying for advancement also benefit from the conventions hub because international law is lightly covered in Navy instructions but heavily tested in any subsequent USCG credential they pursue after separation.