Do I need to do this?
The one-question test: when is your PSSR certificate dated?
Dated before 1 January 2026 — this applies to you. This covers UK PSSR certificates, Certificates of Competency (CoC) and Certificates of Proficiency (CoP), and applies to all UK-certified officers and ratings employed or engaged on board with designated safety or pollution prevention duties, regardless of rank.
Dated on or after 1 January 2026 — you're exempt. The new content is already built into the PSSR training that issued your certificate, so there's nothing further to do.
Already covered this training under another flag? Also exempt. The MCA amended MGN 718 on 3 September 2026 to accept prior equivalent training: if you hold a course certificate issued by any IMO White List flag state that references IMO Resolution MSC.560(108) and is dated before 18 August 2026 (the date MGN 718 was published), it is accepted in place of the OneOcean module.
If you're not sure of your certificate's issue date, check the date printed on your PSSR certificate, CoC or CoP itself, or the PSSR completion date recorded in your Seafarer's Record Book / discharge book.
What is this, exactly?
MGN 718 (M+F): 2026 IMO Amendment to PSSR is a Marine Guidance Note published by the MCA on 18 August 2026. It implements a 2026 IMO amendment to Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities (PSSR) — the fourth element of STCW Basic Safety Training — by adding new content on preventing and responding to violence and harassment at sea.
MGN 718 replaces MIN 729. If you've previously seen guidance saying existing PSSR holders never need to retrain, that guidance is now out of date — MGN 718 supersedes it.
The new requirement itself is a standalone module, not a repeat of the full PSSR course:
- Module name: "Prevention and Response to Violence & Harassment"
- Reference: 0900
- Format: online e-learning, roughly one hour, no final assessment or exam
- Cost: free of charge
- Delivered by: OneOcean (a brand of Ocean Technologies Group) — this is the one place MGN 718 names for this module. It isn't a course you shop around for between training schools.
The deadline
You need to complete the module by 31 March 2027. That's just over seven months from MGN 718's publication date, so there's no need to panic — but it's worth adding to your certificate tracking now rather than leaving it for the weeks before the deadline, when everyone else affected will be doing the same thing.
What MGN 718 says happens if you miss it: the notice states that failure to complete the training by the deadline may affect certificate revalidation, your ability to demonstrate compliance during inspections, and eligibility to work on vessels at sea. MGN 718 does not set out a specific fine or prosecution process beyond this — this is what the notice itself says, nothing has been added or inferred beyond it.
How do I do it?
- Go to shop.oceantg.com
- Search for course reference 0900 ("Prevention and Response to Violence & Harassment")
- Complete the module — around an hour, online, no exam
- Download your OneOcean Verification of Training document on completion
Evidence of completion: there is no separate MCA-issued certificate for this module. The OneOcean Verification of Training document is what you keep and show — the same way you'd keep any other training record.
Store your Verification of Training alongside your other certs in YachtSync, free →
How this relates to your existing STCW / PSSR training
PSSR is the fourth element of STCW Basic Safety Training, alongside Personal Survival Techniques, Fire Prevention and Firefighting, and Elementary First Aid. This new module doesn't replace or repeat any of that — it's a short, free top-up specifically addressing violence and harassment prevention, required because of the 2026 IMO amendment. You don't need to rebook a PSSR course or any part of STCW BST to comply; you only need the OneOcean e-learning module described above.
Compare STCW Basic Safety Training providers on YachtSync → if your STCW itself (not just this module) needs renewing.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need to do the new PSSR violence and harassment module?
Only if your UK PSSR certificate, Certificate of Competency, or Certificate of Proficiency is dated before 1 January 2026. If it's dated on or after 1 January 2026, the new content is already built into the course you completed and there's nothing further to do. There's one further exemption, added when the MCA amended MGN 718 on 3 September 2026: a course certificate from any IMO White List flag state that references IMO Resolution MSC.560(108), dated before 18 August 2026, is accepted in place of the module.
Is there an exam?
No. MGN 718 describes it as approximately one hour of e-learning with no final assessment.
Where do I complete the module?
Only through OneOcean, at shop.oceantg.com, searching for course reference 0900. MGN 718 names this as the single delivery route — there isn't a wider market of training schools each running their own version of it.
What is the deadline?
31 March 2027, as set out in MGN 718 (M+F), published by the MCA on 18 August 2026.
Do I get a certificate?
You get a OneOcean Verification of Training document on completion. There is no separate MCA-issued certificate for this specific module.
Source: MGN 718 (M+F): 2026 IMO Amendment to PSSR, MCA, published 18 August 2026 and amended 3 September 2026 (section 4.1, acceptance of prior IMO White List flag state training on MSC.560(108)). Read the full notice.
Related guides: What is STCW? → · How to get your STCW → · Yacht crew career path →
Where to train for this
- STCW Basic Safety Training (BST) Training Courses: compare schools, dates and prices.
Schools running STCW Basic Safety Training (BST): Maritime Professional Training (MPT), Maritime School of the West Indies (MSWI), Ondeck Maritime Training (Ondeck Antigua). See all providers.