Emergency procedures
Understanding the ship's emergency plans, safety arrangements, and the importance of preparation, drills, and clearly defined procedures before a real emergency occurs.
STCW Passenger Ship Training
Crisis Management and Human Behaviour
Understand who this passenger ship training is for, what competence it develops, and why leadership, communication, stress awareness, and passenger behaviour matter during an emergency at sea.
Official Training Context
What this training is designed to prepare you for
Crisis Management and Human Behaviour is part of the STCW passenger ship training framework. It is aimed at senior officers and other personnel who are specifically responsible for passenger safety during emergencies on passenger ships.
The purpose is not simply to memorise an emergency plan. The training develops the judgement, leadership, communication, and human behaviour skills needed when people are under pressure and normal routines have broken down.
In a real emergency, passengers may be frightened, confused, separated from family members, unsure where to go, or slow to accept that the situation is serious. Crew members with designated responsibility need to remain organised, communicate clearly, use available resources well, and help maintain order while following the ship's established emergency procedures.
Who It Is For
Who normally needs Crisis Management and Human Behaviour training?
Under STCW passenger ship requirements, this training applies before assignment to shipboard duties for masters, chief engineer officers, chief mates, second engineer officers, and any person designated on the muster list as having responsibility for the safety of passengers in emergency situations.
That means the course is linked to your actual emergency duties, not simply to whether you work on a cruise ship. A crew member whose muster-list responsibilities involve passenger safety may need different passenger ship training from someone whose role does not carry that level of responsibility.
Important: your cruise line, flag State, training provider, or crewing department should confirm exactly which passenger ship certificates or documentary evidence you need for your position.
Core Competence
What the training focuses on
The STCW competence standard covers several connected areas. Together they are designed to help responsible crew members manage the shipboard response while also understanding how people may behave in a crisis.
Use of available resources
Making effective use of personnel and equipment when resources may be limited, allocating responsibilities clearly, and adapting when the situation does not unfold exactly as planned.
Leadership and decision making
Assessing the situation, acting in line with emergency procedures, setting an example, giving direction, and making focused decisions when time and information may be limited.
Stress and performance
Recognising that excessive stress can affect judgement, communication, comprehension, and the ability of both crew and passengers to follow instructions.
Passenger behaviour
Understanding common reactions such as denial, panic, searching for relatives or belongings, moving toward perceived safety, or difficulty processing instructions.
Emergency communication
Giving information that is accurate, relevant, timely, and easy to understand, while considering language barriers and situations where demonstrations or hand signals may be necessary.
Why people do not always react logically during a crisis
Emergency behaviour is not always predictable. Some people take time to accept that there is a genuine danger. Others may become highly anxious, freeze, focus on personal belongings, search for friends or relatives, or move toward a place that feels familiar rather than the place they have been instructed to go.
This is why emergency leadership has to be calm and deliberate. Clear instructions matter, but so does understanding why somebody may not respond immediately. Repeating information, using simple language, directing people physically toward the correct route, and providing reassurance can all become part of effective passenger control.
Stress affects crew as well. A person who understands the plan in a classroom may process information differently when alarms are sounding, passengers are asking questions, and several tasks are competing for attention. Training and realistic drills help make the expected response more familiar before it is needed for real.
Good emergency communication is short, clear, and useful
During an emergency, long explanations can be less effective than clear instructions. People need to understand what is happening, what action is required, where they should go, and what they should not do.
Passenger ships can carry people from many countries, so language can become part of the challenge. The STCW competence standard recognises that emergency communication may need to consider the principal languages of people onboard and may sometimes require demonstrations, hand signals, or directing attention to signs, muster stations, life-saving appliances, and evacuation routes.
Communication also moves in both directions. Responsible crew need information from other personnel and passengers, must evaluate what is reliable, and need to keep emergency teams updated as the situation develops. Information that is late, confusing, or contradictory can make crowd behaviour harder to manage.
Related Passenger Ship Training
Crisis Management is not the same as Crowd Management
The two subjects are related but they are not interchangeable. Crowd Management focuses on assisting and controlling passengers during an emergency, including directing people, maintaining clear escape routes, and using the ship's emergency arrangements correctly.
Crisis Management and Human Behaviour goes further into leadership, resource management, decision making, stress, passenger reactions, and the wider management of the emergency response. Which training you need depends on your position and your designated duties onboard.
Before Booking A Course
Check that the training will be accepted for your job
Do not choose a course only because the title looks correct. Ask your cruise line, crewing department, or relevant maritime administration what documentary evidence is required for your position and whether the training provider you plan to use is accepted.
Course delivery, assessment methods, refresher expectations, and certificate acceptance can depend on the administration, company, and role. If you already hold previous passenger ship training, confirm whether you need a new course, refresher training, or evidence of recent competence before paying for anything.
Keep copies of your training records and certificates in a secure place. When joining a ship, you may be asked to provide documentary evidence as part of your employment and compliance checks.
Official Reference
Where the requirement comes from
The international basis is the IMO STCW Convention and Code, including the passenger ship training provisions in Regulation V/2 and Section A-V/2. IMO also publishes a dedicated model course for Passenger Ship Crisis Management and Human Behaviour Training.
Common questions about Crisis Management and Human Behaviour
Does every cruise ship crew member need this course?
No. The requirement is linked to specific passenger ship emergency responsibilities. Senior officers and people designated on the muster list as responsible for passenger safety in emergencies are among those covered by the STCW requirement.
Is Crisis Management the same as basic STCW safety training?
No. Basic STCW training covers fundamental personal survival, fire prevention and firefighting, first aid, and personal safety responsibilities. Crisis Management and Human Behaviour is passenger ship specific training for personnel with designated emergency responsibility.
Does the course only teach passenger control?
No. Passenger behaviour is one part of it. The competence standard also covers emergency procedures, use of resources, leadership, decision making, stress, communication, and management of the wider emergency response.
Will every training provider issue a certificate accepted by my cruise line?
Not necessarily. Confirm the provider, course approval, documentary evidence, and any company or flag State requirements before booking.
Should I take Crowd Management as well?
Possibly. Crowd Management and Crisis Management are separate passenger ship training requirements for different duties. Your employer or maritime administration should confirm which courses apply to your position.